Do you think these nursery fees are reasonable? ....are there good cheaper nurseries that I don't know about?

[ilikeyoursleeves]

We have just found out I am pregnant with DC2 which is fab news. So we are now thinking of ways to cut back on outgoings as things might be a bit tight with me going off work again for a while. DS is in nursery just now for 2 days a week and it's £35 a day, do you think this is an average price? I thought it was until DH's mate said his lot went to a nursery and it was literally only a few pounds a month (!). I'm thinking though this might have been a different type of nursery, like for preschool kids or something? Or a council run one?

So I was just wondering if you pay similar fees to me or are there other cheaper (but just as good) nurseries out there I know nothing about? Are council run nurseries different? Do they have to fulfil the same standards & practice? Maybe that's what his mate was talking about?

I'm confused!

Potentially the friend may be having the Early Years Grant deducted from their fees for an over3? But £35 sounds plausible for a before discount rate.

only a few pounds a month must simply be him topping up the 12.5 hours a week a 3 yo gets free with nursery grant. I think £35 a day is fairly reasonable, depending on where you live.

You may find a childminder slightly cheaper - at around £3.30 - £3.50 an hour if you only want a shorter day, but no, all nurseries must follow the Early Years Foundation Stage, so should be the same standards of care.

£35 is a fantastic rate.

I think £35 a day is normal for a private nursery. My DD goes to a council run one (sure start) and that's £28 a day, and that's the cheapest I've heard off in my area.

£35 sounds on the cheaper end of the scale for private nursery (depending on whre in the country you are)- I pay £41 per day.

If you break it down into an hourly rate, it doesn't really sound a lot for the care, nappies, food etc.

When the DC hits 3 YO the government pay the nuersery education grant which helps quite a bit, so maybe that is what your DH's mate is thinking of

(although tbh I doubt my DH has any idea what the daily nursery rate is- could that also be the case for your DH's friend? )

just reread your OP- congrats on the new pregnancy!

£35 would be bargainous around here, it's £60+ around here, even the average CM charges £5.50-£7.50 per hour

We pay £42 a day! But we are in the south east, so you are getting a good rate

£35 sounds about right.
Round my way, there's a sliding scale for rates at council ones - less money you earn, less you pay.

If trying to save money, are you and your DH getting childcare tax subsidy - can't remember what it's called ... sorreeee

We pay £25.50 a day at our excellent day nursery. It is a non profit making nursery run by a church and I can't speak highly enough about it.
I visited other nurseries in the area when I was pregnant with my first, all of which were much more expensive and I still prefered the cheaper one.

£35 a day sounds good to me. Here in Cardiff, the going rate is £40-45 per day

Yup I'd say £35 is normal. We pay £30 per day for our small day nursery but that's one fo teh cheaper ones in the area.

We pay £36 a day which is the going rate here (north-west)

We pay £45 for our nursery (not trying to be competetive but that's what we pay )

Ours is £32 a day or £135 a week (baby room under 2) and was the cheapest one we looked at.

I think that's a very good rate - I'm in South East London and the going rate is £45 - £72 per day at some nurseries.

i live in west kent just outside M25 and pay £48 a day

will get NEGrant after xmas tho as dd is now 3

is a fortune, we worked out we will have paid them £24,000 by the time dd goes to school, but worth it for her happiness and my sanity being able to work and the going rate round here

£35 a day sounds reasonable but it all depends on where you live

When you say day, what do you mean?

7.30 to 6.30 in Sheffield, £45.

9-4, £33 ish.

Food and nappies in, but not milk.

42/day north leeds

DS (6 months at the time) was in a nursery in Islington and it was £75.00 a day

Fortunately was only for a week...

Great nursery though....

I pay £140 a week for a full time place, which is slightly discounted on sessional prices - I think a full day is £32. That's for a nursery in a Sure Start Children's Centre run by the County Council.

It's fantastic and worth every penny IMO (and knowing what other nurseries charge I think it's very reasonable.)

We pay £32 in sheffield - includes food and nappies too. 8 till 6. Other nurseries in area charge 40ish so I think £35 is reasonable - you may get child tax credits depending on income!

When I had 2 in nursery for 3 1/2 days per weeks we sometimes had a bill for £900!!!

£55 a day here

Look into Childcare vouchers through your or/and DHs employer. We save loads. We both buy £243 each, DH is a higher tax earner so he saves about £90 per month in tax and I save about £70. It means we pay an extra £50 or so towards 3 days of childcare. Yes they deduct the voucher costs but minus Tax and NI which really helps. We are just on the upper limit of working tax credits so don't get any help there.

We pay an average of £40 a day - varies on which day of the week DD goes to Nursery - she is 2.3 so no free Nursery grant yet.

£35 a day was last year's Council nursery fee here in Haringey, I don't know how much it's gone up this year but last year it had gone up by £3 a day (about 9%). They sound like excellent nurseries and ds has just been offered a place in one but I'm really happy with his childminder - and so is he - who charges £30 a day or £140 a week and lives just round the corner from us, as I'm also expecting a second I don't plan to move him.