nursery closes at 6, not home til 7...

[sazza1970]

Hi all

I'm a first time mum-to-be, and thinking about childcare already as our financial situation means I'll have to return to work when the baby is six months old. I'm looking into nurseries at the moment, but they all shut at 5.30-6pm, and the very earliest I can be home is 7pm. What happens in this situation? Do any nurseries offer extra care, for an additional fee? Or would I have to find someone else - a childminder, as parents live out of london - to pick up the baby? All feels very daunting, and I really don't know how others cope in this situation. Any advice gratefully received - I live in Crouch End, London, by the way.

OP - It IS tricky - this is one of the trickiest things about work and childcare and it doesn't matter if it's 1 day a week or 5 days a week that you need childcare beyond 6 o'clock, it is still difficult to sort out.

When DD1 was small she went to a nursery that was open until 6.30 (there are some round here which are open until 7), and the times I couldn't be there to collect her at 6.30, I organised for one of the nursery nurses to take her home and babysit her for an hour until I was there. This sort of thing has happened in most of the nurseries I've used, either regularly or from time to time. Now that DD1 is at school and we have DD2 I use a childminder who is happy to keep them until 7.00 when needed, or even later on occasion, when she'll bring them back here and put them to bed for me.

And no, I am lucky enough not to have to work until this late every day (although today I am working until 11pm!), but as it's very difficult for DH to be home until 7.00 at the earliest, there will always be times when childcare until 6.00 is just not late enough.

I have exactly the same issues re nurseries and child care. Thing is - how do you really know what goes on with child minders? How do you vet them properly etc? If they are Ofsted registered is that generally good enough? I live in Stroud Green...

Amia - I sent my DS to nursery when I went back to work initially for exactly the reasons you state. I was worried that I might not pick someone who was good. But I got so fed up with staff turnover at nursery and being charged an arm and a leg for a perfect stranger to look after my DS, I decided to look into CMs. I went to see a few (there is a list of questions on here which was really helpful) and I just 'knew' when I met the right one. She gave me some numbers of other mothers to ring which helped to reassure me. I can honestly say it is the best thing I ever did. She really cares about my DS, he gets beautiful home cooked food every day and he is happy as larry there.

Hi Sazza,

I think the thing that I learned from the last year or so of DS being in (part-time, 3 days) day nursery is that although in theory you can probably find a way to work those hours and put your ds/dd in nursery, it all falls apart quite regularly if:
-your dc is ill (and nursery will not take them if they are so you have to stay home),
-you are ill,
-the nursery closes due to a broken boiler and calls you to come and pick your dc up immediately
-your workplace has some crisis which means you should be staying late but can't.

I would therefore advise that you consider cutting down something (hours probably) while your child is young if that is possible.

I work in a supposedly child-friendly (but demanding) vocation and am part-time, and I still struggle. DS is nearly 2 and I still feel like I wouldn't cope in full time. I am also lucky because my DS was a dream child and mostly slept through, settled into both nurseries as though he'd been there forever etc. If he was anything like your average child is it would have been much worse as I'd have had (much more) guilt and tiredness as well.

I have totally mucked up my career by being part time but then after waiting so long to have him I think I need to make the most of his babyhood.

Not sure if you're still reading the thread... but where in Crouch End are you and have you looked at Bowes Park nursery (near Bounds green Tube and next to Bowes Park train station) they're open 7.30-6.30 and quite reasonable (£225 pw or £55 pd).

I've registered my baby for a place there, but tbh I'll have so little salary left after paying the fees that I'm looking at becoming a childminder - but then I'm usually a teacher so not that different.

Agree with giantkatestalks et al, why bother if you never see them? Sorry to sound judgemental but seriously, sometimes you have to make choices.

My ds did 7am to 6.30pm from 10 mths with a CM. Single parent so no choice. Easy at that age. Last year when ds started school I cut my hours as by then I had a better paid job and could afford to.

The longer hours were easy when ds was small but very hard once he got homework. Ds doesn't seem scarred for life by his experience. In fact he is incredibly confident and sociable.