Am I mad to walk 40 mins to and from nursery + commute?

[Lizzy4]

Hello

I am going back to work in June and looking for childcare for my DS. The nursery closest to home is currently full and he's on the waiting list but it's unlikely he'll get the four days we need. I have found another nursery which is great and has a good reputation (the one nearer home is not so popular) but it is a 40 min walk away.

I need to drop him at 8am (in South West London) and be at work for 9am (by Waterloo) so it makes sense to walk and go directly to the train station into Waterloo. If I drop him off by car, I will need to drop the car home first before heading into town on the train and there may be a lot of traffic in the rush hour.

The nursery do early and late pick ups but that would mean an extra £10 a day!

Does anyone else walk a long way to nursery because it's the best place for their DC? I am also considering childminders but not sure I'll get one locally so it's likely I would have to walk/drive to them.

Your advice appreciated

Can you get a bike and a trailer?khleuven

Thats quite early to be getting out of the door. But I am soooo not a morning person. Is there a bus you could take on rainy days?

Or could you leave your car at nursery all day?

i personally think a 40mins walk to a nursery in the morning is a little ambitious, and I think you will find this harder for your return journey......initially once you have collected DC from nursery you want to spend time with them as is so close to bedtime, you won't be wanting to walk 40mins before you can play with them etc........once a dc comes along, timings don't run like clockwork and you may constantly find yourself running late and/or stressing. How will you manage on a cold rainy morning/evening?.....is a bus an option? Returning to work can be very stressful for some. This doesn't sound like a smooth plan to me.
Can you do a few trial runs.....pretend you are off to work.....get up when you think you will need to, get ready as you would, then walk to the nursery .....perhaps do that for 4 straight days and see how it goes. Then see how you feel but remember you may not be able to practise the coming home portion or the way you will feel after a days work, so is not a complete trial run but gives you an idea......and start the trial now before we get into lovely spring/summer weather (if we get any!)

bike definitely

Also he will fall asleep on the way home probably, which will be a pita at bedtime.

Can you put him in a nursery near Waterloo? There are some really nice ones around there. I have a 30 minute drive to my dc nursery and that is a long time for her to be sitting, especially on the way home. It is only do-able as it's at my work. I think the walking plan may be a bit much for both of you.

Can you put him in a nursery near Waterloo? There are some really nice ones around there. I have a 30 minute drive to my dc nursery and that is a long time for her to be sitting, especially on the way home. It is only do-able as it's at my work. I think the walking plan may be a bit much for both of you.

Thanks everyone. All good advice. I am going to try the walk again tomorrow and in my trainers. I did the walk with my mum the other day and we were probably going slower than I would if I was on my own. So maybe it's a 30 min walk? Driving could still work but need to do that as a trial run too in the rush hour!

Waterloo could be an option but the thought of getting on the train with a buggy fills me with horror. It was bad enough trying to get on the train with a bump in the rush hour....so hoping for something closer to home.