Ok, so how do you work out childcare when you have one at school and one in nursery??!!

[newpositiveme]

Would really like to find out how other people have managed and whether I have any other options that I've not thought of!

I have a DS (4) and a small baby, am planning on going back to work next may/june time. Ds will be starting school in september so I am trying to figure out what working pattern to request/propose to work.

I am contracted for 28 hours a week, this used to be done over 3 days with some working from home which worked out well for us when it was just Ds in nursery, I would do 3 slightly longer days and half a day (in hours) from home.

When DS starts school, he starts at 9am and finishes at 3.15pm. DP is lucky enough to work close by and can change his hours of work slightly to allow for taking Ds to school.

I will be 'in charge' of dropping off and picking up DC 2 from childcare and picking Ds1 up from school.

My options are:

Continue to work three days a week booking dS1 into an after school club (there isnt one at the school so it involves him being picked up and taken to the club premises, its about £17 er day)). Book DC2 into nursery for three days per week, and as working from home has now been withdrawn as an option (long story!) I would have to reduce my hours to about 22/23 per week.

Or

Request to work slightly less hours (say 26) but over four days, which employer may prefer, from 8 to 2.30 pm. I would then be able to pick DC2 up from nursery and be back home in time for collecting DS from school. This would depend on whether I could find a nursery who would reduce the daily fee in light of me picking up an hour and a half into the PM session, otherwise the nursery bill would be prohibitive.

If anyone could share how they 'manage' childcare with two that would probably help a lot as I am feeling quite daunted at present, not returning to work is not an option at present .

thanks

I have a 3.7yo dd and an 11mo ds and I currently work 4 days per week, 9am til 5pm. I am off on a Monday, the dc go to nursery 8am to 6pm on a Tuesday and Wednesday, and my mum has them on a Thursday and Friday.

Come September, I will be putting ds in nursery on a Monday, and I will be working 10am to 2pm on a Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. This will allow me to drop off ds at nursery at 8am, then take dd to school for 9am, go to work until 2pm, pick dd up from school, then pick ds up from nursery. My mum will continue to have them on a Thursday and Friday, when I will be doing 9am to 5pm.

Forgot to mention, we are not able to reduce our nursery fees for ds. So although he will be finishing for the day at around 3.30pm, we will still have to pay for a full day of 8am to 6pm.

My DS did a lot of after school care (which fortunately he loved) to overcome this challenge - which meant that he finished at 5:45pm, leaving just enough time to scramble over to nursery for 6pm pickup - but our after school care was not as extortionate as yours (I thought it was expensive at the time at £10/day including (substantial) tea, but clearly not!)

childminder who does pickups from Dds school.

The added benefit is that they enjoy seeing each other at the end of the day, and only one pickup for me.

Have you considered a childminder? You may be able to find one that will take the baby all day & do the school pick up.

Or one that will take the baby during the school day - this may suit them if they otherwise have lots of after-school kids.

Have you also thought about what you will do in the school holidays?

I should maybe add that the solution the last 2 posters had would have been my first choice - but childminders are an endangered breed round here

Have you considered an au pair or nanny? I ask because I am facing similar situation myself next year and have been toying with this idea.

Thank you all so much for your relies!
Have considered a Cm but most around here are operating waiting lists! Au pair not an option as we do not have enough space to accomodate one, and even then I dont think I could leave DS2 with her for the hours required. Did fleetingly consider a nanny but dismissed it as too expensive, might pop on the nannies thread and see how much it might cost for a p/t nanny though!

I have 3 ds's and went back to work 4 days a week in September, I do 29 hours (I wanted to do 3 but work said no) ds1 had just started school, ds2 and ds 3 go to nursery. It works with us by having EVERYTHING and I mean everything packed and sorted the night before, packed lunches, nursery bags, letters, also showers done night before... I have to be in work by 7am so all up by 6.30am (me a bit earlier) get boys dressed (clothes are laid out night before too) and down stairs to laid out breakfast table I leave and dh takes 2 boys to nursery then loops back to drop off ds1 at before school club, I leave my desk at 2.45pm pick up ds2 and ds3, home and grab buggy, to school by 3.15pm. dh works 9-5pm
Only change is on a Monday I take ds3 to nursery, ds2 goes to a friends house at 8.30am and ds1 to breakfast club as normal as ds2 does local preschool 9-3.30 instead of nursery.
Its hectic and a pain in bum when dh is working away and I have to do all drop offs, I'm starting to get a good support network and I know if anything seriously happened the out of school club could take him.
For school holidays we'll take holiday, use grandparents and out of school holiday club.

Its also expensive - nursery fees alone are £1200/month but with childcare vouchers from dh and I that comes down to a managable amount,I'm working to keep a job and some kind of career so when the boys are all in school things will be a lots easier - as long as we are not in debt due to childcare which so far we seem not to be....

Not sure that helps but it can be done and sometimes its only by trying it you can see what works and what doesn't - personally the boys get more out of being in a nursery than they did with a CM so I wouldn't go for a nanny and I don't like idea of relying on one person, I like social aspect of nursery and that its always there for them.

I have one at primary and one at nursery.

The nursery opens at 7am and my husband drops ds2 there.

I take ds1 to friends or breakfast club at 8am.

I then go to work.

Husband picks ds1 up from after school club.

I collect ds2 from nursery on my way home.

If you are not going to work for a while yet why cant you join the childminders waiting list?

We also have a childminder that does school drop off and pick up - she is a gem that we couldn't do without.

I work 26 hours a week over 3 days - it means that I do have to get the Ds to her for 8am which can be a struggle in the morning - but she does drop of and pick up - the boys are happy wit the routine, and still get to be together. They have been with her for 3 years so we are very lucky. It also means school holidays are so much easier, we can stick to the routine without having to overly call on help from grandparents/friends etc meaning we can have our holiday when the childminder us but she doesn't charge us for these weeks.

I really would recommend joining a list.