How early to start looking for child care?

[Madratlady]

Ok so I don't have a clue how to go about finding child care. It'll be needed from September next year (DC isn't even due till January so this is probably really early to be thinking about it), for 3 days a week, half 7ish till half 4ish. We prefer the idea of a nursery but would be happy with a child minder.

It looks like we'll end up paying around £35 a day, that seems to be the minimum round here. We don't want to pay more than we have to because it's going to be a big chunk of our income.

I'm going to find out prices for local nurseries and childminders but what do I do then? Arrange to visit ones we like the look of I guess? Would I need to put the baby on a waiting list? When would I need to do that?

That's quite an early start so it might be worth asking around to see which childminders and nurseries actually offer that early. I was lucky and found a childminder within 2 weeks of starting to look, but it's definitely worth looking early. I would have a bit of a look around and enquire now, and again about 3-6 months before you actually need it - firstly because you'll actually have the baby then so you'll have more of an idea what you are looking for, you may know other parents by then who you can ask for opinions, and also because childminders in particular can change their situation quite drastically in a year, with the amount of children they mind, their own DCs' ages and stages and they might be planning more DC themselves. Plus it will be good to see how your DC reacts to the environment, if they are interested or overwhelmed by it, how the staff/CM react to them, etc.

Some childminders might ask for a deposit in order to secure a spot in advance, I wouldn't do this now, but perhaps when you go to look around next year then think about it if there is one you would like. Nurseries if they have a waiting list, get on it ASAP because the way they operate with places etc are so different. Go to look around first, that way if you hate it, there's no need to bother with the waiting list.

£35 is a little under £4 an hour which is very cheap - I would be careful of saying that you don't want to pay more than you have to. Fair enough to avoid the really pricey places, but it's worth stretching the budget a little for the right setting. It's a pain in the arse when childcare seems to account for almost all of your wage but think of it as a temporary thing, and the other benefits other than money. If you are on a low wage too, you can get help via tax credits with your childcare costs. Also, remember to ask what the fee actually covers - as some places charge extra for outings or food, or ask you to provide food, nappies etc whereas other places will include some or all of these in the fee. (You're almost always asked to provide milk yourself).

I wasn't sure how early I was supposed to start looking. I'll wait until we actually have the baby then!

There's a lovely nursery very near to where we live but it'd cost us £48 a day which is pretty expensive, DH has totally vetoed that one on the basis of cost.

My DS is 10 weeks old now and I've just started looking round places (won't need childcare til April next year so about

There seems to be a big shuffle going on in time for September though, so I'm definitely going to be putting a deposit down with a nursery this week to secure a place.

It's really handy to get involved in a baby/parent group as you'll meet other mums and get to know the lie of the local land e.g. which places sound good.

I used childcare.co.uk while I was pregnant to have a scout around childminders (the hours they offered and cost etc).

I waited until DS was born before sorting child care. biiiig mistake. I went back to work when he was 13 months old. His name had been on the waiting list since he was 12 weeks old and it was a further 6 months before a place was available at my first choice nursery. I did not make the same mistake with DD.

I had DS's name on a nursery waiting list when I was 5 months pregnant for going back to work at 9 months old and still couldn't get a place on Wednesdays until he was 12 months old.

I'd definitely start looking now if I were you. All the signs are that the 2011-12 baby boom is increasing further this year so there's going to be even greater demand for childcare places.

I had DD in April and she's going to nursery in January. I had to put her name down in March (even tho we didn't know if she was a boy or a girl!) - and even then the nursery told me we'd got a place by the skin of our teeth.

Places with good nurseries and childminders are going like hot cakes at the moment so I'd definitely start looking now - plus, if you get it sorted now it's one less thing to worry about when your baby is here!

Why would you prefer a nursery? Children under 2 much better placed with a childminder if at all possible.

I started looking about 2 months before I needed it, but I'm notorious for waiting until the last minute.

It all depends on where you live. Here in Belfast, there are always places available at the nurseries, maybe not at the childminders.

Depends where you live. Here in London you have to apply for a place about as soon as you get pregnant. I think I applied for nursery about a year before.

Look around, get on waiting lists if it won't cost you too much to do so.

Save up... You may well need to be paying a months fees in advance, so start saving now.

Keep options open as long as you can, you may feel differently about the type of care you need, if indeed any care at all, once baby is born.

I waited a lot later than you (but in some areas, places are precious so I think its fair enough to be thinking about it now).

I was going back to work in the October, and from memory I think I contacted a local childminder in the June to see if they'd have a space, she didn't, but all the childminders in my town sort of work together (in that they hire a hall for communal playtime three times a week and they ahve playovers at each others houses). So she put me in touch with someone who had just had a cancellation and we got her (she's fab!)

I had looked at reviews of the childminders on the regulating bodies website (I'm in scotland and its since changed its name to something else) although to be honest, for me, with a childminder its all about how you feel about the person now whether they tick the right boxes on paper.

We arrange to meet with the childminder in her home (to see where he'd be) and decide whether to go ahead (we did).

Nurseries are a lot more formal I think, and you can maybe contact a few now to see if they have vacancies then, they might not plan that far ahead, but they shoudl let you go round there and have a look and feel for the place.

Agree with Pooble about London nursery wait lists.

Because you are looking for a place for a baby, as opposed to a pre-schooler, there is likely to be a much more limited selection of nurseries that take that age group.

Book early for London. By the time of my second child, I wised up and put the baby on the wait list for a nursery at 3 months' pregnant.

BTW, the same applies for private schools in my area of London, if you are considering that, I recommend putting their names down when they are 6 months old. Good luck.

Depends where you live - if there's high demand definitely visit them now while you have the energy, get the costs, the hidden extras and terms and conditions, find out if you can register an interest before the birth or if you need to get DH to drop off the application forms while you are still in the hospital that's what it's like around here anyway
Make a shortlist and revisit with your pfb and make a choice.

Take note of where your precious pram will be stored all day after drop offs - it might influence how much you chose to spend

I went to visit the nurseries before I had DD (once I started my Maternity Leave) as I felt I could be more objective - also the logistics were easier as I didn't have to take DD with me. I live in London so I also had to think about space availability.

The error I made was booking a full time place thinking I could just drop the days I didn't need if work agreed for me to go back part-time. This wasn't how it worked: the nursery had so many "full time" places each day and so many "part time" places each day. I ended up having to work Mon/Wed/Fri for a few months until I could switch to my preferred Mon/Thu/Fri as the nursery didn't have a part time space on the Thursday when I was due to go back to work (but as I was then in the nursery I had priority over a space once it became available). I was also lucky that my employer was willing for me to do this too.

You should look at nurseries now and put name on a list. Consider paying more for a nursery that is the closest to your home. My sons nursery is 2 mins walk from home and I can't emphasise enough how much that helps the working day, no extra journey as party of your commute. 48 is not bad, cheapest in this part of London is 60.

I agree, start looking now.

Starting looking for DTs when they were a couple of months old, I didn't need places for almost 2 years down the line (they didn't start nursery until till they were 2) but I didn't get places at my first choice nursery, I got places 2.5 years after I'd put their names down!!

2nd time around, I waited until I had my 12 week scan then put DD's name down for a place to start when she was 1 (I was having a year's mat leave).

Its like everything - the good ones get booked up. Chances are, you'll probably find a place closer to the time that you need it, but you might not get your preferred choice.

It depends where you are but here, £35 a day isn't realistic - you won't get a nursery for that price. Don't forget though, you can get childcare vouchers (which most nurseries accept, not all childminders will accept) which reduce the cost by about a 3rd (if you're a basic rate tax payer). The other thing I'd say is think about the care (as I'm sure you will anyway) but if one nursery / childminder is better than the other but is slightly more expensive, most people will tell you its more than worth it for the peace of mind.

I put DD"s names on our preferred nursery waiting lists (in North London) after my 12 week scan - for going back to work a year after she was born. (This was on the advice of a friend who waited until the birth and then failed to get a place for 12 months later). It's crazy around here but might be different where you live.

I can't comment on finding a childminder.

Thanks for all the advice, I'll start looking now!

MrsJamin please explain your comment, why do you say that babies are better off with a childminder?

I only have 2 friends with dc, both have sent their children to nurseries and they have loved it. One has started school but loved nursery and the other is 9 months old.

Well this is from my perspective but you need to look up the research for yourself. A childminder is a known person who haa probably had their own children, and you have specifically chosen to look after your baby, and they will form an attachment, which is a lovely thing. It is in a home environment which means a comfortable and relaxing place to be in - also your baby will be excited by seeing other children and forming friendships with children of different ages. In a nursery for a baby on the other hand,your child would have a key worker but this person could easily leave or be moved to another room. To generalise childcare workers in nurseries are more likely to be younger and not to be mothers themselves. A roomful of babies is not a stimulating environment for babies, and there can be lots of crying. In the end you have to do your own research and weigh up pros and cons- childminders are just people who can be sick and their children can be sick etc, one of mine had to go away on a moment's notice as her dad was ill. I am sure there are terrific nurseries out there and I definitely know some terrible childminders who I would never use- so it's up to you to see each setting for its merits.

I think the best piece of advice I was given was that there is no rule as to what kind of childcare is best - just keep an open mind. A great nursery is better than a poor childminder and a great childminder is better than an average nursery. It really depends what options you have (whether the nurseries / childmiinders locally are good and whether they have availability) and what actually fits with your circumstances. Do you need flexibility (in terms of hours / days - more likely to be accommodated by a childminder), do you need certainty (i.e. if the childminder phoned in sick, would that cause you major problems - if so, might be worth considering a nursery), do you need to use childcare vouchers and most importantly, what does your instinct say? For me personally, I thought that a childminder with 2 or 3 other children, plus my twins, and potentially doing the school run with older children, couldn't offer as much as a nursery with numerous staff, lots of age specific activities and a variety of rooms / settings as they got older. Having said that, as MrsJamin says, other people prefer the homely perspective of a childminder, the closer relationships your child will develop with the childminder and the other children. As I said, it all comes down to personal preference and what suits you as a family. Good luck, its a really overwhelming decision when you just want to do the best for your baby .

I'm not making a decision one way or another yet but looking into both and what's available near either home or work. I'd prefer nearer home because it's a nicer area than nearer work, does that make me a bit snobby? It'd also be nice if I could get to know other mums around here.

I think the main problem is what days I'll need child care. I'll be working 3 days 8-8, I'll drop off on my way to work and DH will pick up on his way home. The plan is for me to ask for flexible working hours so that my 3 days each week are set weekdays or weekend days as I don't think I'd be allowed to not work weekends and usually my working days would vary. How soon would I need to sort that out with work and let a childcare provider know what days I'd need child care for?

I'm a bit clueless about all this sorry!

How likely are your work to agree to flexible working? Hopefully you know of some people at your work who already do what you would like to work. I asked for flexible working and was turned down, so I had to quit. I hadn't looked for childcare at that point (DS was 8 months) as I knew I wanted a childminder and would have had to pay a retainer to keep the space open. It depends how full the places are near you.

I had a very similar working pattern to you OP when DC were young and also required set working days for childcare.
I hope you don't work for the NHS, they said no and I had to leave.

Nearer home is good especially if you plan to have another child as you first can keep going and keep their place during your second maternity leave. Saves them long journeys at the end of tiring days too, although the journey then eats into your time available for work.

I never did meet other mums properly via nursery as everyone drops off and picks up at different times and usually in a hurry. A great contrast with pre-schools (shorter hours) where everyone drops off and picks up together and a lot hang around and chat. My circle of mum friends originated with an NCT ante natal class and grew with baby groups on mat. leave (DCs are 9 and 7 now and did nursery when I worked after mat. leaves, pre school when I was made redundant).

I started looking at 3m pg as nursery places were hard to come by where we live (7y ago) but now places seem more available - perhaps due to recession more people are using GPs?

My DCs went to a great nursery. It was council run and workers had final salary pension and good terms of work which I think was a major factor in staff turnaround being very low. Only one or two new staff over 6 yrs was great continuity for dcs.