Starting to look for childcare

[Littlemisschristmas]

I need to start looking at childcare for when I return to work from mat leave end of April. Not decided on nursery or childminder yet.
Any tips or questions I should be asking? I really don't know where to start.
Going to be tricky to find someone that is flexible as we don't require child care every day due to DH and I both working shifts.
There are obviously pros and cons of both but do you have a specific reason for choosing one or the other what was it?
I hope I haven't left it too late to start looking.

I think you would have more chance of flexibility with a cm. I am a teacher and have a great cm who does term time only and has also had my daughter earlier and later in emergencies, for example a recent ofsted inspection when my dh was away on business! I chose a cm for this, and also because my dd was only 7 months when she first went so I preffered the homely environment. She is 13 months now and has a great time there. they get out and about to lots of activities and she always eats and sleeps well. I know many people who use a nursery and are very happy with the care too, but they are usually set and non flexible days per week. My only advice is to start looking as early as you can as they are all dependent on having a place at the right time.

I am also looking for childcare from April so would be interested in this too, I can't decide between a childminder who would have baby only in the day (school age children) or a crèche that might stimulate him more?

Also my dd is very much treated as an individual, ie if she is a bit grumpy and needs an extra nap the cm will be flexible and give her this. I have friends whose babies are in a 12 months plus room, and this means one sleep a day after lunch only as a policy, even if this doesn't suit them yet. Also they only have 4 cots for 8 babies so if they are tired and no cot is free they just have to wait and friends little boy often gets overtired. This is not the case in all nurseries I am absolutely sure, but just an example as you may wish to ask providers what their arrangements and policies are for napping.

Depends on the cm and the nursery - go and see a few and decide. I use both - a cm who is the most flexible ever, and a fab little nursery which mixes ages, has a great garden, good food, and lets children nap when they need to.

Where would I be best looking for childminders in my area?

In my local authority the county council have list on their children and families website. You could try this?

Also ask around at your place of work if it is local, people often have recommendations of people they use or have used

It will depend on local childcare providers - some will be able to offer flexible places, others will not. Some providers may offer a pay-as-you-go service whereby you book individual days/hours as and when you need them but that can be risky as what if they are full and can't help you?

Start by contacting local providers and asking them about what they offer. Have a good idea of what the shift patterns are likely to be - how far shifts are planned in advance.

Your local Family Information Service can provide lists of local childminders and nurseries. Family Information Service is usually part of your local or county council.

When asking about costs, calculate your total cost over a year. Some providers will charge for times when they are closed, others will not. Fee structures vary so do not assume, always ask for details about fees and situations when a fee is payable. For example if you child is ill, do you still pay? If the provider is closed do you still pay? What about Bank Holidays - are they open, closed and do you still pay or not?

Consider ease of getting to the provider. Keep things as simple as you can I would suggest, so that you are not rushing to get there, or to get back in time to pick up.

Consider if you want your child cared for with other children of a similar age, or in a mixed age group. Childminders will have a mixed age range of children - a nursery may have a mixed group or they may have babies all grouped together. Babies can enjoy being with other babies but they can equally enjoy seeing older children. Older children may not be around all the time - they go to pre-school, school - so being at a childminders is more like being part of a big family. That means baby does go on the school run, so they get out and about but you could also say they get dragged around. Whereas at nursery they can be in one room the vast majority of the time - though some nurseries I have temped in have taken babies out for push in the pram and when there have been just a few have mixed them in with older children.

Look around several different providers - look at a couple of nurseries, a couple of childminders.

You may find the Mumsnet Childminders/Nannies board a useful place to find out more about childminders and issues that crop up, plus the Mumsnet Nurseries board for info about nurseries and issues that crop up.

If in Scotland, then you can look for childcare providers using Scottish Childcare which will also give you contact details for your local Childcare & Early Years Service who hold list of all local registered childcare providers.

I only looked for childminders as I really didn't fancy the idea of a nursery. I wanted to know that there was one person looking after my son, so if anything didn't go the way I wanted it too, I'd know exactly who to speak to) and there were no nurseries in my small town and as I didn't drive, it'd have been tricky getting to the nearest nursery. There are good and bad examples of both types of child care available, you need to look around to find what suits you best.

I was really lucky to get a space (as I left it quite late) first time round, and this time (DS2 is 7 months) it's been much more relaxing as he'll just follow his brother to the childminder.

For me, the benefit of nurseries are the mixing and socialising with lots of kids, however in my town all the childminders hire a local hall 3 mornings a week and bring all their charges for 2 hour play dates - so DS1 got to socialise with kids from 6 months to 4 years, which was great and fulfilled the one area I thought might be lacking with a childminder. In addition, as we live in a small town, there is only one primary school, so DS1 is socialising with all the kids he'll follow through the local playgroup, state nursery and primary and as he was pretty shy as a toddler (much more confident now as a 4 year old) that was a positive for me.

Ultimately though, it's all about what's available in your area - definitely arrange to view some nurseries/childminders to get a feel for what they have to offer, I think once you've seen them you'll know what childcare option will suit you - good luck :-)

Agree with Eletheomel re socialising; my DD goes to a CM where I work which is a small town. They go to the two nearest Children and Family Centres for messy play sometimes. My CM is also a member of a local CM network and every day there is a 'childminder drop-in' at one of their houses where the mix with the other children. She also has a very good friend who is a CM and her emergency cover - the two sets of mindees do a lot together so I have no worries about socialising. My experience makes me a huge fan of childminders and I wouldn't consider a nursery till my DD is a fair bit older.

My DS goes to a lovely CM two days a week, and she's brilliantly flexible. I drop DS at 7.10am and then either DH collects him if he's on an early or I do if he's on a late. She's happy to give him tea if I need her to, and would keep him late if I was held up etc. I love her, and she loves him and it works for us. She also takes him on play dates, to toddler group and to the park etc.