I've only just learnt that the 15 hours free childcare doesn't start until the term after the child's third birthday. As ds was born in April this would be September! I'm due to give birth soon and was relying on being able to put ds in nursery as soon as he turns 3 in April next year. Mainly for my own sanity as I'm a sahm with no family nearby to give me a break but also because ds seems really ready for nursery and I'm not sure how much quality time I'll be able to spend with him when baby arrives. I feel absolutely gutted. I don't suppose there are any alternatives or ways around it? Just hoping someone has some wisdom for me. We don't qualify for any help that I can find and absolutely can't afford to pay the nursery fees ourselves even for a short time. We're barely managing as it is.