How do you work from home with a 3 year old???

[londongirl12]

And what do you do in the summer holidays? My partner and I are both shifts, so we work childcare between us. But thinking about applying for a new role which is Monday- Friday mainly now WFH. He goes to nursery for school hours but only term time. How do you manage WFH with a toddler around? And then I panicked thinking about summer holidays!!

All of the holiday clubs around me are for school aged children. You may have some luck with a childminder but they'll possibly take their holiday in the school holidays as they often do after school care term time.

It would be a lot easier to use a private nursery though, takes away all the worry about childcare in the holidays and are open for the whole working day. Might be worth considering it.

It's not great for you or the 3 year old.

We have recently done it due to his nursery temp closing because of a positive case and it was hard. I felt bad for not giving him the attention hes used to and I also struggled to focus at work.

Childcare is definitely necessary.

I've worked from home for years and when I went back after maternity leave I set up childcare in the same way I would if I was office based.

Best to ask the school nursery if they do holiday clubs. Some private nurseries near me run holiday clubs for children that don’t usually go there. Ask on local FB groups/ring round nurseries near you.

OP we used a private nursery which ran school hours during term time only. They ran holiday club for some weeks but not all and the hours were even shorter than the term time ones.

Don’t forget you will also need childcare after nursery if they run to school hours only.

I'm sorry but you need to change nursery. The reason there are no holiday clubs for this age is because nurseries are more suitable. It's to do with adult to child ratios I think.

You really cannot WFH with a 3yo. I know lots of employers will insist your have childcare in place. It's taking the piss to do it for any length of time and school holidays come around quickly.

I know people who have had to do it recently with covid forcing isolation and closures. It's impossible. They were working early and late and spreading a 3 / 4 day week over 6 / 7 days. Grabbing an hour by gluing them to Peppa pig and checking emails in nap time. Not ideal but ok for a 2 week isolation. We are very flexible but its awful for them to be catching up on work at 10pm or on a Sunday. It wears you down to have so little time to yourself.

New nursery until dc goes to school and that's the youngest holiday clubs will usually accept.

@pastabest

You don't, you carry on with whatever childcare you would have used if you were office based.

My 3 year old nearly seriously hurt themselves while I was trying to work from home in the first lockdown because I was on a sensitive call to a client. Never again will I put myself or my children in that position and certainly not entirely voluntarily.

Exactly. You can't.

We also had a near miss in lockdown 1 for similar reasons, and I vowed never again. It's absolutely not fair on the children and it's massively stressful for the parents. That's before you get onto the fact that employers are paying you to focus on your work and not be looking after your children.

I worked from home with a toddler through the 1st lockdown and it was very stressful. My boss kindly let things slide, however there is no way I could get away with that any other time.

We pay for a childminder year round. If your child is in a nursery that only offers term time care then you need to make a move to one that does year-round. I've never had an employer who would allow me to work from home while caring for a child (outside of covid lockdowns).

Summer holiday clubs are usually reception age+. Unlikely to take a 3year old.

The childminder I used with my DC1 often had availability over school hols because some of their regular kids went away on hol or the parents were teachers. You could see if any local childminders have a space.

Some childminders might have space in the holidays if they have children Who are term time only. We’re managing with lots of help from family and taking some of our annual leave separately - DH gets 5 weeks a year and I get 6 weeks, holidays are about 13 weeks a year and both sets of grandparents will help.

@londongirl12

It's not a shock to me having to use childcare. I know I won't actually be able to work full time with a toddler around . I wondered if there was such a thing as holiday clubs for children that young, which of course I will have to pay for. I was excited about applying for a new job and then this just made me panic, as our childcare arrangements have worked out fine so far and he loves it there.

Most holiday clubs Are for age 4/5 upwards
I have newborn twins which will be on a term time only childminder contract - both myself and DH have purchased extra annual leave and we have split all the school holidays between us. Means we aren't all off together but it is what it is. We can't afford to go away as a family anyway having had twins! 🤣

You don’t. Mine have always been in nursery 9-5 all year round because that’s what I work. Otherwise, you have to take annual leave or parental leave for those weeks.

Ok so if yiu are asking about the practicality. I think if you need say 8.30 to 5.30 childcare often it's better not to use a term time nursery. Like the ones often connected to schools. My sister had a child your toddler's age right now. She has chosen a private nursery as she needs child care all year round to 5 or 6pm.

It's possible to have a childminder or nanny for the 3.30 to 5.30 time. Then after nursery or school clubs are very dependent on the school. But in general more difficult to come by and there are holiday issues. Which is why in my experience people tend to not go with the term time only option. The term time option really aren't massively helpful for working parents in my view.

@Okbussitout

Term time only is much more affordable though. My older daughter was on a full year contact and in the end I resented paying her childminder for holidays when she wasn't there

[quote ivfbeenbusy]@Okbussitout

Term time only is much more affordable though. My older daughter was on a full year contact and in the end I resented paying her childminder for holidays when she wasn't there [/quote]
Ok well my answer wasn't saying this is compulsory. Of course paying for less hours is cheaper. But that's the choice you make around working or not working or working a term time only role.

But most people don't get school holidays off so their child would've there. Hence paying for year round child care.

Why wasn't your child there if you paid for year round care? Just sounds like a decision that didn't fit your circumstances rather than a poor decision for everyone?