What are we meant to do for baby 1 year old to 2 year old?

[Hungergames1987]

Simply as title says. Due back at work in April but we get no support financially between child being 1 year to 2 year old?

We only get it from 2 plus?

We earn about 35k between us. How are we meant to afford nursery? Costs about 60 quid for 8 hours!

Same here. We are basically running our household at a loss and spending our savings. We knew we would have to do that. But it's crippling.

Universal credit has a childcare element.

But the cost of childcare surely can't come as a surprise to you? It's been a dilemma facing most parents (usually mothers) for many years - is it financially viable to return to work?

Not to sound harsh, but didn't you plan this during pregnancy or in the last however many months since baby was born?

Childcare is expensive, we didn't get any financial help u til she turned 3yo.

Can you work your hours differently to minimise days needed? Some people compress 5 days into 4 to save a childcare day etc? Any family or friends to help?

Do you not get support with that income?

You’ve got a couple of options:

Find work that fits around childcare - ie one works in the day and the other works evenings.

Find a childminder as they are normally cheaper.

Find a job that pays more - not exactly easy.

Childcare is extortionately expensive. I’ve been saving before and during my mat leave to be able to afford it. Everyone with a one year old is sadly in the same boat of not getting any support.

If you qualify for the 2yr old free places (presuming you are in England) then that's 99% through low income or sometimes child receiving DLA. Presuming you are the former, then you get most of your childcare reimbursed through UC at any age. Why don't you just do that?

Are you sure you will get funding at 2? Not everyone does (in England maybe Scotland, Wales and NI is different?)

There is the tax free childcare thing which you can sign up to which will save you a little but as thr goverment give you some money back from the tax you pay.

Most people afford childcare either by 'breaking even' during the first few years, working evenings, giving up work.

Surprise!

You will get tax free childcare so that's some help. I did think the threshold for 2 year old funding was quite tight so worth double checking that.

It's hard, I'm counting down the days til DD turns 3 and we get some funded hours but it's just how it is. It's not like it's expensive because the staff are well-paid either, the whole system is a mess.

Are you fully claiming what you are allowed?

www.moneyhelper.org.uk/en/work/employment/marriage-and-married-couples-allowance

Sorry thats the wrong one. Ignore me. There is something but i forget the name.

Oh I must have been thinking of the tax free side 🤦🏼‍♀️

Yes we did plan before we got pregnant. No its not a shock/surprise. But we got pregnant before all the redundancies and furlough due to covid. My Oh could work from home the days I go to work in his old job.... Hence why there wouldn't have been much financial side to worry about, until he was made redundant. Hence the question!

@xdecd glad I'm not the only one. I can see it chewing up our savings.

I will be working 3 days a week. 7am till 730pm. But my Oh works 9 to 5 mon to Fri. So a positive it will only be 3 days a week. I can't work weekends as that's not the job role. If I worked every weekend I wouldn't be able to have an input or see my non biological kids, which would be detrimental to them.

I'm sad but glad I'm not the only mother feeling like we're not supported to go back to work.

Childminder may be an idea thank you.

Even in his old job, you’d have needed childcare - you couldn’t expect him to wfh and look after a one year old.

Our childcare bill will be 12k pa so using the tax free allowance and also me working four days. It’s why we won’t have another until he’s 3.

We had already discussed with his boss and it was agreed by contract to do this. So yes he could have. The job he had would have been perfect.

But things are different now and that's just the way things go. No one's fault.

I was only asking what people did and what we were meant to do... If there was a secret I was missing, that's all.

I feel a bit attacked if I'm honest. Like I should have known it all. I had it sorted, I couldn't have predicted covid 🤷🏼‍♀️🤦🏼‍♀️I was only asking what people did when they went back to work.

Have you actually checked how much of the childcare element of UC you're entitled to?

@titchy do you mean universal credit?

Yes

We earn too much 🤦🏼‍♀️ though there is no harm us checking again x

Are you sure you get help when the baby is 2?

We won't until DS turns 3.

15 Month old DS is in nursery full time, at £220 a week, this is reduced with TFC to £176 a week - so £35.20 a day - he's there 8:30 - 5:30. £3.90 an hour to give him 3 meals and look after one of my most prized possessions, it's bloody tough but it's only for another 24 months.

If you work it’s likely you’ll not be entitled to funded hours until the child is 3.

Ok guess it be 3 years old 🤦🏼‍♀️🤦🏼‍♀️ thankd

My Oh could work from home the days I go to work in his old job.... Hence why there wouldn't have been much financial side to worry about

Was the original plan that dh would work from home with a 1yo underfoot?

@bernadetterostankowskiwolowitz yes it was. And in the job he had it was practical. Emails and a couple phone calls IF needed, and a bit of evening work at home. More work on his side. But it was going to work.

His boss may have (weirdly) been ok with him wfh with a toddler, but i het you didn't ask the toddler...

A lot of us has to do it with Covid. Its survivable for a short period if everyone is happy to be flexible, on a very part time basis, but even then its hard.

It was never a realistic plan. The older they get the more (not less!) of your attention they take up. It wouldn't be fair on anyone including the child.

Do you still have a quite young child rather then a toddler btw?

I can't imagine any parent thinking this is a viable long term plan for a toddler if they already have one.

A couple of years ago i tried to manage half a day of work at the same time as looking after my 6mo. At 6m it was hard but manageable.
My 9m, I was struggling. By a year I was managing maybe an hour in the day but could usually do a couple of hours in the evening (before being woken up 5-10 a night).

I wouldn't manage any more now and she's 2.5.

I need me a job like that, would save me a fortune! What did he do?

Although like PPs say, now my 8 month old is mobile, I can’t take my eyes off him to have a quick wee, let alone concentrate on writing a coherent work email!

Sadly childcare in the U.K. is one of the most expensive in the world, particularly for two income earners who aren’t eligible for support. It’s unsurprising that many people either go into debt or many women pay the motherhood penalty of either staying at home or working min wage jobs.

@Hungergames1987 it’s just one of those things that we need to deal with 🤷🏻‍♀️ My DH works offshore - 2 weeks on then 2 weeks off. When he’s home he looks after DS but when he’s at work we need childcare 3 days per week while I’m at work (I’ve cut down to 3 days and taken the pay cut to match in order to minimise childcare).

We’re £65 per day here for nursery. And obviously we still need to pay that even on the weeks that DH is here and DS doesn’t go as the nursery needs the place paid for!

We’re literally JUST breaking even and I consider us very lucky as there’s many that run at a loss for these first few years!

Just over 2 years to get through and then DS will get nursery funding and hopefully me staying at work part time will have paid off and we’ll be able to start making money again rather than leaving just now and trying to find a new job in a few years time 🤞🏼