How soon into maternity leave did you look into childcare options?

[sunshinecitrus1]

I am grateful that I am able to take a whole year of maternity leave however how early into maternity did you start looking into childcare options for when you return to work? I’ve only really just started my maternity leave and don’t really want to think about it yet but not sure how long the process is and whether it is genuinely difficult to find places for your child to go.

My DS was 10 weeks when we put him on the waiting list, he got a place when I went back to work. We have no help so it was kind of a priority early on

London. I started looking a few months before I went back to work. I didn't want a nursery though. When we did move to nursery (when DD was 2) there was a 6 month waiting list and I didn't get all of the days I needed until she was nearly 3!

When we had our 1st we arranged family childcare a couple of months before I returned to work. When one family member didn't want to do 1 day anymore I looked for nurseries and we were lucky they were newly opened and didn't have a waiting list. She started a couple of weeks after we found them.
Nowadays I think you really need to be sorting it pretty early due to the number of people needing places.

Good luck

Whilst I was pregnant with both. I live in an area where nursery waiting lists are very long and DH had a bad experience with a child minder growing up so he vetoed that option.

I knew I had to return to work and I knew we didn't have family to help out. I needed to know what the plan was otherwise I would've stressed my whole maternity leave.

I was 36 weeks pregnant. But I knew what nursery I wanted. I wanted specific days and term time only so limited my choices so got in there early. Most of my friends around 2/3 months into maternity leave

We looked into nurseries when I was 5/6 months pregnant and reserved the space when baby's a week old. Seems mad but we live in central London. We got the last spots for baby room and it was for in 15 months time.

At about 6 months, but we live in a rural area and while there are limited childcare options, they almost always have some spaces.

Depends on your area. Where I was back then I could get away with waiting until after DS was a few months old. Where I am now demand is so high waiting lists for most nurseries (including the one I own) start while the Mum is pregnant (for us it can be no later than 7 mths).

DD's nursery told me they were fully booked until the month before I'm due back at work when I was only about 16 weeks pregnant so to get in fast if I wanted to reserve a place.

With my first I was 20 weeks pregnant when I started looking. He was signed up a few days before he was born.

My daughter was signed up when I was 12 weeks pregnant.

I'd say sign them up for full time. It's easier to drop days rather than add them and it costs the same in terms of application fee

@sunshinecitrus1 I would start looking now if I were you! I thought I was being organised starting trying to get a place when DS was almost 6months old since I wasn’t planning on returning to work until he was 1 (😅 how naive of me!). I genuinely can’t find a nursery or a childminder in my area - they’re all full bar 2 childminders that only work during school hours which is no good for me with work 😬

Ive managed to get him a place starting in February but until then our childcare is all over the place!

Not soon enough! I called the nursery 6 months into maternity leave, hoping to get my DS into nursery for October which was 4 months later. Not a chance. He couldn't start until the following February - and that was only because someone had left. I had been told it would be the June!

Got on the waiting list for our preferred nursery at 18 weeks pregnant and looks like we still won't have got a place for when DC is 13 months.

I'm in London. I saw my HV about 2 weeks after my DD was born. She told me off for not having looked into childcare options. I decided I wanted a childminder. I managed to find a good one with space available when we wanted it in a good location, when DD was nearly 10 months.

I then found out from others in my NCT group who lived within 3 miles that some of them were on waiting lists for the good nurseries near their homes, and they had put their child down within days of them being born.

I then spoke to some other people and realised the only reason we got the childcare we wanted because we wanted our DD to start before the school summer holidays. Lots of parents move home or just take their kids out of childcare in summer, and this is why my DD got her space.

We looked when DS was 6 months in the June, to start in the October. Only one nursery out of six was full, and we managed to get the last place in the room for his age group.

Now he’s in, we’re in a good position for future DCs and knowing when to put names down.

I started looking at about 7 months, I was going back at 12 months.

My views changed in the time I was looking - I originally wanted a childminder for my little baby, I eventually chose a nursery for my little toddler.

For DC2 I put him on the waiting list for DC1’s nursery when he was 4 days old, with a view to going back at 9 months. Turns out a waiting list means nothing! They rang me when he was 7 months old to warn me there was no place for him. They didn’t explain why, but obviously if someone wants a place in January they aren’t going to hold it for me until April (and actually early summer is the worst time to try and get a nursery place as everyone moves up in aug/sept). I ended up with 2 different nurseries at the same time for my children, aged 2 and nearly-1, which was a right pain.

Get your name down as soon as possible. Finding a space for a child under 2 in a good nursery is over a years wait in my area.

It depends on waiting lists in your area. We enquired with our nursery whilst pregnant and had him down at 10 weeks to start the following year

My DS1 was 4/5 months old when I booked him in. DS2 was booked in at 20wks gestation following an email saying nursery were fully booked up for the next 16months x

For DC3, my application for his place was with the nursery within 1 week of giving birth and even then he had to start at 8 months rather than the plan of 9 months due to when they could take him.

It was where DC1 & DC2 had gone, is extremely popular, has fantastic facilities (including forest school), huge outdoor spaces and all together an amazing place. Obviously is always oversubscribed hence why application was in so early.

I think you should start looking ASAP as places do go quickly for the most popular places and you also need to decide what fits your family best, which can take awhile.

Good luck

Got onto nursery waiting list about 30 weeks pregnant I think. Turned out waiting list was managed in a very haphazard way - we wouldn't have been offered places at all had I not chased them.

DS 1 when he was about 3 months.

DS 2 and 3 I wanted to go to the same nursery so I signed them up after my 12 week scan.

I had in mind that I wanted a specific nursery (recommendations from friends and family, next to my work) so we looked around when I was 20 weeks pregnant.

When I was 5 months pregnant we put her name down. We got the last available place on the days we wanted.

On the day I found out I was pregnant (was picking up my older daughter so immediately told them I was likely to need a baby place 20 months down the line). Had older children, so knew how quick they fill up.