Help!! Can't find childcare

[CharIotte]

My DD is 7 months old now and I'm due back to work in January. Me and her father aren't together, but throughout my maternity leave he has told me not to worry about going back to work because his parents can look after her.
Now he's telling me they're getting old now and could only handle her for 1 morning.. which I think is pointless. I don't have any family who can look after her, so I'm thinking she's gonna have to go to nursery.
I've spoke to a few but the earliest availability is July. I'm on universal credit anyway so I'm thinking I'm just gonna have to look after her myself until July and live on benefits. But I feel like there's a bit of a stigma around this.... I'm a bit embarrassed but idk what else I can do. Also worried I might get the sack. Aah advice please?

Have you looked at childminders? They are usually much cheaper than nursery. Could her dad look after her on weekends and allow you to work then?

Others will have more and better advice but also if you need a short period on benefits, that’s not your fault and also it’s what they are there for.

I know I'm probably being a precious first time mum but I worry about childminders just because no one's there to hold them accountable and because my daughter can't speak yet I'm worried she wouldn't be able to tell me if she wasn't happy there.. but I have spoke to a childminder who I know personally and she has no availability either :( I just think I've left it far too late

I agree with pp a childminder is another option. I had my DDs with a childminder and I preferred it to a nursery. The girls loved her and 6 years since they stopped going they still have contact with her as she lives locally and was a positive relationship in their life.

Honestly, childminders are great. Ring around, get the list off the council, go and see some of them.

Ask all the nurseries near home or work what availability they do have and be flexible knowing that you might have to combine 2 settings for a while. Get on all waiting lists, people do move. Consider childminders. Speak to work about parental leave. No stigma with benefits but I’d be reluctant to give up your job unless you do something you know you can walk back into.

At least meet some childminders and then decide, don't dismiss the idea without at least looking. Try childcare.co.uk they have a Black Friday Free Messaging day today.

Child minders are accountable to Ofsted. They have regional managers who keep an eye on them.

My child minder was ex-regional manager for Ofsted and the best childcare I could have asked for. As a single mum I wouldn't have managed without her. Far better than a nursery.

Look at childminders, ask for references, inspect their houses and take your child to meet them. Honestly, you will be pleasantly surprised.

Childminders usually have a range of ages and often do the school run for big ones who are more than capable of saying if they don’t like it there. More reassuring than the baby room at nursery I think where none of the kids are capable of voicing an opinion.

You need to make sure the childminder is ofsted registered. My childminder is and I have always got to fill out forms and sign policies etc.

Also your baby can't tell you if they aren't happy at nursery either but that doesn't seem to worry you. You know your baby and will see them around the childminder lots.

Childminders are great, it's a homely environment so less stressful for the child as they form a stronger attachment to that person. Ask around for recommendations and maybe ask on a local Facebook group?

I tried signing my baby up for a nursery when he was born 9mths ago and was told there was no availability for at least 2yrs. Same for my DD who is almost 3 and has never been to nursery. We then found a nursery a fair distance away that could take both immediately.

Yesterday we got a call to say there might be a space for both of them from January at the nursery that said 2yr wait. So it's worth ringing around as there may well be places available.

My maternity leave ends in late January so it's come at a good time for sorting it all out. Hard to decide which to go with though as they both have their good and bad points.

I was a childminder for 10 years. We are very accountable..

I sent regular pictures. Odd video's .. always fed back on a daily basis.

We definitely are accountable follow the same guidelines as nursery. I am a great bemieverin gut feeling. Do go meet some.

Will your work hold your job open until July?
If they won't (and even if they will) I think you just need to ring every nursery and childminder in the area until you find ones that have spaces (or possibly a combination of spaces). Obviously you don't want to sent your baby anywhere you are not happy with, but you should have chance to meet the childminder/staff and see where your baby will be, so you can make a decision based on that.

I would put yourself on the waiting list now, in case a space does open up, and look for other providers. It's really common for people to use more than one provider now, so childminder some of the time and nursery some of the time.

It does sound like you left things quite last minute, I have been in that situation too because I just hadn't realised that people put their babies down from birth, some actually before birth! So that they know they will have provision. However, what does tend to happen is that peoples circumstances do change so spaces open up sometimes.

Have you actually ever spoken directly to your child's grandparents about the childcare arrangements? Might be time for a chat to work out what they are comfortable with.

Thanks for all the advice, gonna look at some local childminders

👏