Active discussions

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Sponsored threads

This topic is for sponsored discussions. If you'd like to run one with us, please email [email protected].

MNHQ

Share your childcare tips with The Childcare Voucher Providers Association - £300 voucher to be won NOW CLOSED

238 replies

EllieMumsnet · 25/09/2017 14:22

Sorting out reliable childcare can be a difficult task for any parent. The struggles of trying to organise appropriate childcare can sometimes turn your whole day upside down. With that being said The Childcare Voucher Providers Association would like to hear about the tips or shortcuts you have for arranging your childcare, whether you’re a working parent or not.

Here’s what the Childcare Voucher Providers Association has to say: “We are on a mission to ensure that working parents have the best support possible for arranging their childcare. And this includes a genuine choice in the financial support that best suits their families. We think it’s great that the Government is focusing on improving access to childcare support and we welcome the additional choice that tax-free childcare will bring to accompany the support that millions of parents have received from Childcare Vouchers.

However, the Government wants to close the voucher regime to new parents in April 2018. For many parents, Childcare Vouchers will provide far more financial support than tax-free childcare, including for couples with one working parent who won’t be able to claim any financial support at all under tax-free childcare. That’s why we think rather than closing one scheme, the Government should keep the voucher scheme open as well as tax-free childcare to give parents a genuine choice and access to the support that best suits their family. If you agree with this then please feel free to sign this petition to keep the voucher scheme open.”

Do you have any tips on managing your childcare around a busy working life? How do you manage when you have to drop your kids off at different providers? Have you got any tips that save you money? Or perhaps you enlist the help from family members as well as childcare providers?

Whatever your tips are share them on the thread below, where one lucky MNer will win a £300 voucher of their choice (from a list).

Thanks and good luck.
MNHQ

Standard Insight T&Cs apply

Share your childcare tips with The Childcare Voucher Providers Association - £300 voucher to be won NOW CLOSED
OP posts:
buckley1983 · 26/09/2017 21:49

I returned to work when my LO was 12 months old - it felt like the right time & it was important to me to return to work for many reasons.
The nursery we chose was absolutely fantastic & worth every penny - but it is now dawning on me that for the past 3 years - I have gotten myself into debt by choosing to do this.
My job is low paid (but I really enjoy it) & my daily pay is around £5 more than the daily nursery fee. The childcare voucher scheme definitely helped & when our free hours kicked it when LO was 3 helped too - but I still feel daft when I look back now. I missed out on that time with my child & it's made us worse off!!
If we'd had the option of family help or a childcare exchange with friends - that would have been brilliant, but unfortunately not an option for us.
If I could do it over again, I would reduce my hours as much as possible & cut down on all non-essential spending.
No matter which way you look at it - childcare fees are eyewatering - don't get me wrong - worth every penny - but still a punch in the financial gut if you're in a low paid job!

Catmadroo · 26/09/2017 22:30

Unknown to me when I went back to work and my son started school I didn't know that breakfast club at school was counted as childcare and applicable under working tax credit, it was only when I mentioned it to one of the teachers she informed me I could apply for financial help.

ShaunaSJ · 26/09/2017 22:32

Accept any help offered, especially from family!

lhlee62 · 26/09/2017 22:44

When I was pregnant my MIL said that she would look after my daughter, but once she was born she went back on this and said she would look after them occasionally! I had 10 mths maternity leave and then it was a juggling act, but luckily my husband went self employed so he could look after her when I was in work. I worked shifts so it wasn't that bad.

Then I got pregnant again and my parents were selling their business. They said when they retired they would look after the kids, the sale fell through a couple of times so it was touch and go when I went back to work. In the end I took the full year off and they retired in the Dec and I went back to work in the Jan.

I now work 4 days and my husbadn works 4 days with both of us off at weekends, my parents watch the kids 3 days for us. I would not be able to pay for 2 kids in childcare, it would cost almost as much as my wages! We just need to struggle on until both of them are in full time.

TellMeItsNotTrue · 26/09/2017 23:24

Make sure whatever you choose is definitely going to be reliable, saves a lot of stress

If you only need help with parts of childcare then it can be good to team up with friends and split the drop offs / pick ups. Be careful for CF though!! always have a back up plan for days when their child is off sick though

AR2012 · 27/09/2017 08:59

Having help from family and trusted freinds helps a great deal. it saves on pickup during work hours and not leveing the kids waiting for an hour or so till youre able to reach the daycare center.

holey · 27/09/2017 09:40

I started working from home once my second child arrived as we just couldn't afford childcare for a baby and a toddler. Before that, we found a childminder who had children at my husband's school! This worked perfectly as she picked up our DD while dropping off her own kids and did the reverse in the afternoon. The down side was that DH spent all of his preparation/marking/organisation/meeting time with a baby under one arm!

ChocolateChipMuffin2016 · 27/09/2017 09:51

We were lucky that I was able to negotiate with my work to work 1 day a week from home, my boss has allowed me to work this 'day' (8 hours) over the week around my child, so mainly evenings when my husband takes over the childcare. This has saved us over £250 a month but I am lucky that I have a very understanding boss.

phillie1 · 27/09/2017 09:54

Couldnt have coped without family and friends.

sunshinewey · 27/09/2017 10:30

Ive been very fortunate with grandparents helping out but definately do checks with extra help from the goverment so many mums are not aware of help available...

AVT5 · 27/09/2017 11:46

sharing childcare with friends. sometimes I collect the kids and sometimes a friend does! help us both out :)

Redhotchillidog · 27/09/2017 12:08

Find a good nursery and make sure they offer the 30 free hours. We have been lucky that all of our children have been born before September (this makes a massive difference to when they start school and subsequently how long they are in nursery/preschool for).
We also chose a nursery near where we work rather than where we live. It means we get more time with them and don't have to worry about extra childcare.

NeverTwerkNaked · 27/09/2017 12:18

Childcare vouchers have been so great for me. I would lose money under the new system, I think it’s very unfair the vouchers are being phased out.
I work compressed hours which means my daughter only does 3 days a week at nursery, this makes it much more affordable but getting the tax free vouchers makes a huge
Difference too

iut044 · 27/09/2017 14:04

Get some help from your family and friends.

MummyBtothree · 27/09/2017 15:56

We are very fortunate to have alot of extended family that have been a big help when it comes to childcare to help save on extortionate childcare fees.

PastryOnMyMind · 27/09/2017 16:52

we both work 12 hour days over 3 days each, on the days that over lap DD is in nursery and one day where neither of us are working she also does half a day so we can have time together /deep clean.
always enough time as a family. though nursery is expensive and there's the option of MIL having her on one of the days, I want my DD to socialise with other children whilst she's still a toddler. and it means that if for whatever reason I can't pick her up there's always somebody else to pick her up.

fish88 · 27/09/2017 17:41

My partner works some evening shifts so we only need childcare for 2 days a week. The childcare vouchers work out cheaper for us because my pension contributions and student load repayments are also reduced.

Marg2k8 · 27/09/2017 19:08

My children are older now, so childcare is not an issue. When they were young, I used to work three days a week and DH used to work three different days a week, so we did not have to pay for childcare.

claza93 · 27/09/2017 19:32

We are very fortunate that we have both nannies about to help out with childcare so they do a day a week each and they other day they went to nursery. My four are all now school age so it is still a juggling act but I can manage to work 2.5 days a week. The nannies and my sister help out with school drop offs and pick ups. I help my sister out too so we are both saving cash!

Spices001 · 27/09/2017 19:37

As a single mom I work 3 days a week, so I only have to worry about 3 days in school holidays. I'm lucky my mom helps sometimes . Otherwise my friend helps & I have their kids when they need to work

littleme96 · 27/09/2017 20:58

Flexible working works for us - most days one of us will do the school drop off and the other will do the pick up.

This saves us a fortune on childcare, although we do have to use a childminder sometimes. Thankfully she is also very flexible, which is great as plans change and sometimes we need to use her at the last minute.

I do have to save some of my holiday each year though in case the children are ill and cannot go to school/childminder. That's when it all has the potential to go wrong!

Beach11 · 27/09/2017 21:05

Childcare is a big issue for us- DH works shifts and I have an hour commute, starting work at 8am. We couldn't find a nursery in our local area that opened at 7am to drop off DC. So DC attended nursery v close to where I work, although not ideal & such early starts for DC they love the nursery & we enjoy our commute time together chatting, singing etc.
DH & I both receive childcare vouchers via salary sacrifice. The saving is a great help for the nursery costs & easy to use.

AlakazamAlakazoom · 27/09/2017 21:10

We have grandparents help which is amazing, plus affordable before a after school clubs every day which means we can be flexible about which days we work which is useful.

marymanc · 27/09/2017 21:57

My DH and I used to work part time and share the time with our DD. We wouldn't get paid much but it was good to spend time with our daughter.

Pregnantabroad · 27/09/2017 22:24

We employ all the tricks in the book! Both me and my husband work 4 day weeks leaving 3 days for childcare. We have an Ofsted registered nanny for our 1 yr old twins, paid in part through childcare vouchers, my 3 year old is at preschool paid for through the government's 30 hours scheme and I'm and to give snack money donations through my childcare vouchers and I pay for before and after school club for my 5 yr old son through childcare vouchers. I love them!