moving/ commuting dilemma

[olatt]

I have a 9 month old baby and I'm going back to work soon. We're agonising over whether to move before I do. We're the priced-out-of-the-market cliche - need more rooms and we live in a built up area and like the idea of a bit of space and greenery. If we do it will mean a 7am train and hour in and out of London, full time for my dh, plus an hour and a half 2 and 3 days (alternate weeks) for me. I have worked out I could get home by about 7pm. Does anyone else do this? How do you manage to get everyone breakfasted and out in time to catch a train?! What childcare is suitable for hours like that? All the childminders seem to say 8am til 6pm - are they often more flexible than that? Do you have to get a nanny (which I doubt we could afford)? Is it a living hell when you're pregnant (planning another sometime soon)? And how do you do it with 2 babies ... Am in total confusion over whether to move. Opinions/ experiences welcome!

Olatt
I do a similar commute to the one you propose, and it requires military efficiency in the morning and a lot of planning the night before the days I work. I'm also pg with No 2 and can confirm commuting is just awful this time round because you are evn more tired from running around after a toddler as well!
DS (20 months now) goes to a nursery 7.45 - 5.45, I'm lucky because my mum and my sister take it in turns on my 2 days to take DS from 6.55 andget him dressed and drop off at nursery where he has breakfast. I just give him milk and wrap him up really warmly before we go. They also pick him up for me and look after him till about 6.45 when I get home (trains willing).
I have a friend who had a childminder willing to do early starts, and this could be an option for you especially if you move to a "commuter" area where there's more demand for earlies.
Things to think about though before moving-
How far would you be from a station? Think de-icing before dawn while controlling small cold child
Does your station have adequate parking or a waiting list for a space (scuppered a friend of mine's plans)
How reliable is your train service?
How much is the travel cost and parking costs?
I have absolutely no idea how I will do this with two... some days I have 6 bags of stuff for different places! and that's for one child and me....
On the plus side, we live in the relative country, we have room for No2 to have their own bedroom and my job keeps me sane (I get to be a grown-up) and a city salary just about still makes it worthwhile with 2.

Can you tell I don't work on mondays! (least reliable train day IMO )
HTH

when i worked pt i had to leave at about 7am, the childminder i took dd1 to had originally said she started at 8am and breakfast for her mindees was not included, but because she had children of her own and was up at that time anyway getting them ready for school etc (well actually, they got themselves ready) she didnt mind at all and my dd1 ate breakfast with her family around the table

and as for a 2nd child, my dd2 has slotted in with family life

its just family life, as my mum says

am extremely disorganised by nature so it sounds a bit challenging! we wouldn't know anyone in the area so we would have to do the lot ourselves unfortunately

what about going back on flexi time? could you do more but shorter days? TBH I think (unless you absolutely have to obviously) that full time with the commute is too much - I'd be jealous of someone else having all that time with DS.
We have toyed with the idea of a nanny once no2's here, as that may be cheaper than the nursery and not sure mum & sis are up for 2 under 2's at dawn!
Why don't you log onto your proposed areas council website - should have links to childcare and you could make some exploratory calls before making the big decision?

pepperrabbit - flexi time isn't really an option, it has to be full days. between my DH and me we could probably stagger it so one of us dropped off and the other picked up in the evening but that's about it.

Some childminders will be flexible, it is (unfortunately) a case of ringing around. I have been delivered many children still in pyjamas and wrapped in blankets, but they seem to take it all in their stride. I dare say that it will probably be suggested that you look at having a nanny, but I can't answer questions on that!

Olatt, my DH works away most weeks (usually Mon-Thurs and then works from home on Fridays, but anything is fair game) I leave for work at 6:45 and return home for 7:00 Monday through Friday. The only realistic solution for me is a live in nanny. It means I don't have to dress, feed, and get them to a choldminder (who as you rightly point out wouldn't be open yet anyway), and it means I can actually sit down with them for an hour before they go to bed in the evening rather than spen that precious little bit of time scurrying around trying to sort out clothes and bath and pack a bag for the morning.