Any hospital doctors out there? What do you do for child care?

[AC786]

I am due to go back to work full time when my baby is just shy of 11 months. I work long hours, needing to be at work for 7:30. What child care solutions have worked best for you?

Hi, it's really difficult TBH as my husband is also a doctor plus works in a different deanery so has a long commute home. We always try to swap shifts so I'm not on nights when he's got a long day etc. I get my rota in advance but he gets his only about 4 weeks in advance.
We use a nursery that stays open until 6.30 pm weekdays. I also work part time so can swap with my job share if things really can't be worked out.
We also have family to rely on very luckily but I'm conscious of not over using them.
Do you work full time? I guess you could consider a very flexible childminder or nanny?

I'm not a dr, but a shift working Nhs employee. When dd was younger I had a cm that would start work at 7am. She would have dd to 6:30pm if I was on a late.

Though Dh had to pick dd up at 6:30 as I'd be at work till 10pm.

Drs I know either have a very flexible cm, family help or an au pair.

I went LTFT (80%) so one less day to worry about, then DH cut his days too so he is around for 2 days, so DS is only in nursery 2 days.

As our nursery is only 8-6 (and I need to be at work, changed & ready to go by 8) Basically DH does all drop offs and pick ups (non medic and works closer to home/nursery). There are nurseries that do 7-7 though.

We do have family close by and have used them as emergency/weekend/interim childcare (between nurseries).

It just needs one thing to go wrong for the whole thing to go tits up though...

Nanny seems the easiest but most pricey. Once you have two I think nanny is fairly cost effective.

i'm a hosp doctor. Most of my colleagues have a nanny; a few a stay at home partner and even fewer use nursery plus or minus grandparents. I use nursery and school wrap round care but am part time with no OOH work.
Hospital nurseries are often open early till late and I know a number of people who use nursery staff to take children home, feed them and put them to bed and babysit till Mum or Dad comes in.

I am a nanny and work for a Doctor and a Coroner, i work 4 days a week as dad (coroner) works from home 1 day a week. I start at 7.15 everyday and work till 6/6.30. I don't mind the hours as having the extra day off makes up for that, but i do need to be flexible esp when mum is on call/or gets asked to do an extra list and dad is late home (he works 70 miles away). The children i look after are now 13 and 10 and i have been looking after them for 8 years, the nanny before me started when the 13 year old was 11 months old. Hope this helps.

I wish they hadn't closed/sold off the majority of hospital nurseries, everywhere I've worked just has a meaningless discount with a random fairly-local private nursery instead (inevitably one that is not open enough hours).

Mind you with being in training and rotating Trusts apparently even those that do still have them by the time you get to the top of the waiting list you are working somewhere else!

Thank you all!

Cathpip- you sound fab! Where do we get a nanny like you from?!