Commuting to canary wharf

[Aja2015]

Hi, we're moving out of London however I'm terrified by the commute. We really like around Amersham/ Great Missenden however I work in Canary Wharf. Does anyone have any experience or advice on this commute - welcome any advice/thoughts so many things flying around mind like timings, nursery drop offs vs nanny (returning after first baby who will be 12months when I go back), parking, commutes! As I say terrified! Thank you in advance

Hi Aja2015, it is often scary thinking about returning but it will all work itself out. My usual advice to mums returning after maternity leave is to minimise the commuting time as much as possible because every minute spent travelling is typically a minute not at work and not with your child (plus you're paying for it in childcare costs). Having said that, I think your commute via train/tube is about an hour(ish), and I'm not sure how you'd do it faster than that without flying lol. I don't know the car options so hopefully someone else can let you know that.

When you have a long commute, sometimes it can be helpful to think about finding a nursery closer to work so you can reduce your hours of paid childcare by your commuting time every day. There are also cons to this approach - how to get your child to the nursery if you are off work sick, what if the nursery calls you in the working day because your child is sick and has to be taken home, whether you want to take your child on busy trains every day - but for some parents it is the best option on balance.