Child care once they are at school

[Soapbox]

I have had a nanny since I went back to work after I had my DD (6 years ago). My DS is starting school in September and I am wondering what to do about child care now.

A nanny is a very expensive option if they will not be working for much of the day but I really do need the flexibility of someone who works for us in our home.

What do those of you with older children do?

Should I just swallow the cost and keep paying for a full time nanny?

All advice gratefully received!

Soapbox, sympathy. Despite the tensions you mention you should be proud of yourself for having kept a working relationship so long. Let's wish each other luck for finding someone wonderful for Sept.

Thanks SQ, LMB and Binkie! I'll stop bashing myself around the head with a big brick then - I do hate changing things around the children, always feel guilty about working (of course) and think I should try and minimise any disruption to them! But I am now a woman with a mission

SQ and LMB good luck with your arrangements - let me know what you decide and we can compare notes

SQ if you do decide on a nanny I have a couple of useful contacts you might use - for nannytax and the register.

Soapbox, I know you are worried about them but the children will adapt. We had a nanny for a year after I had ds2 as my old childminder did not have 2 places and I felt that being at home was a better option for my children. Our Nanny was fabulous and if money had been no object I would have kept her till the kids left home But it was a struggle financially and after a year when my old childminder had two free places we had to let her go. I was very concerned about my boys, especially the younger one who had been with her since 6 months old. But they adapted in no time. We still see her socially with the kids she now looks after but I think my little one has forgotton she ever looked after him.

I've got a 'granny substitute' that picks DS1 age nearly 5 up from school and DS2 age nearly 3 up from his child minder and then takes them back to our house, gives them tea, gets them ready for bed. I pay her childminder rates - the benefit for her is that she doesn't have to be registered as a childminder and for me that the boys are at home. It works really really well and she also babysits occasionally in the evning. Her DSs are grown and she has a GDD. She is also MIL's close friend. We had a few teething problems - doing things my way, not going off to run her own errands etc but it's all settled down and its really nice to not have to collect the boys from somewhere else in the evening. When DS2 starts nursery at the local school in Jan I am going to be dropping them both off there and starting work at 9.30 which I am really looking forward too. My arrangement is informal but you could prperly employ someone to do this I expect!

meant to say that in the hols she does longer hours (full half day instead of just after school) and MIL, me and DH fill in the gaps. It is flexible and with four of us involved usually someone can cover and emergency/illness etc

Hi Soapbox,

I've said it before on other threads but a potential source of childcare is www.simplychildcare.com. It's a magazine you subscribe to with adverts for care offered and wanted - costs about £40 for 6 weeks I think - which includes your own ad (and is nothing compared to agency fees). The thing it seems to be quite good for is more flexible arrangements - like nanny shares and before and after school care.

Sympathise with the coffee cups - been there and it drove me up the wall. I went to extraordinary lengths to make sure I didn't leave the coffee cups/ the dishwasher full/ my things strewn all over the kitchen, but a) it still wasn't good enough and b) I spent a whole year not being able to relax in my own sodding home. She resigned

Hi Batters and Hatters!

Hatters - I've looked at simply childcare and will send the form off tomorrow - thanks

Batters - we can't do a nanny share with this nanny because she has her own child - but this is an option I am looking at with a new nanny.

I really want someone who works in our home because we both work longish days and don't want to extend that any more than we already do with travelling to and from childminders etc.

I think it is nice for them to have their own toys and garden etc to play in as well. They also do a number of after school things like tennis and horseriding which means that their carer needs to be able to ferry them about!!

I agree with you - I have no idea where she thinks this dream employer is going to appear from

Thanks for all your help - it really does help me get things straight in my own mind

I am doing a "nanny share" starting in september. Basically my ds is starting nursery and his childminder doesn't drive so can't do school run. A friend of mine who is a nanny for older school age children, works 2-8. She is going to come in the morning, look after my 2 and then in the afternoon take my ds to nursery and my dd to the childminder and then go off to her family. On school holidays the children will both go full time to the childminder as the nanny will be with her older kids full time.
I think that you should be able to find a nanny will to do the same sort of share. My nanny is a friend, but I originally met her by hiring her boyfriend to do painting and I found him on thegumtree.com, so I would highly recommend it for finding a nanny too.