How do you manage to sort out the childcare when you work p/t?

[chicaguapa]

After 5 years as a sahm I am thinking of going back to work p/t and am not sure if I can squeeze in 4 hours work into the 5 hours that DS would be at breakfast club before his nursery session and and the lunch club too. But I suggested DH could drop DS off at breakfast club so I could go to work earlier and getting the 4 hours in wasn't so much of a squeeze. But it would mean DH arriving at work 15 mins late.

DH has quite a flexible job and can work from home if he wants to. But sometimes he has to go away overnight or leave early to drive to a meeting so he wouldn't be able to take DS to nursery that day.

So I was wondering how on earth people manage to sort it all out? TBH it's all very daunting.

Yup, it's tricky. How far from your work is the nursery? I take it the travel would take more than half an hour each way?

Could you consider a childminder rather than the school's breakfast and lunch clubs? They can often cover the hours you need rather than you having to fit into the club's hours.

I would also suggest looking at CM's. Mine only has the boys one day a week, but they go 7.20am - 1.30pm, she gives them breakfast, takes ds1 to pre-school (and will take him to school in Sep), picks him up, gives them lunch and then I pick them up. I do a 5 hr day with approx 1/2 hour travel each way.

I work three full days 8.30 - 5.30 and dd goes to nursery. When she goes to school i will change to do 9.30 - 2.30 and probably use an out of school club for school holidays.

Can you look into doing a job with flexi time?

Do you have to pay the CM for then DC are school/ pre-school?

i have my mil over for two days

I have a slightly similar scenario. I am contracted for 3 full days, 22.5 hours, have a commute of 35-40 mins each way. My usual pattern is to leave for work at 7.20 (ish) and get here for 8, then I can take 1 hour lunch (get a lot of shopping/chores done then), and leave at 4.30, to collect DS from the childminder and DD from the nursery and be home for 5.30.

However DH does occasional overnights away. This is variable, usually one or two a month, but in the run up to Christmas was one every week, then none in Jan/Feb. And then I have to take the children to the childminder (for DS who is 6 and at school) and nursery (for DD who is 3) which means I don't get to work until 8.45. So then DH is usually able to be back in time to collect the DC, and I work later, or I take a much shorter lunch break, or a combination.

I pay my cm a retainer for the hours he is at pre-school (which is funded), full rate is £3.75, retainer is £2.50. But I also pay £1 each way for her taking and picking up (its a car journey), so it actually works out only 50p cheaper when he is at pre-school than in the hols.
When he starts school in Sep I will pay for the before school hours, but that's it. He will also go to her in the hols, and I will obviously pay for all the hours he is there then.

Hi Chicaguapa, I pay our CM for the half hour before school as she takes him there, then for the 1 1/2 hours after school until I collect him. Nothing in between. Like ChasingSquirrels, I also pay for the hours we have her in the holidays, so she covers when we can't take annual leave.

You getting any further forward with all this?