Childcare is so expensive! Any tips on how to make it work?

[Firstbab]

Sadly I got made redundant just before my mat leave started this hasn't affected my maternity pay as this is expected to run through to March but I am now left with an overwhelming anxiety about what position it will leave me in once my mat pay ends.

My boyfriend works full time and earns a good amount of money so he has agreed to continue paying my fuel bill and half the food budget when I return to work, I also won't have to pay any rent.

I've looked into child care and it's approx £4.50 an hour meaning if I was to go back full time it would be over £900 a month! There is no point me going back!

My issue is I have bills of approx £300 a month that have to be paid plus I need spending money - so would need to take home on average of £600 minimum.

I've worked it out that if I go back 20 hours a week and have family look after her for that time then I could still make enough money. But family isn't always reliable... am I missing something??? How do women make this work!!???

Question I'm asking is does any one know if there is any benefit of any kind beside the £82 child allowance? I don't think I'm entitled to income support or childcare? Not at least until she's 2?! What am I meant to do in the mean time!!!

Could you do part time would that would include evenings? I put ds in nursery for one day (200pm) and family the other day then partner/family covers the evening. On days that family couldn't do it I either took holiday or got an extra day at nursery ad hoc. It's been hard money wise but we've muddled through.

My husband and I made it work by me talking a care job 3 nights a week and not sleeping an awful lot. We didn't have any family around to help. However we manage our finances a little differently. Essentially there is one big pot and bills and food etc get paid out of that. We each have loans, credit cards etc but they became family expenses once we got married and had children.
Even now our 2 children are at primary we're going to be paying around £150 a month for breakfast and after school clubs a couple of times a week.

Interestingly I was having a conversation with DH last night where he couldn't believe that some women worked all hours just to afford a nursery bill. I educated him on the long term impact leaving the workplace for the best part of a decade has on women and their prospects/pensions. And that's for families who might be able to exist on one salary (few and far between).
So I guess that's my advice, find a shift pattern that works for you two, share the childcare as far as is possible and enjoy the money. Work out what you need to survive as a family and then work out together how you might bring it in.

Interestingly I was having a conversation with DH last night where he couldn't believe that some women worked all hours just to afford a nursery bill. I educated him on the long term impact leaving the workplace for the best part of a decade has on women and their prospects/pensions.

I hope in that education you told him that it's not the woman's responsibility to stay home or pay the childcare bill, and that a parent staying home or the childcare provided externally benefits BOTH parents' careers. It's a pretty sexist assumption that the woman is "working all hours to pay the nursery bill" what's the bloke doing? It's that kind of language and perception that needs to change.