OK, so if you work, and you don't have a nanny/childminder what DO you do with your dcs during the school holidays?

[moodlumthehoodlum]

I'm thinking of going back to work and I can put the children in nursery/school during term time, but, and I know this is a naive question, what do you do during the school holidays?

Sorry to be the novice WOHM wannabe

DS comes to work with me, and either plays with toys in my office or I set him to work!

Grandparents

Annual Leave

DS2's nursery had holiday clubs for school holidays

Grandparents

Some schools have holiday schemes

PGL?

Lock em up in the back garden.

No, seriously. I work very flexible hours (thanks to my very understanding boss) and DH works shifts which helps enormously some weeks.

Grandad also helps out a couple of hours here and there.

that sounds ideal - I don't think my dcs are that well behaved though!

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Is one of those things that you can't plan for until you have to, and then it just pans out?

My sister takes it in turns with other mums to have their kid one day and they have hers - great if they get along and you like having others' kids for a day.

DH works nights and gets home about 8.30, so I go into work then or arrange to work from home.

My parents and siblings also help out a lot, I don't think I'd get much work done if DS always came in with me! I also work flexible hours and do a lot from home once he's in bed. And I'm the boss which helps of course!

I think things often fall into place and pan out once you start, but you do need to also plan and be quite organised, especially if you use a combination of different arrangements.

DP and I take turns having days off, we both have flexible jobs so this is fairly easy for us.

Plus we use a school holiday club for the older two (7 and 6) and the 3 year old goes to a local childminder on those days. We only use the childminder for the occasional holiday days but she's fine with that. We know her quite well as a friend anyway.

My mother will occasionally have them for a couple of days.

My sister and her partner have them sometimes and we have their children on other days.

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DS is 2 and DD will be 4 in April. But I just have visions of long summer holidays stretching before me whilst panicking at no childcare. I probably need to think about this a bit more carefully before I commit to going back to work, but then there's always a reason not to. GP's not really to be relied upon, so that's not an option, and I'm not sure where else to turn. Its a tricky business isn't it.

grandparents
nursery has a holiday club
take it in turns with my SIL
annual leave

one thing I cant count on is exH

he will have them 1 out of 3 half terms and ONE week in the entire summer holidays

Luckily I have a job which gives me a lot of holidays so this covers all but 3 weeks of DD's holidays. So DD's holidays are covered by:

my annual leave
grandparents
friends

We have a childrens centre with school and nursery which does holiday club for nursery and school children and i have a few friends who will help me out if i need it!! Lot of schools or nurseries may have holiday clubs, try asking around or speak to other mums at school to see what they do!!

Good plan. It is perfectly possible to go back to work isn't it? Its just standing on the brink of it all, the logistics seem overwhelming. I think its easier if you just dive straight back into work as soon as your mat leave is ended. (I know the grass is always greener though, so I'm not complaining!)

Struggling a bit atm even though holidays are generous. dh and I alternated days off last half term but that isnlt a longterm solution. Doesn't help that our dc are at a private school who don't follow LEA term dates , ie our half term is a week out,so holiday schemes/ad hoc childminding is scarcer. School do have their own activity days to cover all but Inset days, not cheap though. Friend would do the odd swap as hse's in similar situation. Summer holiday, 8 weeks of it , could prove a nightmare but trying to negotiate closer to term time only. If not then I won't renew contract beyond Easter.

Childminders are another option to consider. Some will take children who want holiday care only (I certainly do!)

Some nannies only work term-time for their permanent family, thus are available for temp work during school holidays.

DS will go to Holiday Club and we will eke out our holiday to cover as much as we can.

WE don;t have relatives nearby so it's holiday club or nothing. I only work p/t so hoping to compress hours a bit as well.

You get lots of holiday clubs these days, often run by After School Clubs but you book them separately.

That's an interesting point about nannies. Our neighbour had an au pair last summer, which didn't really work, and especially with mine being so little, I would worry I think.

Thanks everyone - this is really helpful. If I were to find a p/t job, I think we cd deffo muddle through, so its important to think about that now, rather than after I've applied for f/t jobs.

The whole thing is terrifying.

Sorry, I meant I would worry about a young non english speaking au pair looking after them, not a qualified nanny!

Grandparents, annual leave, Dh taking annual leave, working from home. YMCA holiday club. Just basic juggling.

It's terrifying beforehand but you gradually sort it all out and it's fine.

Thanks. It is too easy to just think its too hard, and dismiss going back to work as a non starter.