what do you do in holidays if you work?

[Cappuccino]

I'm just looking at going back to work for two days a week - dd2 is 3 and has her daily 2.5 hour nursery sessions, dd1 is 7

in previous years my mum has picked up holiday childcare, but now that dd1 (who is disabled) is getting older and heavier, and they are both turning from sweet little children who would happily play on her carpet into stroppy and demanding little mares, and my mum is not getting any younger yada yada, she has said that she's not up to taking them both at once during holidays

so what do other people do? I know I have been really lucky in the past with my mum but now I need to look at what the options are, and whether this is feasible

we have a nanny

mixture of taking leave and playscheme (eg at easter one week of each - well, 3 days as that's how many i work)

No answers but will be watching this thread because I wondered this too! DS is only 18 months so I don't need to worry yet but I've already spoken to friends with children and wondered whether its feasible for each of us to take turns having a week or two annual leave and look after everyone else's kids to share the childcare during school holidays.

Otherwise I suppose paying for a childminder would be another option but no idea about costs.

A delicate jigsaw of holiday clubs, me taking holiday, DH taking holiday, parents, and a shared temporary nanny with the only other mother in DS's class who is in the same situation - only her DS and mine "broke" the one we had last summer so we are in the process of trying to find a new one.

I know that problem well, especially as I sometime have to leave home at 6.30am to go to London. Over time I've used an assortment of Au Pairs and now I've got a Nanny. Quite a few of the Nanny Agencies can supply you a Nanny on an occasional basis so you don't have to employ someone yourself and for a couple of children its not "too" expensive. I also volunteer to take my DD's friends if their parents get stuck to build up some credits, just in case.

childminder

When I was working as a lawyer it was the holidays that finally did for me.
I didn't earn enough for a nanny, family were all up north and the kids were looking down the barrel of an 8 week summer break.
Now they're a bit older I think they might be happy to go up to my Mums for a week, do a play scheme for a week etc but they would have been v unhappy at 5.
HB x

Childminder, swap around with other mums who also work P/T, holiday clubs, some work from home, lots of overtime in term time so that I could take some time back. It depends what your employer will let you do.

It is very expensive to hold down a job if you are a parent, it is not nearly as easy as the government would have us all believe.

I went back to work P/T when dd was 1, and dss were in F/T primary school what with child care costs, travel etc, it took me 2 years just to break even.

So far I've used our previous childminder.

And annual leave, which I then resent madly if it coincides with a day on which the Inferiorettes are Squabbly and Vile.

Which one is Squabbly and which one Vile, MI, or do they take it in turns?

I am currently feeling obliged to have at least one extra child on any days off, so that I build up "credits" with other mothers (for holidays and term time playdates which I am rarely able to reciprocate)

It's bloody hard, no matter what anyone tries to say!

I work p/t, 4 days a week. DH works F/T with frequent late night and overnighters. We use the same childminder we use during term time.

oh pants I don't have a childminder or know any of them

and prob it is not going to be straightforward to send a disabled child out somewhere

nobbity nob

Not a particularly helpful suggestion as you can't retrain at the snap of a finger but be a teacher, or like me, be married to one. V handy

Like stealthsquiggle, it's an elaborate confection of annual leave, time off in lieu (for both of us but I get more of both) holiday club, playdates and the odd day with grandma and grandpa
Capp, can dd's school suggest any holiday schemes that are accessible to children with SN?

Work very flexibly, around DH's shifts, plus leave and a leetle bit of help from FIL.

hmm Solitaire nice idea but a second career was enough for me, good grief not a third

marina there is a really good scheme in the summer

but the summer isn't the only problem

I think my problem is going to be that I don't need enough cover to be able to get anyone to commit to my kids, when other parents will want more time. I work quite measly hours and sometimes, being freelance, more hours one week and less the next

We have mixture of ex mil, taking leave (me, dh and ex dh) and playscheme. Dd is at nursery ft so it doesn't occur with her but we will have to consider this next year when she's at school and expect it to be usual ex mil/me/dh/my mum combination. It's 16 weeks of holidays, not easy to cover.

But your situation sounds hard, hmm. I think you might have to think laterally about this. Are there any other parents who can cope with dd1 who you might be able to do swaps with? Can you work in the evenings? Can dh change his working pattern?

Capp, trying DD1's school is a good idea - staff who work there might be up for some p/t work in the holidays?

We are crossing everything that we can find someone with a term-time only job of some sort who is prepared to take on my DS and his best mate 3 days a week over the summer (leaving 1 day when I don't work and another when his friend's mother will not be working (she is self-employed))

We could do with the same for Easter, but are going to have to muddle through without.

I do nights and sleep walk