im confused about child care!

[lydiathetattooedlady]

i have been working for my mum since november, and have not needed childcare. i am about to start a new job where my working day revolves around 7-3 or 3-9 shifts. i am totally confused about how to arrange childcare!
i will need flexible childcare as my working week changes e.g. one week will only need 15hrs childcare another up to 25-30.
i have spoken to my favourite nursery out of a few and visited and it looks great, however to get the flexibility i need i would have to book my dd a full time place at £145 a week, working tax credits have said they'd pay for 40% leaving myself and my partner to fund the other £90. by doing this they've said my daughter can come to the nursery as and when between the 8-6 hours.
it seems it is alot to be paying out when my daughter some weeks wont really need to go but i have no idea what other options i have, with for example a childminder. i presume they'd want me to pay full time too and she could also be there as and when??
is it best for me to book her in full time or try and find several alternatives and only pay as and when she uses it?? problem with this option though is that to claim the tax credits i need to know how much i would be paying out but this would be an estimate! aarghhh!!!
sorry for long post!

you'd be lucky to find any kind of childcare that would give you this flexibility .. but you might just get lucky if you ask around childminders

You could try a childminder, some that I know of are flexible.

Tell the childminder that your shifts will work themselves out, you could settle on an amount per month.

I think you can get some "flexible nanny's", or so I was told by NHS childcare support. Presumably more expensive by the hour, and you might not get the same nanny but might be cheaper overall. tbh, have no idea of costs or exactly how it works, but they will do odd hours. I think you'd find them in yellow pages. Good luck

You will not get a nursery that will be open until 9pm or 10pm at night .

It is very difficult when working shifts to arrange child care - i ahve been there myself. The most felxible childcare wold be a childminder .

Are those shifts the only hours you can work or is there some flexibility- I appreciate it is a new job.

There are a few nurseries aroudn here who do late/overnight as they're close to an airport where shift work is common. Not sure how flexible they are week on week though.

thanks for your quick replies! my partner is able to get my daughter from nursery when he finishes work and take her before he goes if im on an early, my main problem is that the patterns change and so does the days- on alternate weeks i'll be doing 17 hours at the weekend which is great as loads of family members to help but i then only need one day in the week which unfortunately the nurseries cant accomodate that fact-i may have to give it a while and see if i can get a routine with shifts going!
i had no idea it would be this difficult!

when I worked shifts and I had to have child care in the week I worked the same two days everyweek whatever shift my team was on. ( I was part time ) .

My DH also did the early drop off or pick up in the eving and he looked after them at the weekend.

i worked a rota when on odd weeks I wasn't working during the week but obviosuly still had to pay the nusery soo the children went anyway.

Gave me time to sort the house , shopping out etc .