Back to work in November - what should I be doing re. childcare

[mitfordsisters]

I'd like to return to work mid-November when ds will be 8 months old. I've applied to two nurseries for a part time place, and both have said theywon't be able to say if they can offer a place until August/September.

Should I visit childminders too so that I have a back up plan. I'd rather he went to a nursery but I'm worried that come November I'll have no place for ds.

What are your experiences of finding childcare and did things dovetail okay?

Hello I would have a back up plan for peace of mind and also you might be surprised and find that actually a childminder will suit you and ds better. I returned to work when my dd was 7 months and she went to a childminder, they have a really lovely relationship now and it was definately the best thing for both of us. IMO opinion I think nurserys are quite a lot for babies to cope with as generaly there is lots of coming and going and different faces to get used to. My dd is now 2.5 and has just started nursery for one day a week and I still have reservations about whether she is really ready for it. Good luck! XxX

i'm going back to work in november too and found the whole "we'll let you know a month beforehand" thing a bit annoying. however, i decided against child minders for various reasons, so what i did was become the kind of pushy annoying woman i swore i'd never be and rang the nursery i really wanted DD to go to every few weeks

paid off because i then knew when they were doing their planning around kids moving out of the baby room etc - and when i called back they confirmed they had a place available when i needed it and i went in and paid my deposit last week

i did find it quite a cringeworthy thing to be doing, but i want the best care for my DD, and i knew that if i didn't do it, i'd be beaten to it by someone else. feels nice now to know her childcare is sorted

might be worth a try if you can bear it - say something like "i was told on my visit you'd have a clearer idea about places towards august"...

Thanks for advice gf and pinata. I am going to contact some childminders. Pinata, I am also realising that it pays to be a pushy mum - hate doing it - but I'm going to keep contacting the nursery too.

i know - embarassing, isn't it? it's completely against my nature, but with this it feels like the only way to get things done

good luck finding somewhere