HI all

just wondering what you mummies who intend to go back to work are doing for Childcare.

I have to go back full time in Feb. I work from Home but have to do with some travelling,

option 1 : do you think I will get away with having Lexi with me at home sometimes and if so do you think I should tell work or just see how I get on?

option 2 : family? I have a few options in that My MIL (whos 73 but quite a young 73 IFYKWIM) could have her maybe 1 day but she due to have a hip replacement soon and already has my nephew (who will be 2) at least one day a week

My sister can have her a few days but lives 20 miles away and it would take me about 1 hour in traffic each trip so would only really work when I have to out on visit days?

My SIL doesn't work at all and lives 10 mins away but she's really flaky sometimes ( although I do trust her 100%) and I know we would end up falling out over something and really don't want that again maybe 1 day a week would be fine.

Sometimes I really wish I had not achieved anything in regards to my career and stayed working in low level (no stress LOL) jobs or maybe had kids much much younger (I'm 33 and DH is 40)so we would not have the financial obligations I have and could stay at home but thats simply not an option at the min.

or finally some form of offical childcare then its either Nursery or Childminders prod and cons of both?

Any suggestions or words of wisdom greatly appreciated.

Deb
X

Hi,

I am freakishly in a very similar boat :) due to go back full time in feb. Both MIL and SIL aren't an option to similar reasons and my family aren't nearby to help.

I've been thinking re childminder v nursery and I think decided to definitely go with a childminder simply because it won't be that much of a change for my little one in there not being too many children to look after and from what I heard my little one won't need to be in a very strict routine required for a place in a nursery. Plus I think she'd be too tiddly for the nursery! It is great you can work from home, I am yet to discuss my options with my employer but think working from home won't be an option, unfrotunately.

G x

Hi G

its a nightmare isn't it, I sometimes really wish It was the 'good' old days when only daddies had to work!!

I am also erring on the childminder route for the same reasons as you also I think it will be a lot better re flexibilty as i will not be doing 9-5 etc. I believe nurseries are a nightmare if your a bit late etc.

Deb

mmmm this is a difficult one, and i'm also in the same boat and was thinking about this the other day. I've done really well in my career something that I really strived for when we had no kids, I went to uni got my degree and worked very hard in a company for 10 years to get where I am and earn a very good income. Now kids are in the equation it's a difficult one, it would be very difficult to stop work because we are used to the very good income but it feels like all my hard work is pointless I wish I hadn't got a job with a very good income then I wouldn't miss it!!!!

Anyway when I went back to work after having Faith, I went back 3 days for a year then went to 4 days, I chose a day nursery, for the following reasons. Faith was in a very good rountine and I wanted this stuck too, I wanted her to go to somewhere that was monitored e.g inspections etc and the other thing that was important was structure and education, day nurseries follow the school foundations curriculum as they get older and this has given Faith an excellent start for school this year. I'm very lucky in that the nursery that Faith went to (and Connor will go to) has won loads of awards and has a 2 year waiting list. The people that work there are excellent and i've always been so impressed with the way things are done. They have a full time cook so all meals are homemade and the children get involved with picking the fruit abd veg as they get older.

My feelings on childminders are that I personally didn't like the home from home environment, I didn't want someone else playing mummy to my child, I preferred the more fomal environment and having lots of friends and children the same age around them in the nursery, this has made Faith very confident and she isn't fazed my anything.

Just thought I'd let you know my thought process - but everyone is different.

Thanks

Clare