Nursery or childminder, full-time or part-time???

[tiggerblue10]

Basically I need some advice on what is best as I don't have a clue. My maternaty ends on 12th Feb. but I'm taking a further 4 weeks off annual leave which I have left from this years quota so I'll be going back in March. The thing is I don't know whether to go back full-time or part-time as I don't know if I can afford to do part-time with all my outgoings. I can't work out what vouchers I'm entitled to as I haven't sorted out any childcare yet and they need to know how much it will cost. Can anyone advise what is best?

I went to a childrens centre in my area today and met a few childminders but I know whether to place Little Tiggs in a nursery or with a childminder. I don't know what is best for me and him so I'm asking for a bit of help and opinions. Lt Tiggs will be 9 months in March.

I hope this makes sense!

Thank you

[tiggerblue10]

Thanks pinki :o)

I've got all the tax credits sorted out but its just the childcare costs that I'm worried about. I don't which way I'll be better off if I remain full-time or part-time.

When I spoke to the childminders they said that they had spaces available. My dad has also said that he can have him a couple of days a week which could help.

[linedancer16]

I was the other way round! I had a childminder for my twins and I liked the idea that the same person was looking after them rather than a nursery where it seemed a bit impersonal. They went to 'Auntie Maureen' quite happily until they started school and she also looked after one other little boy. She also took them to a playgroup when they were a bit older. They were 10 months when they first went and I didn't have any problems. I was working full time but did have school holidays. Cant help with vouchers etc - no such thing in my day! I had to pay it all myself! Hope you get sorted with arrangements you're happy with.

[tiggerblue10]

Thanks Linedancer :o)

What it all boils down to is that I'm going to miss him like hell when I have to leave him anywhere and go to work. I would love to take a carer break but that is sadly not an option.

[ann_h]

Nursery vouchers from the government only apply to children over 3, I believe. Or are you referring to vouchers from your employer?
Tax credits will pay you an amount of 80% of your actual cost up to a certain amount (£140 pw) and your entitlement will depend on your earnings.
The HMRC website is pretty good, although they don't always answer all your questions easily!

Childminders can be more flexible than nurseries, eg once every few weeks I would have to attend an evening meeting so my lady had them till 8pm; and are probably better for 1-to-1 with babies - although some of them try to charge quite a bit more than nursery rates. But you really have to visit any nursery and childminder to decide if they are going to provide the service you want - went to trial one seemed nice and professional, but in her home she had the tv on the news channel, no toys out, and stinky dog-hair everywhere.

I would also seriously look again at your outgoings and how necessary they are - you will really miss out if your little boy goes full-time. I worked out that I was only earning £50 a week extra after childcare/travel etc, so chose to leave that job after being back a little while, and earn the extra working from home instead. I dumped cable tv etc (£50 a month) and have just got rid of the car - aaargh - saving another £150 a month but realised I don't need it that much, just got used to it! OH never learned to drive anyway.
x

[sherrardk]

Our eldest went to a childminder because we thought that one-to-one care would be best but we then got some 'bad vibes' and with hindsight we decided that a nursery was best (safety in numbers), child two also went to the same nursery. By the time child three came along we had hoped that things would have changed in our personal circumstances but in the end my husband had all three to look after. We had decided after number two to change our lives (drastically) so when children four and five came along (no-one plans twins!) I was lucky enough to be in the position to be able to stay at home. It comes down to personal choice and finance at the end of the day. Hope you are happy with whatever decision you come to, I know how hard it is to have to make that decision.

[linedancer16]

Yes you will miss him!! I was the same, I couldn't afford to give up work altogether . I tried to get a part time job but couldn't so carried on full time. As long as they are happy where they are, that's the main thing and that you trust the person looking after them. It also makes them a bit more independent and used to other people and being away from mum for part of the time. This is an advantage when they have to start school!!

[tiggerblue10]

Thank you Ann :o)

Ewwww the stinky dog-hair is a definite no-no. Although I have 2 cats I would prefer a childminder looking after my child not to have pets. I know that sounds unreasonable considering I have pets but you don't know how often a someone elses carpet is cleaned!

I will be visiting a few childminders and nurseries in the in the New Year. I was referring to the vouchers from my employer. I'll have another look at the HMRC website.

[tiggerblue10]

Thanks Sherrard and Linedancer,

The childminders that I saw today say they have a few other children to look after and at any one time they can only look after one baby under the age of one.

[karenmac60]

I was really lucky in that my parents were able to look after my daughter and it worked out really well. My mum was working part time as a nursery nurse and her hours fitted in with my part time hours. My dad is a retired teacher so she got lots of educational stimulus, plus there were a lot of young kids in the street so when she was a wee bit older she had plenty of playmates and I knew she was with people I could trust and who loved her. I know not many are in that situation though - my friend used a childminder for her 2 who have a 6 year age gap, and it turned out the cm was using her older daughter to look after the other kids while she did her housework everyday! Whatever you do, good luck with it x

[tiggerblue10]

Thats great Karen, I wish my mum could do the same but she is still working and won't be able to retire for another 2 years although she would love to look after him. My dad said he would do a couple of days but I don't know if he can handle a baby/toddler all day at 68. I suppose once my mum retires she can look after him but until then I need to sort childcare out. His other grandparents live far away so that isn't really an option.

[redcrx]

child tax credit will pay UP TO 80%! i pay out about £300 a month on child care and when i looked into the figures i could only get about £60 a month back against it.

I havnt even bothered claiming this time as when i used it for little CRX they asked for pretty much all of it back the following year.

I can tell you i pay £32 for a fullt day and £18 for a half. You could work on these figures perhaps to get an idea of what you may be able to claim back. If your employer offers the childcare voucher scheme then thats certainly worth looking at as you buy the vouchers before tax and NI saving a bit more money there too

[tiggerblue10]

Hi Red, I looked on the directgov website for ofsted approved nurseries and worked out that I'd be shelling out over £400 per month. I get £80 in child tax credit according to my salary so I'm going to look into whether I can get the childcare vouchers from my employer. I work for the UKBA so I guess they should do this.

[redcrx]

also, when looking about at nurserys, check on what sort of staff they have.
There is one near here that is very cheap, but most of the staff are the 16 year old part time students. Nothing wrong with that, as the staff have to learn on the job somehow, but there are very few with experience and further qualifications.

you could also see if there are any council run nurseries that may be cheaper.

[tiggerblue10]

Didn't think about council run nurseries. I'll have llok at them as well. Thanks Red x

[tigwig]

Hi I am a childminder and also used to be a nursery nurse so have lots of experience of both. It's totally a personal decision what kind of care you choose, there is no right or wrong. I think its a very good idea for you to visit both types, you will have a feel for what will be right for you and finding the right childcare will make you feel more at ease. Once you find a place you will then be able to budget accordingly and work out what to do regarding full or part time. I have to say some of these answers haven't shown childminders in a very positive light have they but I can definitely say myself and the vast majority I know are very good. It all depends on whether you feel comfortable with your baby fitting in with someone elses life and building a very close relationship with someone else or if you would prefer him/her to be in a structured environment that will follow a daily routine thats the same everyday. Also depends on your babies personality. 9 mths can be a very clingy age to leave them and some babies who are not confident feel overwhelmed in a nursery where there will be lots of other babies and staff. Sometimes one on one care can be better. That is my personal opinion though. I feel that with a childminder they get the best of both worlds. I treat the 2 toddlers I care for like my own, they are part of my family, I get on great with their parents and we go out to groups every day so they socialise with others but at the same time they are cared for in a home from home environment. I wish you well in choosing whats right for you, its not easy I know.

[tiggerblue10]

Thanks Tigwig, that does help a lot. When I took Lt Tiggs to the childrens centre yesterday there were a lot of toddlers running around and he started crying when one of them screamed. Whatever I choose to do I am going to spend a few weeks getting him used to the environment and the people/person looking after him before leaving him there. He needs to get used to other kids and the shouting and screaming that comes with the territory.

[annie0000]

I was really lcuky with the childminder we used when my eldest was a baby - she had never childminded before and was still going through her registration but had 3 older children - youngest was 5. We met her and visited her home beforehand and she was really lovely and only had my son. He was under 5 months when he went to her and she traeted him like one of her own and just took him about her daily business and involved him in everything. she took him to toddler groups and baby groups and took him out to cafes and I could always smell her perfume from him when I got him home so I knew he had been cuddled. For us it was the best solution. In terms of finances, it wasn't cheap and we got no support back then. When we had our 2nd, my husband gave up work to look after them as we couldn't afford care for two. if you can afford to go part-time I would,

[tiggerblue10]

Thanks Annie, I'm seeing my manager this Friday so I'll have a quick word about part-time hours as its the work Xmas do! Lol

[annie0000]

Good idea lol. I worked full time until the kids were 4 and 3 and then reduced down a few hours so that I could pick them up from nursery even though I had to start early. This meant my husband could get some work after 1.00 when the went into nursery. He started work full time when they went to school.
Now that they are 9 and 10, I still finish early so I can collect them from school, but I do regret the amount of ther childhood that I missed and it is also difficult when you both work everyday and you are always the parents that can't go on svhool trips, that miss events in the classroom etc. If I had my time again I'd have tried to get some way of us both to have been able to spend time at home when they were little.

It turns out that my OH now says that he hated being at home with them and I really resent him now for not telling me at the time, because I would have swapped in an instant. We are still happily married lol but I still niggle about it inside sometimes. To be fair, I wouldn't have liked to be home full time either, but I am sure we could have worked something out.