Childcare

[Sleepy sue]

I've posted this in baby and toddler too!

Hi all I just wondered if anyone had thought about nurseries/childcare once they return to work.
I will be returning to work after 6 months hence I'm looking now due to waiting lists. I've found a lovely one for £39.50 a day, is this the usual cost of a nursery? I've checked it's ofsted report and it says outstanding. I'll have to use it between two and three times per week!

I'm also going to have a look round tomorrow and wondered what I should look for or questions to ask ??

Gutted I can't go back to work part time but needs must I suppose x x

 

[Maybe_mummy]

Hi,

We have sorted ours out cos Im going back to work after 3 months, we went to 2 nurseries and I thnk you get a feel for them. One we went too loved the staff but the room where the babies were kept to me was dirty can understand being a bit gruby if toddlers but this room was just for babies so that really put me off the second one ids very popular but I found it very sterile and the staff uninterested pls they class LO would be in was 0-2 so wasent keen on that. Instead weve gone with a chilidminder who is highly ofsted registered and has checks monthly I loved her as soon as I met her and she felt right she is going to try work within my schedule and I feel much happier about my baby going there and her recommendations are glowing.

I do work off feelings but ask about feeding and how many staff to child ratio etc and also do you have to still pay when they are shut like xmas etc, dont be afraid to ask if they have any recommendations cos I believe the Ofsted thing is only done every 3 years as a minimum.

Good Luck and as for the pricing depends on your area but ours was the same as that and our child minder is slightly cheaper at 34.50 a day

XX

 

[lyndsey_28]

hi sue dunno were bout in the midands you are?? but im in walsall and my little one will be going to a sure start nursery as that i were my other little boy goes although he will be full time school by the time this one starts!!
its brilliant there

questions to ask

• whats included in the cost e.g nappies, wipes food etc

opening times

• will they follow ur set routines

• what they like with weaning, do you need to bring in food or will they mush it for you??

• what age range will the children mix with (if it bothers you that is? as sure start mix babies and toddlers together, but to me thats a good thing)

• wil you be assigned a key worker l

• charges for holidays etc

• how they bill you (in advance or arrears)

sure start charge £29.50 for a full day or £144 for a full time 5 day place, £12 morn session and £13 afternoon session (all nappies, wipes etc included)

sure start centre also have a baby clinic every week in their centre, were heath visitors come in to weigh babies etc....and if ur working the key worker will see the health visitor for you and have them weighed for you if need be!! as sometimes this can be difficult when working

 

[Squeakz]

wss^^ we lived in york and had to put j into childcare and cost us 47 pound per day. so seems lie a decent price. the ones in hitchin where we are cost about the same as well. I genuinely believe that your 'feelings' and intuitions about nurseries. We went and visited about 4 in york and two of them didnt feel right. i couldnt put my finger on it and despite the fact their facilities were good and right next door to our house so convenient something wasnt right. sounds horrible but i told phil i didnt want josh to go to those nurseries was cos the staff were ugly....which i know was a horrible thing to say but i couldnt put my finger on anything tangible. a year later we were in the car leaving york for the last time had the radio on and both the nurseries came on the radio for being investigated for child neglect.

We currently have a childminder and to be honest we love her and joshua loves her as well!! and she is 4.50 p/h we really like her and we knew seh was a good 'un!! Hope that helps hun, completely trust your intuitions.....

xxxx

 

[JoS]

Hi,
I agree with everyone, gut instinct goes a long way! See how happy they children are, what they do during the day?, how much time they spend outside?, what the food is like? (quality/variation), can the babies go with their own routines in terms of feeding/sleeping or do they have to stick with the nurseries? what qualifications do the staff have? I would want the majority of them above a level 3.
I would always try and speak to other parents and go by recommendations for a nursery, which is hard I know if you don't know many people. Definately look at their ofsted report and just try ang get a feel for the nursery and staff there.
I would always look around a few nurseries too and then you can compare.
Hope that helps!

 

[Sleepy sue]

Thanks ladies, it's just so nerve racking thinking I'm going to leave my little man with strangers!!! I'll make a list of all the questions

xxx

 

[JoS]

Oh and meant to stay at my nursery we offer free taster sessions, so once you have agreed a start date you can go into nursery and spend time there together or leave baby there for a while if you feel comfortable. So see if they offer this, its so important that you feel comfortable leaving your baby.

 

[hugsy]

were starting to look now too, not too sure on questions but the main think i was told from friends is to make sure you baby is given the food you send in as some of them put all the drinks together n all the fruit and lunches ect and divide them all out so you could spend a lot of money on good healthy food and it end up going to other children with yours getting someone elses food

might not bother everyone but its something i dont like the idea of

the ones im thinking of using is 43 for full day and 22 for half day, i wont know till july if im able to go part time or not

 

[jojo_2012]

going to look at the creche at work tomorrow if I'm well enough. Think that one's about £40 so your price sounds right.

 

[Constantstar]

We have my mum looking after Owen ATM as nursery was £700 a month!! The government should help but the forms are long and arduous and if I can keep him with my mum I would rather do so than with a stranger!! X

 

[winnie89]

i'm still unsure about whether or not i;m going back to work or not because i really cant afford a nursery or a child minder , mark's nan has offered but he's in her 70's and by the time i go back to work (november) he;'ll be 9 months old and it's not fair on her to look after him 4 days a week, if we can afford for me to not go back to work i wont or i;'ll go back to a set rota which is part time

 

[Sleepy sue]

Well I went to have a look around and I was impressed, here are the positives:
- fresh cooked meals daily, they don't use jars unless we ask
-communication books in place
- each child has a key worker
- each child has individual development goals rather than them being expected to develop the same
-parents evening twice a year
- phased intro to the nursery
- through the year a portfolio is developed with photos and art work
- all the children looked happy
- staff looked interested
-mix of indoor and outdoor play
-thorough safeguarding procedures in place
-CCTV in all rooms

Not so impressed with:
- there was quite a lot of free play, I don't necessarily see this as a bad thing but don't know if it's normal

- building could do with a bit of a redecoration, it was clean though

I only have to provide wipes and nappies

What do you guys think, I've only been to this one so I don't know if this is the normal standard xxx

 

[Em91]

The nursery you looked round sounds just like the Nursery i used to work at based in Rugby... It's all based on instinct like the others said. My brother only works part time and lives with us. He's all a qualified level two in early years. Soo.. it's kind of worked out he's going to have the baby if i go back part time, We get a relative he gets some extra cash..

 

[Sleepy sue]

I spoke with DH last night and I think I'm going to reserve our place it's only two days a week and I really think it will help with social skills I would love family to have him while im at work but it's just not possible x

 

[hellywelly]

I'm the same, would love family to have bubs but it isn't possible. I want to go back after 8 months (3 days a week) and I had an amazing childminder when I was young who still sends me a Christmas card now, even though I'm 31!!! I'd prefer a childminder but am not ruling out nursery. Most friends with kids pay between £30 and £40 a day for their childcare (childminder or nursery) and that is in the East Midlands, so yours sound good. One question for lyndsey I have is can anyone use a sure start nursery?

 

[Sleepy sue]

Hi helly I was thinking of childminder but I don't like the idea of there being no other adults around. I know it's silly but I like there being witnesses and if I'm honest CCTV in all the rooms. I think if someone recommended one or I knew one I would go down a child minding route

Your childminder sounds lovely

Sure start is available to all children and parents it's govt led. You do have to pay for childcare through them though x x x

 

[lrb]

I work in a nursery, sounds pretty much the same as this one apart from CCTV in rooms, we have it for the surrounding areas, like front door and fences surrounding nursery. It's £40 a day and when I go back to work in 9 months my little one will be going there too, I get 50% discount and am very happy to leave my baby there. Tbh as long as ts clean and you can see the staff look interested and children are happy and u have a nice feel about the place that's the main thing. I would recommend you go and look at another tho, even if u have said yes to this one just go to compare as its not too late to pull out. Bringing your own nappies n wipes is a good thing, at least if there cheap ones or strong fragranced ones u know what's being used on our baby. And were very strict to keeping your own wipes n nappies to your child! Food is all freshly cooked by our chef and babies r mushed. Babies won't be fed food that u haven't tried on baby at home first tho x

 

[hellywelly]

I think I am biased towards childminders because I had two fab ones when I was younger and liked the more family atmosphere there is, but have to say I have also heard some horror stories about some as well - it is so hard as there are always good and bad stories to both!! I think you are right about recommendations. I'll put the feelers out a bit closer to the time, although how soon do you have to start looking?? My friend down in London had her LO's name down at 5 months pregnant!

 

[lrb]

I looked into becoming a nanny and really liked the fact of the more "one to one" a nanny would give that child, even if I was looking after more than one they would still get more from a nanny but then they don't socialise and learn to share like they do if they are in a nursery. And also when u do have a night off and someone looks after baby over night there not terrified to be with someone new as being at nursery there used to meeting new people all the time cause most times the nanny becomes part of family which is also nice but suppose has benefits to both!