Mum's with 2 (or more) how the Hell did you manage to go back to work??

[Mrs M]

Could you condense? Work full time over 4 days so you would have 1 day where you didn't have to pay for childcare but were still getting full time wages? Childcare vouchers - you can get £243 per month in vouchers so you save 20% of that (almost £50), but both parents can do this - self employed too I believe. Nurseries & childminders often do a discount for a second sibling which could possibly be 10%. A couple of things to look into.

 

[Mummybexee]

You need to do the online calculator but base it on your circumstances when they will
Arise - I.e when you go back to work with 2nd child

Also explore sibling discount. We get 10% off second Childs fee's - I'll need care for both my son and daughter for 4 days a week @ 41 a day each - so 82.00 per day

It's shit... Basically... And we will qualify for tax credits but it's september 2017 the free 30 hours come in

Hubby's wages will pay child care - I earn more than him- and neither want to stay at home because once our son qualifies for the 30 hours it will really help the pocket.

I havnt done too many calculations because sjes not even here yet but a few punches on the calculator show we will struggle a hell of a lot but life's never easy huh

I'll be back to work when this one is 6 months again

 

[Mrs CW]

Wow! Our childminder cost £4 an hour so for an 9 hour day it was £36 we didn't get a sibling discount though. Our nursery cost us the same for a 10 hour day (although others we looked at cost £45 a day) and we get a 10% discount off of the bill. Do look around, the nursery we use allow us to stretch our sons funding so he has funding all year so no extra payments in the holidays (he gets 12hours a week instead of 15). They also work out the bill for the year and divide the total by 12 so every month we pay the same. The more expensive nursery wouldn't let us do stretch funding, required the boys to attend for more hours than our current nursery meaning the funding for our 3yr old didn't cover all the hours (as it does now) and the boys would have to go for all those hours through out the holidays which made the cost of the nursery triple from the one we're using! X

 

[H16]

We have had same worries, I got made redundant last September and have been a sahm ever since but we have been struggling financially and that is with only one child but when we researched childcare costs for the 2 of them once baby arrives next month we realised we are skint if I don't work but will also be skint if I do work too. Can't win!

 

[littlemonkey]

We have had same worries, I got made redundant last September and have been a sahm ever since but we have been struggling financially and that is with only one child but when we researched childcare costs for the 2 of them once baby arrives next month we realised we are skint if I don't work but will also be skint if I do work too. Can't win!

This is the position that we were going to be in, skint no matter what I did!!

I could have either gone back full time and brought home £600 a month after child care or go part time evenings, have no child care costs and bring home £800. And actually spend some time with my children!!

My mum honestly couldn't grasp how we would be better off if I work part time!

 

[Babybushie28]

Have you looked into children's centres instead of private nurseries? They are a lot cheaper xx

 

[Ella1979]

We were really badly off financially when I returned to work last December and my parents helped us out with nursery costs until our daughter got her free hours. It's a little better now. My son costs £43 per day and my daughter £21 per day (roughly) which is for them to go to nursery from 8am-6pm (we get a 10% sibling discount too). They go 2 days a week. I only work 15 hours a week so we don't qualify for the tax credits. We get the childcare vouchers to the maximum amount, but it only just pays for me to go to work than stay at home. Luckily next September our daughter starts school (although then we have before/after school to think about!). I wouldn't bother to work any more days as I'd make no more money than I do now and have less time with my children.

 

[mrswoody]

It is horrible when yeast and do the figures and have that "Oh crap..how much" feeling!
I am returning to work in 3 and a bit weeks and my childcare bill is going to be horrendous. We have no family help here as we live too far from them, I have no option of going part time (military hours) so full time it is. My childcare bill will leave me with some change but not a lot. The girls will be in nursery 4 full days and half a day.
Thankfully M gets 15hours free in January but it doesn't add up to much.

Once we have paid bills and childcare there isn't going to be much spare cash but the spare that is there is the difference between a day out as a family/trip away or nothing at all iykwim.

Does your employer offer childcare vouchers? If so look into them as they could really help you out. Both oh and I take vouchers of £243 each a month and it really does help with costs.

You will find a way, please don't let it worry you too much.
xx

 

[Goat]

I worked out that until my eldest got her 15 free hours in February, sending them both to nursery 3 days a week (2 days with my mum) it would cost £2400 a month. In my opinion that's a ludicrous amount of money and more than it costs to send a child to some private schools! I looked into a child minder but I just couldn't get one recommended in my area.
The only other option was a nanny who would come to my house and look after the children all day whilst we were at work and she actually worked out slightly cheaper so I would say definitely look into that!

I handed in my notice a couple of weeks ago with the intention of returning once the kids are in school. I couldn't justify paying those costs and spending so little time with my children for the sake of what would such a tiny profit. However our income has now halved and we are counting the pennies with no room for luxuries.x

 

[Dotty_woman]

We were always lucky to have parents available to help ease the cost. I also managed for when Lewis was little to negotiate working from home two days a week. However, it was very difficult to work and look after a child at the same time and he ended up being in his play pen for long periods of time. Squeezing a 7 hour day alongside childcare was very difficult and that was with only one. That's part of the reason I had a three year gap between my two eldest. It's not a problem now as one is hopefully only a year away from Uni or similar. xxx

 

[Dotty_woman]

£500 a week and £2400 a month for 3 days a week for two kids ? Where do you both live? I thought my childcare was expensive at £352 for 2 days a week! Sounds like someone's taking the mickey where you live. You need to move to Leeds!! xxx

 

[CARNAT22]

I'm in central London.

Mrsw, thankfully James gets his free hours from 18th November (I was surprised as I expected him to be January intake but his nursery stagger their intake through the year so some kids start immediately around their 3rd birthday!!)

Based on me working full time and James in nursery 2.5 days yep it's about £500 a week for them to be with a childminder. Not sure of exact figures if I went part time but however many days I do then Bee will need to be with a childminder (or in nursery) which is £50-£55 per day..literally half of what I clear per day. Not sure how much wrap around care is?

X

 

[Goat]

I live in London too. Sadly that's pretty standard - £100 day per child. I only checked out recommended places, there could be cheaper but I'd rather go with a place that's had good reviews from people I know. Never looked into whether they offer sibling rates but even if they did it's still a lot.

 

[hayes]

Carnatt I would defo check out the funding a child can start around there b'day but u won't get a penny(or the nursery)won't till the term after the child turns three so Jan for James from the gov. I'm lucky that I'm now childminding or there is no way we could of afforded two as the r so close together for a while yr or mote till Harry gets his funding. The childcare vouchers really help us out as Harry n New baby will go once a week as nursery is fan for them. N we get a 10% discount.

Michelle.x

 

[flisstebbs]

I feel your pain and I haven't even had #2 yet. Going to cost £1600 per month to put both of ours in nursery 3 days a week (Surrey prices!)
Hubby gets childcare vouchers and apparently that is about to get better. We'll have 10 months of pain until we get 15hrs for Jess and have been trying to save up as much as possible since we found out #2 was sticky.
Doesn't help but l understand.

 

[TORino]

The 30hrs of free childcare has been brought forward to sept 2016 so you can factor that in when planning your finances. Condensing hours could help?

Does the school nursery allow you to take the 15hrs flexibly? Some here let you use them 2.5 days instead of 5 mornings,which would have bee great for me as it would have been 2.5 days of the week minimal childcare costs! Sending them for half days isn't cost effective cow they pretty much still charge you a full day.

Childcare vouchers save tax and NI etc. if the excruciating costs will only be for a period of time until James goes to school so could you borrow some cash or beg someone to help you out one day a week for a period of time? How about using your accrued leave 1 day a week - I had almost 40 days leave left after my maternity last time and using them on Mondays I got the best part of a year doing 4 day weeks for a full time salary.

 

[CARNAT22]

Some amazing suggestions here and lots of options.

Feeling a little bit more positive about it all. James' place starts 4 days after his 3rd Birthday and it's 2.5 days (I got the option when I applied). He'll go full time from next September anyway but Bee won't be legible for her free childcare until January 2018!! So realistically I just need to get from January to September with James which isn't so bad [although it is forever until Bee will be legible for her hours]

I could kick myself for not getting the vouchers while I was pregnant with James and when I went back!!!

Going to get some costs together to figure out if I'm better to stay full time or not and take it from there.

I only get SMP so I've asked for accrued holiday to be paid for the last few months I'm off to tide me over. It will amount to about what SMP is, and I'll still have 10 days when I go back but may have to use those immediately as I am due back on 11th and want to wait until after Bee's birthday.

Thank ladies

X

 

[Selina13]

I'm in similar position and posted about it a while back.

It's really difficult to balance things. I'd like to think I'm a professional woman who has a decent career yet I'm currently looking at evening cleaning jobs so I don't have to pay for childcare yet I'm still bringing in some cash!

X

 

[CARNAT22]

I'm the same Selina. Have been with my company since I finished Uni almost 14 years ago yet now I'm looking at shelf stacking at the weekends (not that there is anything wrong with shelf staking!!) so we can avoid childcare costs.

X

 

[CARNAT22]

Ok the childcare option has to be discounted full stop. £530 per week if I go FT and £300 PT (3 days) so me working just about breaks even.

It's looking likely that OH will have to be a SAHD whilst I find something more child friendly. I'll also have to go back FT as OH's work isn't something he can pick and choose hours / days of week etc. If he has work then it is always FT, so we can't share the childcare / work ratio.

X