Any freelance mums that find the whole nursery set up difficult with such ad hoc working days?

[MOTHERSMEETINGS]

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[womanofdulwich]

I don't have young children any more, but I think it important for the child that there is some consistency for them at the nursery- ie there is a routine and they seem the same people there. As a parent you just have to make the most of an occasion when they are at nursery and you are mot working - ie haircuts/ ironing/cleaning/( painting the house??) bulk cook freezer meals .

Just has to be that way for your child.

[MOTHERSMEETINGS]

Unfortunately it is not cost effective to send your child to nursery for months on end when you do not have money coming in, yes it would be fantastic to be able to afford to spend your time grooming yourself whilst your baby is at nursery but unfortunately not many of us mums have that luxury.

The way the creative industry works is not consistent and yes it would be ideal for your child to have a consistent week/month/year but unfortunately it is not possible for us freelance/contract/self employed mothers to have this. As much as we would like.

I am not saying that i want dump my child on whoever is free any hour of the day, i would just like the flexibility to not have to send my child to nursery when i am not working and not earning any money.

At the moment i am at home on my own, whilst my baby is at nursery costing me ?65. Yes i am using my time wisely. But i would much prefer to be with my baby whilst saving 65 hard earned quid. But i need to keep his 2 day place at the nursery as i don't know when my next contract will arise.

The world is not a perfect place and neither is the working fulltime as a mother or working ad hoc days as a mother. It is something we just have to deal with, consistent or not.

[rachel83]

How about using a childminder that will accept your son as and when you need the childcare? You pay a bit more for this but you can arrange at short notice. I use this for my daughter as I mostly work from home. I pay ?7.50 an hour which is ?60 for an 8 hour day so slightly less than what your nursery charges.

The only other solution is a childcare swap but this isn't as reliable as a childminder.

[womanofdulwich]

Mothers meeting- i didnot mean grooming yourself-apart form the odd haircut- but my children found nursery quite hard to get used to, and because of all the tears I jsut had to go with it. But I did do all the house things like painting/ ironing / making curtains/ filing so that when I was was working I did not have to worry about that. You are very lucky if your child will go to any one anytime- I was always called from creches at ikea/ asda after 5 mins and found the consistency of a nursery helpful, especially if I got more work I could sometimes add a few extra days which is a godsend.

[Te]

What rachel83 said. That's the set up I have as a freelancer.