Childminder, Nanny or Nursery?

[BookyTea]

Hi,

I'm just wondering if anyone could help me with advice about childcare for when I go back to work? My daughter is 4 months old, and I'm looking to go back to work full-time after either 9 or 12 months (depending on if our finances can stretch to that long)!

I think we'll be able to get her Grannies to take care of 2-3 days, so that leaves me with 2-3 days of childcare to sort. I don't think we can afford a Nanny, so think a Childminder or Nursery is a better option. However, I have no idea how to research into this!

With regards to a Childminder, how do you go about finding a good one? How much approx. do they charge? Are there specific questions I should be asking them? E.g. how many babies/children will they be looking after?

As for nurseries, I live near Dulwich Library, are there any recommended nurseries nearby? I've heard they all have horrendous waiting lists, is this right? And again, are there specific questions I should be asking when investigating?

I'm completely clueless about this, and would appreciate any advice - I'm a first time Mum and kind of panicking about what will happen when I go back to work! Thanks!

[Amoralia]

Hi there, an interesting book (though it doesn't mince words...!) is How not to f**k them Up by Oliver James (a v well respected child psychologist). It won't give you answers on the practicalities of finding nannies/nurseries etc, but it will give you lots of food for thought re which child are option might be the best for your child. It definitely

Opened my eyes (even if it made for some uncomfortable reading sometimes...)

Good luck with it all!

Jules

[RenF]

Probably the best thing to do is google for local nurseries in your area, then make appointments to go along for a visit to get a feel for the place. Some do have waiting lists, but things change all the time and if you only want part time it might be different. Lots of childminders advertise on here, as well as sites like netmums so again perhaps meet a few and see what you think.

There's load of advise out there about child care, but really you will make a decision based on your gut feeling about what's right for your child. You may go into it thinking nursery would be best, then meet a childminder you love or vice versa. I think having a look about first is the best thing to do.

Hope that helps!

[amydown]

Just wanted to add that doing a nanny share might be an option too. I would also visit local nurseries and get onto their waiting lists ASAP just so that you have some options further down the line.

Feel free to send me a PM about nanny shares if you have any questions.

[cashewnut]

I think the best thing to do is to investigate nurseries first (straight away because you're right about waiting lists). As you look round you'll get an idea of whether there's one you're happy with, whether you like the idea of nursery, whether there's any chance you'll get a place etc... If you can't get a place anywhere or don't want to use a nursery then you can start looking for childminders.

When I looked round the Bright Horizons nursery they gave me a PDF checklist of questions. PM me if you'd like me to send it to you.

I don't know any of the nurseries in Dulwich Village specifically. There's loads on the forum about different nurseries though. That said I wouldn't write off a place because of one or two bad reports - you might find different things important. The reviews on here might give you more idea of what questions to ask though.

[Bouncy]

I agree that the Oliver James book is interesting, but would warn very strongly that a) he is a horrible cherry-picker of evidence, and that b) he subscribes to a specific theory on child-rearing, which has a limited ammount of suporting evidence (that which he cherry-picks!) There are alternative theories and there is alternative evidence out there on what's 'best' (depending on how you define that!) for children. Personally, I think what's 'best' varies enormously depending on the child and the family - if you don't go with what you're comfortable with, what 'works' for you, and a choice that you can justify to yourself (NOT anyone else!), your discomfort is going to be reflected in your interactions with your child. So definitely read around, but don't fall for the argument from (media-friendly) authority...

[BookyTea]

Thanks everyone for all the advice, really brilliant. I've started looking into the nurseries on the Southwark Family Information Services website: http://www.southwark.gov.uk/info/926/advice_and_support_for_families/545/family_information_service/1, and then will look into childminders or a nanny share. I definitely might need your advice about a nanny share amydown, will PM you if we decide to go down that route.

cashewnut, I'll PM you about Bright Horizons checklist, definitely useful, and one of the nurseries I want to go have a look at.

Thanks everyone!

[kittysailing]

It depends on your child really. Personally I think a nursery environment is too much for a child under two - mine is a hectic little thing and any time I took him to environments where there were a lot of kids he would get completely over stimulated and meltdown! I found a lovely childminder who only has one other child and I felt a home environment was important when he was little - he felt secure with our childminder and she's now part of his 'family'. At two and a half I felt he was ready for more kids and nursery and he loves it. Good luck finding something that suits you and your little one.

[esme]

My son is at Bright Horizons and I would say worth putting your name down if interested even if for when your child is older... I personally opted for a childminder as I thought closer to a home environment (i.e. fewer children, based in a house with garden and so on). I think I made the right choice for us, however, I have to say moving him on to a nursery has been a bit of a nightmare as he was with the childminders so long (nearly 2 yrs) so there are pros and cons to everything. The Villa and Little Jungle are both nice nurseries with excellent reputations tho a bit further away from you. Piplings is close to you in Forest Hill but a bit more costly - more in line with what a nanny would cost. Agree you should also consider nanny share as not too much more than a childminder/nursery. Good luck with your choice and put your name down on all the waiting lists of places you like as you might get lucky - we only waited a few months despite being warned about year/2 yr waiting lists and in fact The Villa is advertising spaces despite not contacting people on their waiting list, so always ring and chase up every few months too :)