What do you do for childcare if you both work?

pinkshoes

Could your OH get a job in a local school e.g. Teaching assistant or similar? That way you have school holidays covered.

could he get early shift work or work as a post man so he can do the pick up, and you could drop them at breakfast club?

I choose a primary school that had a decent breakfast and after school club.

GwylimT

We both work part time so we don't need to use any childcare, while I was training in my new job my wife took unpaid leave as it was cheaper than us using care for our daughter and employing a qualified carer for our son.

duchy

Actually my husband was pretty clueless about childcare -He had never considered the impact of childcare costs or childcare availability.

He found it really hard to get his head around the facts and figures even when presented with them in black and white that it was financially better for us as a family for me as the lower earner to work part-time as we had lower childcare costs so ended up with more money than if I had paid for fulltime care. (Less tax - fewer work clothes, lunches and less in fares. I'd always advise a at home parent going back to work to look for a couple/few full days rather than a few hours every day so there's less in travelling time and transport costs unless there's a really good reason not to.

If there's good before after school club available it's a good option - otherwise many childminders do school pick up and after school care. It *is* a long day when they are in reception though.

walletmoths

These ideas are great - and there are quite a few things I haddn't thought of - so thank you very much for your tips.

I get asked all the time about "why didn't I think about it before having kids" and the equally useless quote of "well, you will have twins won't you!" - as if I can choose what nature gave me!!!

In the space of 5 years, things DO change, jobs change, finances change, grandparents get ill, friends move away - and firms you worked at that you thought were good on the family side of things can turn out to be total crap.

But that's enough ranting... we're enjoying life today and planning for the future

SmlSave

We do a mix, I have Mon and Tue off so can pick DS up. Wed DH works from home and does a shorter day. Thus and Fri the grandparents who have DD pick DS up.
DS does breakfast club Wed, Thu, Fri.

As soon as DD gets funded hours I'm hoping to work just school hours but all week if my work agrees.

Juggling home, school and work has given me such headaches!

Most mums I know have a child minder help out

VfM4meplse

The problem with breakfast clubs and after-school activities is that it makes a long day for the kids, and then they are tired out when you get home and you don't get to spend a lot of quality time with them. Then the guilt sets in....

There's no easy answer to this one. I can understand not wanting to have a househusband but could he possibly set up a business from home? Or do childminding for others?

Jagraf

VfM4meplse wrote: »

The problem with breakfast clubs and after-school activities is that it makes a long day for the kids, and then they are tired out when you get home and you don't get to spend a lot of quality time with them. Then the guilt sets in....

There's no easy answer to this one. I can understand not wanting to have a househusband but could he possibly set up a business from home? Or do childminding for others?

Guilt for the parent maybe, but very often kids have a great time.

I didn't see mine from 8-6 five days a week and all was fine. I got over the guilt and she loved it - I suppose it depends on whether the child is happy with the arrangements.

Rambosmum

We have no family near by so when I return to work after mat leave baby will be in nursery or a child minders fulltime. Not ideal but there are worse things in the world.

onlyroz

Before our school offered an after-school club my kids were collected by a childminder three days a week. Now there is an after-school club available - it is at a different school in the town and they are taken there by minibus.

We have also arranged our hours so that my husband does three long days and two short ones (still on full-time hours) so that he is able to pick them up from school on Thursday and Friday. This means that we only need to use the club three days a week.

The after-school club also operates as a holiday club during the school holidays.

Cost-wise, the after-school club is £9 a day and the holiday club is £23 a day. When we used a childminder she charged £12 a day for after-school collection.

bossymoo

You can't plan ahead for everything. My youngest starts school tomorrow - I was widowed when she was 14mths old - how the heck do you factor that in when getting pregnant?

Anyway, back on topic, our school has a before and after club, it's a not for profit enterprise so really good value, and a lot of the staff are also TAs or lunchtime staff in school, so they are all familiar faces. They also run the wraparound care for nursery kiddies who do 2.5 days, so I've been able to work a 3 day week while DD has been at nursery.

I'm lucky enough to work from home one day a week, so I just use club on Mondays and Tuesday's. I agree the with pp who said it is a long day for them. On our longest day they get to club at 7.45 and I collect them at 5pm. I'm just glad they don't do this every day - that would be more hours than most adults work in a week!

School holidays I use a mix of taking my own annual leave, school club, a babysitting swap with a friend who's kids are in the same school (she has mine 1 day, I have hers another) and grandparents (both my mum and inlaws can help out if I'm stuck).

I'm staying part time a little longer while I get used to the new routine - is that an option for either of you?