Can people share their thoughts on taking your child to a nursery or a childminder? I'm currently in the process of assessing our childcare needs for when I return to work and for the amount of care we need, nursery is working out to be completely unaffordable. I'm aware childminders are cheaper but ofcourse your child wont get as much integration with other children.
Any advice/ thoughts and experiences would really help!!
Thank you x
It's completely untrue that children who attend childminders won't get as much integration. I am one myself & the children I care for see other children regularly, be it friends & other minders coming round for play dates, or going to weekly toddler groups. We meet other minders at the park too. Both setting are good in their own way & it's completely down to personal preference. But obviously being one I will big up childminders- we get to provide lots of experiences that a nursery can't most of the time. One of my friends bought a patch of woodland to set up her own outdoor forest school area. We can go swimming, soft play, the seaside, the park- the list is endless. We can be flexible in ways a nursery can't, I've known minders rush round to a families house at night to look after the children if a family member has been taken ill & even look after children if mum has gone into labour etc. Sometimes we become more than just the "childminder" & more like an actual family member x
We found a nursery that was actually cheaper than childminders where I am and it’s such a lovely nursery I couldn’t fault them.
The other reason we didn’t choose childminders is when they are on holiday or ill most of the time you still have to pay and then you’ve still got to find cover. I know a few people at my work who struggle when this happens.
For us we don’t have anyone who could have our little girl when we can’t get the time off work so nursery is the better option.
Also another thing have you looked at whether you can apply for tax free childcare? You can get 20% off childcare xx
Across the board most don't charge for their holidays or illness, it's certainly not the case in my area- no service available then no charge! Although it is definitely a point to consider how you might cover holidays & illness in general, not just financially. Some of the
We also accept the tax free childcare 😊
Maybe it’s just something for her to check as I know my work colleagues do have to pay. Also nurseries here charge for bank holidays even though they aren’t open. Luckily I don’t work on days that would be bank holidays so not an issue
Hey... I didn’t realise you can 20% off child care... do you the elegibility criteria and how do I apply... also is this for babies as well? 😊
If you google tax free childcare it tells you how to apply etc. You both have to work an earn so much but it’s not a lot. Most people can claim for it. You have to reconfirm every three months but that’s quite easy and you have to pay through their online account. And yes to babies. I’ve been using it since she was 10 months old up until 11 years old x
Ahhh... brilliant... every little helps 😊😊
Visit childcarechoices.gov & there will be some questions to answer to check eligibility. And yes it's for babies too. It's a 20% top up so basically for every £8 the government top up by £2, you put your 80% into your government account, they top up & then you send over to your childcare provider. It replaces a voucher scheme that was running x
Thk you... will take a look 😊😊
It completely depends on the child, my niece thrived with a childminder and my nephew is thriving in a nursery. My niece is quite introverted and likes one to one attention, her childminder had about 4/5 children at any one time so there was definitely integration, but it wasn't overwhelming for her. My nephew is boisterous, outgoing and very active, he just wants 100's of toys and loads of other kids, he is goes to a nursery with 25 children and tons of toys. You know your children better than anyone.
Hi, I looked at both and visited plenty before I decided. Definitely worth exploring both options and seeing what’s right for you and your child.
I ended up going with a lovely childminder who happens to live round the corner from me. It works out slightly cheaper for me as I work locally so didn’t need the 8-6 I do 8-5 but that hour a day saves me about £100 a month.
My childminder is lovely only has a max of 3 children at any one time and is really flexible. She gives me plenty of notice regarding holidays so I plan the childcare, and doesn’t charge for holidays or sick days which nursery’s do.
I opted for a childminder as I felt it was best suited for my son who was a prem baby and still tracking on the small side, so preferred the more 1-2-1 care she could provide and feel confident that his dairy allergy would be cared for.
My son loves his childminder and really works for us.
I put one of my children in nursery when I went back to work the first time and the second went to a childminder for one day a week. You need to visit the settings and decide which is most suitable for your child. Another thing to consider is if your childminder is sick or on holiday do you and your child like their back up person or who will look after your child, at least at a Nursery they have lots of staff and will cover staff sickness with bank staff. Do the Nursery/childminder include food in their price? Will the childminder take the children to toddler groups - ( I’m in two minds about whether them taking them is a good thing or not, as a mum I’ve witnessed some childminders leaving their charges to play while chatting and because they have several children to look after they don’t always respond as quickly to situations that arise, but it depends on the childminder, on the plus side it’s more socialisation for your child). My children are 7 and 5 years old now and 6 hours of free childcare that school provides is great!
My son has been to both, childminding was perfect for him to start him off as he had more attention. I had a childminder who ran everthing from her large house with another childminder so the environment was about 4/5 kids a small group and older kids after school run.
When i moved house i put him into a nursey which he had about 10 kids there. So not much difference. However i found nursery more better as it was a bigger environment and more structured activities and food was inc in daily price. If you are entitled to working tax credits then maybe check on entitled2 and see if you would be able to claim any childcare fees back.
All the best x
I am a childminder but have also worked in nurseries for over ten years so have seen both, all be it from the other side to a parent.
Personally if I needed to choose childcare I would now go for a childminder 100% but that is my personal choice and there are some really lovely nurseries out there so I’m not saying they are a bad choice by any means.
The benefits for children in a nursery are, as you say, lots of socialisation and routine similar to school from an early age to prepare them. Also like someone else has mentioned there is no risk in a nursery of it being cancelled due to staff sickness/holiday which I know can be a problem for some parents using a childminder.
The main benefit I feel a childminder offers is much more freedom to experience the outside world - I am out every single day to the woods/parks/soft play/zoo/play groups/singing groups and also a childminder has more flexibility to adjust plans in line with each child’s routine. As it’s a smaller setting with lower child to adult ratios, the children get more one to one time and as a childminder I have formed amazing personal relationships with children and their families which have continued long past them leaving my care.
Hours can be more flexible with a childminder but the main concern for parents is covering holiday/sickness of the childminder. I don’t know any Childminder’s in my area who would charge for this though. You would be charged if your child was sick and maybe for your own holidays but this is normal in nurseries and with childminders.
Similarly to a nursery, most Childminder’s accept childcare vouchers and good Childminder’s will be out meeting other children or attending groups regularly so I wouldn’t let that be a concern. You may even find some co-childminders where two or three wok together with more children so that could be a nice balance.
I know I sound biased (and I am a little!) but I would recommend you visit a range of nurseries and childminders and go with your gut and first impressions of a place you feel would best suit the needs of your individual child. I know it’s a big decision but I think somewhere will feel right when you visit.
Good luck x
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