Childcare. It’s something that might not be on the top of your to do list when you find out your expecting. You browse prams, buy a cot and pick a cute coming home outfit for your new bundle of joy, but childcare might be on the back-burner until you think about going back to work or, gasp, have a night out!!
When we found out we had a bun in the oven we were so happy after 6 years of trying that I didn’t give it much thought until our son actually arrived. Returning part time and working alternate days, I soon realised that arranging childcare wouldn’t be all that simple. Many nurseries wouldn’t let you switch and change and I didn’t want to pay for childcare when I wouldn’t be working and my baby didn’t need to be there!
Granny stepped in to do the alternate days and I was on the hunt for a nice nursery for my two fixed days. A place I could trust to care for my baby whilst I was at work, but there was a problem!! The nursery I’d always envisaged him going to had seen a drop in its reputation. I began to enquire with other providers but they were either full or couldn’t accommodate JJ’s needs. At this point he was under the hospital for his eczema and had a strict routine to try and get it under control, and many nurseries and childminders simply said no.
As you often do in these situations I put a call out via social media for recommendations and the same nursery was mentioned repeatedly. We arranged to have a look round and our usually shy JJ was happy to be held and entertained by the staff. They were warm, welcoming and could accommodate JJ’s eczema routine. We snapped up the spot available to us and completed all the necessary paperwork straight away. Although this process might sound quick, it actually took weeks.
It would all be smooth sailing from here! Right? Nope. Throw up the days Granny couldn’t do because of illness or other family commitments and there was a childcare shaped spanner in the works. Add in when I needed to work additional days and it became a bit of a nightmare! One way or another we muddled through, but I know now we really didn’t need for our childcare experience to be as stressful as it sometimes was.
Our lives and our childcare experience could have been made so much easier if we’d have found Childcare.co.uk. A trusted company with over 2 million members, Childcare.co.uk makes finding childcare simple.
Search by the service you require, e.g. childminders, nurseries, babysitters or tutors, and add your postcode and how close you’d like them to be. Childcare.co.uk enables you to see an introduction from the provider, along with if their registration and criminal records check have been reviewed and confirmed.
You can also see the starting hourly rate, star rating and when the provider last logged in, which gives you a good idea of how active they are on the platform and how quick you could get a response from your enquiry.
You can browse the childcare providers and see if there is anything that suits your requirements without even being a member. Found a childminder or nursery that suits you? Simply create a free account and contact them. Just with 5 miles of my postcode there’s over 650 childcare providers!! I thought there'd be around 10!!
Still expecting and weighing up your childcare options? You can even use Childcare.co.uk to find doulas and maternity nurses!
The Childcare.co.uk website is easy to navigate, which is ideal if you’re in a desperate for childcare panic! With so many different providers on offer, you could find anything or everything you need. An after school club provider to fill the gap between school and work, or a babysitter so you can do some childfree shopping or chores.
For more information on Childcare.co.uk and to search for providers near you, take a look here. You may even get that much need night out!!
Mummy Snowy Owl
xx
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