Nurseries / child care

I would definitely start looking now. Some nurseries have a years waiting list x

Agree with the above 100%! My first (Jan 2023) was 4 months old when we first started looking in the area we had just moved to for Jan/Feb 2024 start and thought we were ahead of the game but was put on a waiting list 😅🙃. Fast forward, we had a second baby in May 2024 and both are on the waiting list with hope that they’ll have a space in June 2025 😃

I recently booked mines place in August. Their infant group was already booked until end of July 2026 when I visited in August so I would definitely start looking for peace of mind. The new childcare rollout the government is doing is fab but it's inevitably going to create more demand.

I booked mine for March 2026 back when I was 15 weeks pregnant only because, they had a two year waiting list for ours. X

We booked baby in for October 2025 as this was the earliest we could get them in and Tuesday wasn’t available. So definitely would be sorting it. X

I booked mine in at 12 weeks at the nursery my little boy is at and couldn’t get her in until April 2026 😭. The other one I wanted can get her in January 2026 at the earliest but Won’t even put my little boy on the waiting list 😫. It’s mad round here though!

Mine are pretty flexible and can take on new children with just a few months notice but guess that depends on where you live and demand. Nursery vs childminder though - the majority of our friends use childminders and although the more 1-1 approach is lovely, they’re so unreliable at times! Whenever they’re sick, you have to take a day off work last minute too. Same when they’re on holiday, you have to make alternative plans to cover that time! I do like how they take them out to parks etc though whereas nurseries don’t have the capacity for that. However the pros of nursery far outweigh the cons for me! My little one absolutely loves it and of course you have the reliability of them never being ‘closed’ x

I’m also returning to work Jan 2026 and we’ve just paid a deposit for a nursery. We didn’t have to confirm exact days of the week just yet so we’ve just put down 3 that we may need and then they’ve asked for full confirmation by next September. I think it depends on where you live and how busy nurseries get! We wanted to confirm a space early as I’d imagine nurseries will get even busier with the new funding coming in for working parents 😊

Thanks all! You have officially given me the kick in the butt I needed to actually get moving on this - it’s very overwhelming but I guess one benefit is you’re not having to do it while in the trenches of the newborn / baby phase!

I've booked mine for January 2026 as they are currently booked up until end of 2025.

I've booked my unborn baby in for September 2025 x

Nursery is a lot more expensive but more reliable, childminders may leave you in the lurch. However they may also be able to be flexible with you (ie not charge you for holidays) where nurseries would be rigid.