Childminder or nursery

We initially had our little boy signed up for a childminder who had been recommended by a close friend. She was a great childminder - she had a lovely big house and garden, high quality toys, cooked homemade food for the children, took them on lots of walks outside, etc. Because my partner was out of work for a while we had to let our spot with that childminder go, and then my partner got a new job right as I was due to go back to work! So my little one ended up at nursery even though I’d always thought we’d use a childminder. I’d thought a childminder would be better as you get to choose who takes care of your child and you know that will stay the same, whereas with a nursery the staffing might change. However, we really love our son’s nursery, and there’s things that make it more convenient, e.g, if a member of staff is off sick or on holiday, the nursery is still open. If a childminder is off sick or on holiday, you have no childcare. Also we dodged a bullet because…

…the childminder we were going to use decided to give up childminding recently, so we’d have had to find somewhere new to send our little one. Again, not a problem with nursery! I do think either can be great or awful though so I think it’s a case of looking around and finding the place that seems like the right fit for your child. Some childminders take the kids to playgroups every day, sit and drink tea with their childminder friends and barely watch the kids, from what I’ve seen! Some provide meals and some don’t. Some do the school run, so little ones can end up in the car for an hour or two each day whilst dropping off and picking up - and my friend’s little boy used to end up sitting at the side of the swimming pool watching the childminder’s kid have lessons! Some are amazing though. And nurseries can massively vary in size, staffing stability and the amount of outdoor space they have. I hope you find the right place soon for your little one 😊

I chose nursery for our eldest as I was worried about her choking (I found BLW hard but persevered!) and figured there were more people around if anything went wrong at nursery 🙈 Nursery also has better year round cover rather than having a childminders holidays or sickness to find childcare for. I think nursery is usually more expensive, but having an almost 4 year old has shown that after the initial settling well she is now relatively easy to throw into any group situation and she just gets on with it. With a childminder there would be that transition, and then a further big change for pre-school/school. My girl is cross she can’t go to school now 😂

I've used both. My son went to a small nursery & my daughter goes to a childminder. Both are amazing settings. My daughter goes to a childminder as none of the nurseries near me had any space on the days that I needed when I went back to work. Her childminder is amazing. Treats the kids like her own. The buffet my son went to felt similar. The kids were loved to pieces & the ladies became almost family x

We wanted a childminder, but a) noone had full time space and those who did just didn't seem right (TV on all day, not the cleanest or closed at 4pm) and b) you're screwed if childminder ends up ill or in holiday..... We went with a nursery and I'm very happy about it, she settled fast, she's always been calm and happy and sleeping well. I think you need to go see both and your gut will tell you what's best for you and your LO, both have pros and cons on a paper, but you won't know until you walk through the door

Thanks everyone it’s really helpful. I’ve been to see a nursery and met with a child minder I’m still so undecided 🤷🏻‍♀️ the nursery seemed nice but I’m not 100% about it, I actually really liked the childminder she was lovely her home was very nice. My little boy made himself at home with both the nursery and the childminder he went straight to the toys lol I have another nursery to look around so hopefully I’ll have a better idea of what I will do xx