Which do you prefer?

I use a childminder and a much smaller group of children (mine does a max of 3 per day) and that way I know she'll get attention of she needs it and won't be waiting for ages for example for a nappy change or bottle xxx

@Christina makes sense ! X

Nursery- I need the reliability to know it’s always going to be open, even if there’s staff sickness etc, and that there weren’t going to be holidays taken that didn’t align with what we needed. I prefer that there are multiple staff members in each room caring for the children, potentially better for safeguarding the children but also for making relationships- if he didn’t bond with one adult, there’s others he might like better. I like the resources, space and the socialisation opportunities that come with a nursery. I grew up around childminders, my own mum included who still childminds now, even with an outstanding Ofsted, and I decided it just wasn’t the right fit for my little one/s.

We have found a childminder as our LO loves trips out etc and this one goes to a local farm almost weekly, they take them to National trust settings too or just on errand runs and so this will be like home away from home. She also only has 2/3 kids a day and they meet with other childminders to widen their friendship group. They also offer the other childminders services if she is ill or unable to look after our daughter. But ultimately my work is flexible so if she can do a day, I can just stay home

So we have an in between. Technically a childminder with 2 assistants per day so 3 adults to 9 babies/ toddlers under 3 years old in a purpose built out house. It’s the right setting for us and LO. The same interaction as in a nursery and they do similar activities, if someone is sick it’s not an issue as she has back up assistants etc but he gets more 1-2-1 time and is with less children and while he’s had coughs colds etc we’ve touch wood avoided chickenpox HFM etc which seem to run rife through bigger nurseries x

I would always use a nursery, but recommend a smaller independent nursery rather than a big chain. I was at a child minder when younger until like 11 (because my mum didn’t like the idea of me walking to school🤦🏼‍♀️) and honestly the woman was terrible. she would leave all of us kids in one room for hours and never check on us- mostly young children of course and then me. if any of the young children would cry she’d grab at their arms, kick them outside to make them stop or shout at them. You just never know what is going on in someone’s home. They can play up to ofsted(or whoever does the checks where you are) and pretend all is good/regulation and then do whatever they like. Of course you hear the odd stories of negligence at nurseries, but personally i would feel a lot more comfortable with a nursery setting than childminder. and like i said, a private / smaller nursery not big chain ❤️

We've gone for a nursery. I need the guarantee as I can't be flexible with work (teacher), her Dad can be slightly more if we know in advance ie. my Easter holidays don't align with theirs so he'll book a week off. I absolutely love the nursery we've chosen, I actually fell in love with it about 6 years ago 😂 They go out all the time with the children, have a little private woodland a short drive away and a wildlife park that they have a pass to on their doorstep so they are there all the time. I've done placements in both childminder and nursery settings and both have their pros and cons, and I wouldn't necessarily send my daughter to the nursery I've done placement at (not for any big problems, I just feel there are 'better' settings locally) I would send her to the childminder I did, but her location and times etc plus the possibility of last minute having to cancel etc just doesn't work for us.

We were with a childminder and we liked it there as my daughter was cared for. But , as my daughter grew older ....her needs changed and we have been in a preschool since Sept. And it was the best decision. There is a guarantee that she will be looked after and there will be cover. Although a preschool operates on the school timings, we have compromised with the 3pm pick ups (we are working parents and juggle the 3 pm pickups) - we prefer a nursery/ preschool as we can see she is thriving and learning to navigate bigger groups.

My daughter goes to a childminder 2 days a week and she loves her! She is honestly the best, always taking them out cinema, farms, soft play, walks, toddler groups etc… I know who is looking after my child and what she is doing each day, get constant photos through the day! Also another plus to childminder is they only mix with a few children and my daughter is almost never poorly so rarely has a day off x

We chose a nursery for the reliability. I need to know it’ll be open every day regardless of staff sickness or holidays. I fell in love with the one we chose as it’s set in our local country park and the kids can go on walks through the park and learn about nature & wildlife. I also liked the idea of it being more similar to school, so it wouldn’t be such a big change when the time comes for my little one. He will have his own peg, drawers etc to put his belongings. There’s set meal times and a chef that cooks them food. They sit down at tables when they’re a little older with cutlery etc. I also liked the thought of him being around more children, meaning more friends for him and again a better transition for when he goes to school. The nursery is open 14hrs a day and you can drop off and pick up your child anytime in those hours, so if I’m running a little late from work I don’t need to worry about ruining my childminders evening etc.

Love my childminder, he goes 2 days a week and she takes them soft play, toddler groups etc one day it was just her and him so she took him to the farm as he loves animals. She’s always quite reliable and maybe called in sick once and I just told work and took the day off as paid parental leave. My boy loves the mixture of ages and the older kids enjoy teaching him his numbers and alphabet!

She also is so flexible and we can swap and add days, pick up later if needed and she helps us out if needed. She even took my boy when I was in labour until my mil could pick him up. We don’t want to move for fear of losing her!

Originally wanted a childminder but the one in our area was unreliable, and we decide on a nursery as open all year round except Xmas, cover for sickness and when we looked at nursery it just felt right ... I'm a big believer of going with your gut

We have a childminder who has 3 assistants - so basically a nursery from home! Always wanted a childminder. Plus it’s about half the price of a nursery, no paying for your place while you’re away etc (at least with mine you don’t!) so financially was smarter x

Nursery for us. We both work long hours so needed somewhere that opens early and closes late. No issues dealing with sickness or holidays like you would have with a childminder and having to find an alternative as we don't have one. He's well socialised and used to bigger groups of children, preparing for school but still gets one on one with his key worker. Also good for him to build relationships with different adults as opposed to being attached to one as the staff cover different rooms. The only downside was the constant illness when he first started but you'd get that at a childminder too. We've never had anything other than a common cold though despite things going round. No chicken pox, HFM etc *touch wood*, he's just turned 3 and been attending since he was 10 months x

We have a brilliant childminder and couldn't be happier with the care provided for our daughter. She's been there nearly 3 years now and our baby boy will start there in September. They're a small group, we trust her very much and, for me, the main thing I dislike about a nursery is that you don't know who is necessarily looking after your child each day.. if the usual people are ill or on holiday, it'll be someone else. That said, I think we're very lucky with our childminder. She is a qualified teacher, trustworthy and very reliable :)

The availability of nursery is a clear winner for us, plus makes children much more ready for school being in that environment in my personal opinion. Childminders are great and certainly have their place, but I'd personally have them in a preschool before school to get them ready so, for me, would rather not have to move them so nursery won for us x

My son is going to a childminder. He is only 4 months old so I want the homely environment for him. My childminder prefers children to transition to pre school around 3, which is perfect for us, so that he can get used to a busier environment before he goes to school.