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We used the government scheme, which was for every £8 we paid, they would pay £2. I know it's not a massive amount but it may help?
No it’s really hard! We do the TFC too which helps a bit… and he’s only in 1.5 days a week 🤦🏻♀️ need to petition for younger age childcare help like England! They want mums back to work but they make it so bloody hard x
I think we’re going to have to move to England to be honest. We have no family around to help so will need to be full time and there’s just no other option. What a shame. TFC doesn’t even touch the sides. Such a pickle! Xx
@Charlie we moved from England to be here! Before I unexpectedly fell pregnant 🤦🏻♀️ so same boat, no family to help. Lucky enough to be ok financially that I only work 20 hours a week and can mostly fit it around his nursery / eves and weekends - can you hold on til he’s 3? Or you and hubs both go to 4 week days to cover one day each? Just thoughts x
Does yours or your partners workplace offer childcare vouchers?
We found a live in nanny and pay 750 a month. She does everything for our little one and laundry. It was cheaper than the alternative
@Charlie Before doing that I'd look at what our "free hours" actually mean on paper... I'm from Wales but live in North Somerset. My step son is entitled to the 30 "free" but the wraparound fees are so expensive that we can only use 12 of them. Private nurseries which most are and are the most realistic for work hours. They will stipulate how many free hours a day you can use. Like 3 out of the 5 for the AM session or 6 out of a 10hr day. They then charge consumables like meals etc. my step son does 2 full days a week and we pay nearly 450 a month. Plus. Our rent is double what we'd pay where my family are in Wales! For him to use his full entitlement was still a 1000 a month. Then the hours are term time only so the month of August is full fees. Granted it's cheaper for my baby w
Thanks all so much!! I’ve done all the sums in the world and I just don’t understand. I’d planned for the English scheme and didn’t realise (stupidly) wales weren’t following it. We’ll be ok, it’s just disheartening when we both have good jobs, we work so hard and it still doesn’t seem feasible. We’ll make it happen somehow (I don’t know how), but I have to believe we’ll be ok. Xxx
We live in Wales and we’ve just had our second child. We both have good jobs and we won’t be able to afford Wales so we’re immigrating to Australia. The childcare there is £600 per month (based on how much we’d earn) for both children so even with a higher cost of living we’ll thrive there. It’s so hard if you don’t have family to help, we just couldn’t take it anymore.
@Charlie yeah we are in the same situation but in England and honestly even with fees we'd be so much better off in Wales that we are honestly considering a move back to closer where I'm from because the cost of living here is so much higher. We are both on what would be considered a good wage with good jobs that we work hard at and honestly, to put my 4yr old step son in for his "entitlement" would cripple us financially. Everything else we scrimp on. My phone is £10 a month. We have 2 cars ( absolutely necessity) but one is paid off completely. We save where we can and buy our kids clothes on Vinted yet it wouldn't be an option for us to use all of his government entitlement. When my maternity finishes I'll be going back part time and my partner will be working more overtime and we will likely be ships that pass in the night!!
It’s so frustrating. Myself & partner lived separately with our parents when we cusght pregnant with my daughter. Had some savings for a house deposit but not quite enough so looked at renting and decided it wasn’t worth it so would live with my parents for the first year to continue saving. My daughters 2 and we are still with my parents. We don’t have the childcare support from my parents so still paying childcare our daughter attends full time (we have no other choice) luckily we are now entitled to flying start which helps a little. I am so ready to have another child but can’t even think of getting a mortgage at the minute and paying for my childcare on top.. to have another child we would need to save first for me to have a good couple of months of maternity Atleast the longer I can afford maternity the closer it will be to us entitled to flying start again when they turn 2.
My little one is due to start nursery in April and I’m dreading it. Will 100% sign up for the TFC but even him going for 4 mornings a week will still leave us very short every month… roll on flying start🥲
Yeah we're the same, only have tax free childcare, and we have our son in nursery 3 full days a week and literally have nothing spare every month, it's soul destroying haha xx