Childcare dilemma...

[petster]

OMG!! I just got offered a child care place of 3 days a week, starting in 2 weeks! I am SO not ready!! I've spent half the afternoon crying!! If I don't accept it I imagine I'll go to the bottom of the list. I have my name down at 4 other places, and said I would accept a place from September. It's not September yet!! And will I be ready then anyway??? Aaarrgghh!!!

Cheers!

[ThomasMum]

Hi there, have you tried to negotiate with the childcare yet? We had similar situation, so we’ve told them that Thomas was still too young to be at childcare back then and luckily they were OK with it so instead of having Thomas in childcare last March, we managed to get him in last month 2 days/week only!!!

What a relief!

So try to have a chat with them, as its not easy to find good childcare! I know I live in Sydney, but I've heard tis happens everywhere too!

Good Luck!

[aardvark]

Have you actually asked the question of what it does to your position on the list?

And when do you HAVE to be back after maternity leave? Two weeks is Mid-August, it's only two weeks sooner than you stated a preference for.

Is the centre where you have been offered a place OK, or is it just a childcare place which is available?

If you have some time up your sleeve, and prefer the other centres where you have your name down, then you might be able to wait, but you probably should check where you are on their lists to gauge your chances of getting a place.

No matter how old your baby is, I don't putting them in care and returning to work is easy. I was home with #2 until 12 months, and was still not ready to go back.