Child care Cots

[LoftyLottie]

Heard on the news this morning about concerns that parents were having to give up work because child care was costing too much and putting them into debt. One primary school teacher complained that child care for her three under 5's was costing £125.00 per day so she was having to give up work!!!

Is it only me that finds this somewhat strange? What is the problem about staying at home with children, especially if you are financially better off for doing so? Why have three children if you don't want to look after them?

[LoftyLottie]

In my opinion it is no harder now for working parents than it ever has been. Just look back on how we used to live. The change has been that we expect more and young people expect to have everything and more than there parents had before them. How many young people nowadays set up homes with hand me down furniture, curtains, bedding etc. How many kids wear secondhand clothes and have secondhand toys. It's a media influenced world and I don't like it very much!!

I agree with AOG.

But would say again that this is not what my post was about.

[jno]

I guess they had their kids before the costs of care started soaring, and now they can't send them back to the shop. So even if they first asked themselves if they could afford three children, they would unknowingly have come with a completely wrong answer. £125 a day is rather a lot.

[modeller]

All these posts and not one mentioned the advantages children , especially only children, get from socialising with other children .

[Chatterbox84]

modeller, that is the first reason I chose to put my little boy into nursery, admittedly just one day a week as I can't afford more. I don't have many friends living nearby who have little ones of the same age, and I am fortnuate enough to have family queuing up to babysit...so I didn't 'need' to put him in...however, as much as I miss him terribly, prefer he was with a member of family, and it didn't cost me anything...I know he is interacting and socialising better with other children the same age, something a day nursery can best provide - especially as we are losing our Surestart centres. He has only been going a few weeks and already I have seen a marked difference in him.

I completely agree with you Lofty in principle (sorry if the topic has gone somewhat off), why have kids if you can't afford them? We waited a number of years until we were financially more stable! It makes my blood boil seeing people who have a huge number of children earning thousands in benefits every year!! But thats another matter entirely...

[LoftyLottie]

Modeller, Of course, children have advantages with socialising with other children and I made sure mine did. Playgroups and pre two or three times a week and plenty of outings with other Mums and children, not to mention other playing with other children in each others homes. A good parent will make sure of it.

Much more natural in my opinion than a child spending all day in a nursery with other children and a few staff.

[LoftyLottie]

In fact I probably made more effort than a lot of Mums to make sure my son had plenty of interaction with other children and adults as he is an only child. Do you really think that only children who are not in nurseries or with childminders are alone all day with just their parents.

I just don't think that nursery schools are a natural environment for very young children - not on a full time basis anyway. They don't get to learn about real life.