As a work-at-home-parent, day to day childcare has never been a big issue for us. I manage to do my work around the kids, saving us an absolute fortune. Our problem is for those times when we need short-term childcare, such as when Graham and I fancy an evening out to ourselves. We live over a hundred miles away from our families, and whilst I know our friends here would help us out if we needed it, I couldn’t ask them to do it so we could go on a jolly to the pub!
That’s where childcare.co.uk is really useful. It’s the largest childcare website in the UK, helping parents and carers find local childcare. Whether you’re looking for something long-term, such as a nursery, childminder or nanny, or you’re looking for someone on an ad-hoc basis, such as a babysitter for a night, it helps you to find one from the comfort of your own home. Childcare.co.uk was established in 2009 and has over 1.5 million members looking to find childcare or provide their services.
Registering on the childcare.co.uk site is free, easy and takes just a few minutes. You add your childcare requirements when you create your profile, and childcare providers are able to send you a message via the childcare.co.uk messaging service, email or phone. You are also able to put in your postcode to bring up a lost of providers in the area and check out their qualifications and the services that they offer. Most importantly, you can see reviews from other parents who have used them. We all know how hard it can be to leave your child in the care of someone else, so this is brilliant for putting your mind at rest.
The website also contains lots of handy tips for anyone who might never have had to think about looking for childcare before, such as questions to ask potential nannies, a guide to childcare costs and much more. It’s really useful to read through these before making a decision so you know that you’re finding the right childcare for you and your child.
Although we have no immediate plans to go out, I’ve signed up to the website and had a nosey at babysitters around the area, so that if we do have any plans, we know who to get in touch with. Sorting out childcare could potentially be really stressful – but childcare.co.uk makes it simple – and best of all? It’s FREE to sign up to!
*Paid collaboration with childcare.co.uk
Seems like a brilliant idea for when the children are a little older.
Oh it sounds like a brilliant way to find a babysitter quickly! I used to struggle with childcare (same as you, no family around), but I now have a couple of teenagers on our street who babysit for an hour here and there. 🙂