Are you working? How much Maternity Pay am I entitled to? Do you have to return to work following the new arrival?
Childcare is a big issue if you haven't experienced it before. I've been in your situation. I had to work fulltime after having my first (he is now 16). I struggled to find someone, and to be honest grabbed the only available person.
Don't leave it too near returning to work- your decision on 'who' to choose to look after your baby is very important. You have to feel happy (as much as you can be) at work.
Here are some childminding sites to have a look at, and they should list people in your area with childcare vacancies.
A childminder would be inspected and have a registration with OFSTED. The inspection is yearly and can last 4 or more hours.
As a childminder, I would say the inspection is very thorough and I would be happy knowing the inspection had been done on who was looking after my child!
A certificate is given to the Childminder- so ask to see it! The childminder also needs public liability insurance and if the child is going in their car they also need the relevant car insurance- class 1 business use.Check the policy, although Ofsted should do this too.
Did you know the majority of people are able to claim upto 70% of their childcare costs? The figures are all dependant on your family income- but anything is better than nothing! SO CLAIM IT!
DID YOU KNOW HAVING A CHILD ENTITLES YOU TO CHILD TAX CREDITS? NOT ONLY HELP WITH CHILDCARE COSTS, BUT EXTRA MONEY EVERY WEEK TO HELP YOU!
