Childcare options in London

Maternity nurses

Many parents don't start thinking about childcare until after the baby arrives – after all, a baby can change our plans about whether we'll be going back to work full-time or even reconsidering whether we shouldn't pursue our side hustle as a new career. Other than the occasional relative or friend babysitting so you can have a night out with your partner to prove you're still human that can stay up past 8pm, most mums typically don't consider more regular childcare until maternity leave is coming to an end.

With one exception: enter the night nanny, aka the maternity nurse, a woman who gives new parents the most precious of gifts: sleep. Even better, night nannies can help train babies to sleep, from the earliest days. Organisations like Night Nannies and Eden are popular and offer various options: you have someone stay for several nights or weeks to survive the early-newborn, post-birth recovery stage, or they can come a few times over the course of weeks or months to give you a break for a night or get baby back on track with their sleep. This is not a cheap option – but mums swear by it.

Shared parental leave

Shared parental leave is a great (and sadly under-utilised) option for new parents – those taking it up may be as few as 2% – which allows new parents to share 50 weeks between both partners. Not only is it helpful for mums who need to get back to work sooner, it's also really good for the other parent to see the realities of day-to-day child-rearing life.

Baby and toddler groups

While not technically childcare per se – because a parent or carer needs to be there – playgroups provide singing, games and creative play for kids, and crucially, coffee and snacks for adults (if you choose the right ones). Also, while they're probably not an opportunity to get your presentation done on your laptop, a baby or toddler group will likely give you an hour to sit down, which we won't complain about. We'd also add that the baby playgroup stage coincides with the cafe-with-playroom stage: places like Bertie & Boo and Fresh Ground offer the winning combination of food, drink and on-site childcare so you can have an adult conversation.

Nurseries

Childcare in London is crazy-expensive – a single part-time nusery space averages £6,000 a year. However, once kids are three, they qualify for 15 hours a week for free (some children are eligible for 30 free hours a week). You can also help subsidise childcare costs through childcare vouchers at work,

Not all nurseries offer full-time daycare – some are more like pre-schools for kids aged two to five, while others are daycare that will take children from three months. The main practical things to consider when picking a nursery are location, hours of operation (you don't want to be charged a late fee and have to panic-rush home every night) and the overall vibe – there are a lot of nurseries in London and many have different styles, from Montessori to mud kitchens. Nurseries are OFSTED regulated, which can help you make a judgement call based on staff-child ratios and training – however, nothing beats your own instinct of where your child will be happiest.

Some cool nurseries that exist in London? Apples and Honey in SW12 is an intergenerational nursery on the same site as a care home which allows for interaction and play between old and young, and there are also plenty of bilingual nurseries offering French, Spanish, Italian and other languages. Parents keen on getting their kids outdoors, Scandi-style, can also try one of the city's forest school nurseries, like North London Forest School nursery.

Nannies and nanny-shares

Nannies are a fabulous childcare option: they come to your house, work the hours that suit you, can form an incredible, lasting bond with your child (they say it takes a village, and we believe it) and can also help sort out your life while you're at work, whether that's prepping dinner, taking the dog out or helping your child with homework. Also, unlike nurseries that tend to ban unwell children from attending, your nanny can still look after your children if they're unwell. Nannies cost upwards of £600 a week in London, however, if you have two or more children, a nanny can actually work out cheaper than a nursery, where you're paying per child. A more affordable option is a nanny-share, where you share a nanny with another family, which allows your kids to socialise with others and you to split the cost between two or three families.

Childminders

OFSTED-registered, childminders typically look after kids in their own homes – and often, with a child or two of their own, which provides some socialisation for your little one. They cost between £7-£8 an hour on average in London – just note that if they have their own kids, they might not be able to provide care for yours over school holidays.

Au pairs

An au pair is typically someone in their late teens/early 20s coming from another country to experience the UK (and often, to learn English). Essentially, if you have a spare bedroom and slightly older kids, an au pair can be a very helpful source of childcare who picks kids up from school and is happy to hang out at home on a Friday for you to have a date night. AuPair World is a popular website to find au pairs, who typically get paid £85 a week, as well as room and board. While au pairs can be a cheaper form of childcare, often they are young girls who haven't lived on their own before, so in some cases you need to parent them (e.g. teach them how to cook and do laundry). Also, there is a high turnover rate as they typically spend several months in the UK before heading back home.

Breakfast and after school care

Once your kids are school age, congrats: you've officially got childcare for six hours of the day (maybe seven to eight if you can coerce your child to join a sports team, take up an instrument or learn how to code at an after-school club). So what are you supposed to do for the rest of the day? If you don't have a childminder, au pair, nanny or conveniently located grandparent who wants to help, then breakfast and schools out clubs could be the way forward: they include breakfast and dinner for the kids, as well as games and play, are offered by most schools and extend the childcare day – they typically run from 7:45 am to 6:30 pm and cost a couple of hundred pounds a month. Bonus: they also provide childcare during the school holidays. Another popular option for Londoners looking for after school babysitting is Koru Kids, which you can commit to from as little as nine hours a week and costs £13 – all the admin and hassle is taken care of by the app.

Coworking spaces with childcare

London's self-employed and freelance workers have been populating the city's stylish co-working spaces for several years now, but recently we've noticed that several coworking spaces with flexible childcare are on the map: Cuckooz Nest, PlayPen and Second Home London Fields are just a few. Check them out if you're looking for a part-time childcare option that also puts you in an inspiring workspace.

Workouts with childcare

Londoners are all about their fitness, so the good news is that: A) there are plenty of mum-and-baby workouts on the table for when mums are ready to get back into fitness post-baby; and B) there are also lots of gyms and fitness centres with childcare, from local council gyms to Virgin Active clubs. Forget about the actual workout; taking an hour for yourself to swim, HIIT, Om, spin – whatever – is about sanity. Which of course makes you a better parent.

Babysitting apps and emergency childcare

There are myriad apps out there now which cater to easing the stress finding last-minute childcare for parents (a common, frustrating issue). UrbanSitter lets you book babysitters and nannies that work for people in your social networks, while Bubble offers ad-hoc and short-notice babysitting in an Uber-style service aiming to provide brilliant and reliable childcare. Likeminders and Tinies also offer emergency babysitters and nannies for backup. You should also scour social media groups with local parents for any childcare recommendations and keep all contact info – you never know when you'll need a good babysitter. Or when your best friend will.