Cazzab

I agree with Etta166 and looking around is a must. We changed our mind on what to put first as we didn't think much of a much hyped school local to us. I thought Bessemer was fantastic and I have friends at Judith Kerr who are v happy with it. The whole process is a complete lottery anyway but it would be foolish not to complete all six choices on the form.

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Hi there We found our through Simply Childcare and we were so lucky as she was the only one we saw and turned out to be amazing. I had v little time to find a nanny due to getting a new job following redundancy so I think we had it all sorted within about 2 weeks and she started in a January. Nannies are not cheap, but you are paying for 1:1 care and convenience. They normally charge between ?90 - ?100 a day + you will have to factor in tax and NI. As she was an employee we did it all by the book via Taxing Nannies, which took the pain out of working out the tax bit and they helped pull together a contract. We were doing a nanny share (roughly ?50 per day per family) to help alleviate these costs but it was still very expensive as we were doing it full time. There are always loads of ads on the forum. My advice would be meet as many as possible just to get a feel of what is around and go with your gut instinct - you have to like this person first and foremost. Ours had a great network of nanny friends so our child was always v social She also cooked from scratch and all toys were always put away when I came home from work - I still don't know how she managed to do it. If I were you I would also weigh up other childcare options. My second is with a childminder and I haven't looked back. Horses for courses. Good luck x

I can second Anna. I have been using her for years and she is terrific.

Our old nanny Alena has started doing facepainting on the side. She is absolutely lovely and brilliant with kids and I am sure her facepainting skills are up to the job. Alena 07948 617 208

I was wondering if anyone has a 'Birth Pool in a Box' that they would be willing to lend me. I am 3 weeks off my due date and am planning a home birth. I have a brand new liner for it (unused from my first birth) and would be so grateful if I could borrow or rent a pool for my impending arrival. Many thanks