Top tips ... choosing a nursery

Choosing a nursery is obviously one of the most important decisions you make.  Even if you are absolutely committed to going back to work, it's almost impossible not to have doubts about putting your child in someone else's care.  It is time consuming but once you have built up a short list from recommendations from friends, local forums, government reports do take the time to visit any you're seriously considering.  When you do visit you have to be prepared to hate some of them - that's not necessarily because they're are fundamentally awful but just because they are not right for you.  Visiting them will help you work out what is most important for you.

This list isn't intended as a check-list but as a source of ideas to help you explore your priorities and to provoke questions that you can then ask when you are visiting.

Finally, I must say, without inducing complete and utter panic, the earlier that you can do this the better.  In London in particular, waiting lists are often over a year - we did get a place when my daughter was 8 months at our first choice nursery but only because a very valuable friend insisted that I get myself on the waiting list the second I knew I was pregnant.

Oh and sorry, very finally, an awful lot of this list has been cribbed from my mum as I'm not remotely an expert in this area! Luckily - because everyone was nagging me for this list - she is, as she ran playgroups herself and was for many years a national adviser for the Pre-school Learning Alliance.

Click here for the list.

********************* CHOOSING A NURSERY LINKY ******************************
And if you've got any great posts on choosing a nursery do add them to the linky below ....