Working motherhood won’t work without childcare. Josa Young looks at the limited options of looking after the under fives.

Working while pregnant can present problems of fatigue and sickness - but these are nothing compared to the problems of working motherhood. How do you ensure that your baby or toddler is safe and happy when you go back to work?

In the last ten years, the proportion of mothers of children under five who are in employment in the UK has risen by more than 10%. I would have expected that the growing demand for economical and high-quality childcare would have fuelled the childcare industry with new ideas and expanding provision. No. It’s still a struggle to find the right childcare option, and many women give up – whatever their intentions before the birth.

If you work full time, what you need for your under-five is flexible care, convenient, secure and suitable to your child’s needs. Playgroups, pre-school nursery schools and nursery classes in primary schools simply do not last long enough to cover the working day. They rarely start till 9.30am and they usually finish around 3pm. Someone has to pick the child up and look after it until you come home. Then there are the holidays. 15% of under-fives use more than one type of care.

By far the most usual option is parking your baby or pre-schooler with your own mother, sister or other relative.

A huge proportion of under-fives – up to 40% - is looked after this way in the UK, at least part of the time. If you trust your relatives this promotes the most peace of mind. It is home-based, and the carer is almost as emotionally involved with your offspring as you are.

If you are lucky enough to have a suitable relative, don’t ever take it for granted that this is free - offer the market rate for the care. You can check with the local authority on the rate for child-minding in your area. This might easily be turned down, but don’t assume that money doesn’t come into the relationship just because DNA does. These arrangements break down very fast if the carer feels exploited. The same goes for friends and neighbours.

Another option is childminders

They are the only significant group of carers to be officially registered with the Local Authority, and subject to yearly inspections. They look after your child in their own home. The trouble is there are simply not enough of them to go round – they only account for around 6% of small children. Under the Children Act 1989, childminders can only look after three children under five at any one time – this includes their own. I would say word of mouth is the best recommendation. Otherwise, apply to your local authority for a list.

Over 10% of small children are put into nursery day care

Nurseries are expensive, the child is looked after all day in a large group and out of the home environment, and inevitably gets less personal attention. A separate 3% of mothers have a secure job to go back to with workplace nursery attached. Although this looks like the perfect solution – it is close to work, subsidised so it doesn’t eat up too huge a chunk of earnings, clean, safe, inspected etc – these teddy-strewn paradises do have their disadvantages, particularly for babies and younger children.

No matter how well run they are, both kinds of nursery are breeding grounds for the kind of microbes that small children entertain on a regular basis – particularly in the winter. Every sniffle, sore throat, chest infection and mystery virus passes through the infant population like a dose of salts. And then you get it. Also, there is a feeling that the institutional nature of nurseries is not really suitable for small babies, who respond much better to a more peaceful environment and one-to-one home-based care.

If none of the above tempt you and you can’t persuade a relative to step in, then you will have to employ a nanny.

This is the most expensive option and is not stress free. The live-out nanny has the advantage of distance – at the end of the day, she leaves you in peace. The live-in nanny becomes very much more part of the family, and has the advantage of being there at night. It is very important to negotiate hours very carefully. No nanny likes being asked to baby-sit at the last minute, even if she isn’t going out. You could also share another family’s nanny working in the neighbourhood, which has the advantage of giving your baby some social life with another baby of similar age.

Remember, your nanny will be responsible for the children only – tidying up after them and doing their laundry can be part of her job. Cleaning the house isn’t. A full-time nanny has sole charge of your precious one during the day. You have to be able to trust her completely, so be careful in your choice. There are many nanny agencies that will check references and screen nannies for suitability. But it is vital that you follow up references minutely yourself.

An au pair is not a nanny

An au pair is most often a European girl here to learn English. She lives in a family and helps with children and house for up to four hours a day in return for pocket money. She is completely unsuitable for looking after any child under three years of age. It is a mistake to think you can save money on childcare by leaving your baby with an au pair. Don’t even consider it.

When it comes to pay, you must be very clear and straightforward about her PAYE and National Insurance – just as you would be with any other employee. There are several agencies such as Nannytax to take the burden of this mini-payroll off your shoulders.

Unfortunately, you as employer receive no tax advantages for employing a nanny or paying for any other kind of childcare – unless you fit criteria such as being a single parent or are currently unemployed. Quite the opposite. Every penny of what you pay comes out of your post-tax income. Which, of course, it would be impossible for you to earn without it.

For childcare options in your area see the ChildcareLink website.