Frazzled, anyone else?

Could you look at a childminder a couple of morning a week? Could you look at working PT to cover nursery?

If you work 16 hrs you are entitled to some free childcare as per the government from April (if they are age 2 by that point)

Make sure you check with the nursery about their funding policies though. My little one has been doing 2 short days a week since January, I was looking at putting him in to do a 3rd so I could work and get the funding, the nursery have advised he can only have the funding if he does a minimum of 2 full days! Which is 7.30-18.00 but I could do 7.5 hours for 2 days, which I don't really want to do as it clashes with getting him home and cooking dinner and bedtime. It also means I'd have to pay the remainder of the full day hours.

15 free hours once they turn 2. You have to put them in 2 full days as minimum. If you’re using it over 51 weeks that’s 11 free hours a week.

I would look into it again and then have a word with your partner and ask him what it says what the child will get and explain that if you have your child in nursery or with a childminder, you would be able to look for work around those hours. And just a heads up, the government are pushing for parents to go back to work by at least when their child reaches two years old. They made it earlier than we had until we were three years old, but it's been changed.

My son is in a day nursery as I am at uni, so I get a grant that pays for it, but once I finish in May and the grant stops, I plan to keep my son in the nursery and work around the free 15 hours that my son will get as he is 2 in April.

I’m pretty sure you’re entitled to some care once they turn 2, with the new gov scheme (if you’re in England), would that be an option?

Same as others have said, get back to work. Then you can go half’s on the child care costs with your husband (you should absolutely not be paying them to go to work) with the funding and him paying half you shouldn’t have to pay too much. What did you do for work before?
FYI there is no way I couldn’t not work. Not everyone is stay at home mum material. I work 3 days a week it’s hard work and I work really hard but it just works for us I still have my passion which is my business, we have a nice life and I still get 4 days home with my kids. But on the 3 days I work I get to be creative x