Nursery World - Informal care is top choice for mothers

Just under two-thirds of working mothers are not using any type of formal childcare at all when their babies are nine months old, according to a study published last week. The majority of employed mothers rely on informal care provided by grandparents and their partner.

The majority of employed mothers rely on informal care provided by grandparents and their partner.

The findings are revealed in a new book, Children of the 21st century: From birth to nine months. It is based on the first results of the Millennium Cohort study, which is following the lives of around 19,000 babies born in 2000 and 2001 in the UK and Northern Ireland.

Sixty-three per cent of working mothers were not using formal childcare, and of the 37 per cent using formal childcare, some used informal childcare as well.

Nurseries were the most popular choice of formal childcare for working mothers. Twenty per cent of employed mothers used nurseries when their baby was nine months old, 14 per cent used childminders and only 2 per cent a nanny or an au pair.

Register now to continue reading

Thank you for visiting Nursery World and making use of our archive of more than 35,000 expert features, subject guides, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits:

What's included