Grandma or Nursery?

Although it is only April it is soon going to be time for me to think about my plans for when I go back to the dreaded word beginning with W and ending in K.  I am still desperately trying to look for a job that enables me to work from home, but unfortunately all the jobs that are more flexible don't make enough money for me to cover my part of our outgoings.


I am also hoping to work part-time if my work will let me, but even then it is going to be a stretch.  However at the moment it works out more financially viable for us if I work part-time rather than full-time due to the ever increasing costs of childcare.


I was interested to read an article on the Ask a Mum website titled 'Do we rely on 'super grandparents too much for our children's childcare?'  The article basically states that on average four million grandparents in the UK are providing at least 10 hours childcare a week for their grandchildren.


We currently have this dilemma at the moment so I was really interested in reading more about it.  My Mum presently doesn't work and has said that she will quite happily have Mads if I went back to work three days a week.  


The problem is I don't want this.  Sure it would help us out financially as childcare is so expensive.  But when I think back to my childhood we saw one set of Grandparents about once every two weeks and the others a lot less because they lived further away.  I was always so excited to see both sets because it was a treat to go round there, and because I was their Grandchild and we didn't see each other a lot, I got spoilt, both in presents and attention.  I can remember my Nana playing jewellery shops with me for hours and my other Grandma making cakes with me.


I worry that if Mads goes to my Mums all the time then it will ruin the special time that she will have with her Grandma.  Don't get me wrong, she will have an amazing bond with her anyway because my Mum adores her and sees her most days at the moment anyway, but I never want it to have to be a chore for my Mum.  She keeps saying that she would never be a chore and she would love to have her, but this is just my personal choice.


I don't know what is going to happen in regards to my work but as it stands at the moment I would ideally like Mads to go to her Grandma once a week and into a nursery the rest of the time.  This means she can socialise with other children and become independent but also have a wonderful day with her Grandma that she will look forward too and so will my Mum.


I can understand why Grandparent's are being used for childcare a lot more in this current economic climate and my Mum can't understand why I don't want Mads to go to her more, especially as I am concerned about the nurseries in my area.  But it will be nice to have the balance between the two.


Or alternatively I will win the lottery and I can stay with her myself!