Childcare in the Thames Valley can easily run to £45-50 a day. And this is with a local childminder, not a luxury nursery. There's often a question of financial balance to be struck: the maintenance of a future career (and the importance of money produced by working part time in the meantime is also not to be denied) has to be set against the need for one parent to be physically present throughout all hours of the day, all days of the week. I hesitate to say "for the woman" because both parents have started the lifelong commitment to have children, but it does frequently seem to be the woman who must suffer the termination of her career (for some occupations, there is no real coming back from a break of five - six years). Were there to be more acceptance of the "work-life balance" both for men and for women, the effect of having children might not be so damaging to earnings prospects. Don't judge parents who use a luxury creche badly. It may not be the selfish act you think it.

VW, Slough,

Why don't we go to the Kibbutz system? Child carers could collect the babies from the delivery room and the parents could collect them 20 years later! As a child carer of many years standing it is my opinion that there is no such thing as "quality" time, which relies on the child being co-operative and willing to do whatever the parents suggests.

Most parents find childcare hard enough to afford without having the fees raised by £10 per day. The greatest problem with youngsters today is that they do not see enough of their parents. Businesses should be much more flexible about family friendly hours, reducing the need for full time childcare.

We are now on the second generation of unparented parents, You may think we have difficult and out of control teenagers now - just wait another 10 years!

Gill Scrivenor, Bury St Edmunds, UK

Barry from Wallington and othes, in my experience as a working mother with friends who are at home, for many that daytime family contact you revere amounts to little more than unstimulating tv/video/computer time in isolation from other kids, little social interaction and self confidence and awareness that nursery care can and does provide. Staying at home with your childen does not automatically equal better relationships nor more rounded children. What matters is the quality not quantity of time. I work hard to support my family and put 110% into the time I have with them. They get more from me in terms of quality than if we were to spend every waking hour in each others company. Rose tinted glasses distort the reality of our own stay at homes mothers experience.How many of them have said how much they enjoyed the time they had with us, looked forward to that time and made sure they and us got something from it. Not my stay at home mum for sure!!! Bored and resentful more like.

ED, Manchester,

this is a bargain for what is being offered. we pay £45 a day as a basic charge - and that's not London but the supposedly "cheap" North East (Newcastle upon Tyne). well done to Kids Allowed, I think that some of these ideas should be replicated in other nurseries.

Jacqui, Newcastle Upon Tyne ,

To MS: To end the pestering from the would-be grandparents?

PB, London,

Gone are the days when parents pick up their children early so they can spend some quality time with them. I remember how I loved going with my mum to buy new shoes or to have a haircut. This was my pampering day where my siblings were not allowed and my mum and I could have our special day together. My siblings had these days too and they loved it just as much!
No wonder youngsters use celebrities as rolemodels when they see them more often than their own parents!!!
I agree with you! Parents who use these services should not be parents in the first place!

MP, London, UK

Sounds expensive to me. How much are the staff paid I wonder? Enough to keep them providing a good service? I doubt it. I reckon this idea won't last too long before it hits problems like..... nobody can afford it.

Judy , Liverpool, england

Agree with Colin. If you're really so time-poor that you need to pay someone else to drop your kids off at school, give them breakfast, give them their tea, and measure their feet, then why have them in the first place?

MS, London, England

So presumably these parents are in such well-paid jobs they're prepared to let such businesses take over the job of looking after their kids' daily needs because they can afford to meet the high cost of the service and still make a "profit." Should we say "lucky them," or feel sorry for the children missing all that daytime family contact which they'd get if either their mum or dad opted to be a full-time home-maker and parent, as used to be the norm at one time, or perhaps one of them found shift work so as to be there for the kids?

Barry, Wallington, UK

Parents who can't even find time to give their kids breakfast should be ashamed of themselves.

Colin Shearman, London,