Mum had to register baby for nursery place she’ll take aged two before she was even born

Getting into a good school can be pretty competitive, but having to apply long before your child is even born, seems extreme.

Still, that's what Louise Tucker, 39, and Katie Wright, 37, were faced with when they prepared to get their kids into good schools.

At just three months pregnant, Louise had to register her unborn daughter for school, in the hopes that she'd end up at the same nursery as her brother, Jack.

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And, despite registering ridiculously early, the dedicated mum still has to wait until her daughter was one-year-old before she can start school.

Explaining her choice to register early, the engineering manager from Petersfield said: "I told the nursery that my son was going to be a big brother because we were excited.

"Later I got an email from the nursery saying I'd need to book right then if I wanted a place for the following September."

As if registering early wasn't enough to stress the mum out, the cost of the nursery certainly didn't help as the nursery bill for one child is the same as her mortgage.

"It's economic for me to work, but for some of our friends, one of them - normally the mother - found that is not the case.

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"After nine months, I won't be bringing any money in. That is a concern, with the cost of living and everything getting more expensive," Louise explained.

Meanwhile, mum Katie had to register her daughter, Callie, before she was born to take up a nursery place at the age of two.

It's a procedure that the mum from Northamptonshire hopes to change: "When you've literally just got out of hospital with your newborn, the last thing you want to be thinking about is where you'll send them when they're two.

"Never mind before they're even born!

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"In an ideal world, you'd want to shop around and visit a few before making a decision about your child's care.

"Not making a decision when you're three steps out of hospital and signing up for wherever might have a place."

Katie added that one of the hardest things was the lack of funding for childcare: "I think with the cost of living crisis, I'm certainly seeing lots of people taking less time off for maternity, so demand is higher."