The first nursery bag, labels and what funded hours leave out

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A place at a nursery comes with a list. Some of it is on the nursery's website, some arrives in a welcome pack a fortnight before the start date, and some is only mentioned on the first morning. This page covers what to ask before you buy anything, what is usually worth buying, and how funded hours and Tax-Free Childcare work out on the invoice.

Ask the nursery before you buy

Nurseries differ. One provides all meals and wipes, another asks you to send a packed lunch, and a third has a uniform. Ask for the following, in writing if you can:

• The kit list, including whether you need a named bag, a change of clothes, indoor shoes, outdoor clothing or a sun hat.
• Whether the nursery supplies nappies, wipes and meals or whether you do.
• A published list of optional extras and what each one costs.
• Whether the bag has to fit a particular peg or cubby.

The size of the peg is the question most often missed. A bag that does not fit the peg ends up on the floor, and a bag that is too small cannot hold a spare outfit.

Funded hours and extras

The funded entitlement in England is 30 hours a week for 38 weeks of the year for children aged 9 months to 4 years, for eligible working parents. Funded does not mean the invoice is zero. The hours cover the childcare, and the nursery may still charge for other things.

GOV.UK's early education guidance reaffirmed, in its update of 21 February 2025, that the 15 or 30 hours must be accessible free of charge to parents and that there must be no mandatory charges for parents in relation to the free hours. Local authorities can use a template that helps providers publish the cost of chargeable extras. In practice, ask which items are optional, which are listed, and what happens if you decline them.

Be clear about the 38 weeks. Ask the nursery how it applies the funded hours across the year and what that leaves on each invoice, then check it against the figure in the childcare calculator.

Deadlines worth marking before the first day

The funded hours start at the beginning of a term, and each start date has a deadline for applying. GOV.UK gives these dates:

• Turning 9 months between 1 September and 31 December: hours from 1 January, apply by 31 December.
• Turning 9 months between 1 January and 31 March: hours from 1 April, apply by 31 March.
• Turning 9 months between 1 April and 31 August: hours from 1 September, apply by 31 August.

You can apply from when your child is 23 weeks old. GOV.UK says to check with your provider for the exact date your free childcare starts. The funded childcare article covers the deadlines in more detail.

When you are approved you get an 11-digit code that you give to the nursery. You must then sign in to your childcare account every 3 months to confirm your details.

What the invoice looks like with Tax-Free Childcare

For every £8 you pay into a Tax-Free Childcare account, the government adds £2. The top-up is capped at £500 every 3 months, or £2,000 a year, per child.

Here is an example with invented numbers. Say the nursery invoices £800 a month for the hours that are not funded. Paying it from the account means you put in £640 and the government adds £160. Over a quarter, that is £480 of top-up, which is under the £500 cap, so the full 20% applies.

If the invoice were £1,000 a month, the quarter's top-up would be £600, and £100 of it would fall above the cap. The cap works on each three-month period, so the sum is worth doing with your own figures in the calculator.

A practical nursery bag

The list below is a starting point. Swap anything your nursery supplies for what they ask for.

The bag itself

A small backpack is easier for a child to carry than a changing bag. Check the measurements against the peg before you buy. Ad A small toddler backpack in a plain colour is easy to spot on a crowded row of pegs.

Labels

Everything left at a nursery looks like everything else. Jumpers, hats, water bottles and spare clothes come home in the wrong bag. Ad Stick-on or iron-on name labels go on a clothing tag in seconds. Count the coats, shoes, hats and bottles before choosing the pack size.

Spare clothes and wet things

Most nurseries ask for at least one change of clothes. A Ad wet bag with a zip holds clothes that come home damp and stops them soaking everything else. Ask how many spare outfits the nursery wants, and what size, because the answer will be different at 12 months and 24 months.

Outdoor kit

If the nursery goes outside in all weathers, it will ask for outdoor clothing. A Ad waterproof all-in-one puddle suit and wellies are the usual items. Buy a size up, because suits are worn over other clothes, and check how the nursery stores wet kit.

Drinks and food

If your nursery allows a bottle from home, a Ad spill-proof water bottle with a name on it is a common choice. Check the nursery's rules about what a bottle may contain. If you pack lunch, ask whether they have rules on what can be sent, and whether the container needs to be able to be opened by a child.

A short plan for the weeks before the start

1. Ask for the kit list, the fee schedule and the funded-hours schedule.
2. Check the term dates against the application deadlines, and apply for the funded place in time.
3. Open a Tax-Free Childcare account if you plan to use one, and put the quarterly sign-in date in your calendar.
4. Order labels first, because they take time to arrive.
5. Buy kit in the order the nursery needs it, not all in one go.

Sizes and requirements change quickly in the first year, so avoid buying the full kit in advance.