Assumed we'd sort nursery after we arrived. Six months of waitlist later, lesson learned. How did others handle childcare, and what do you wish you'd started earlier?
Get on the lists the day you know you're moving — some are genuinely a year long. Being early is the whole game here.
There was a central registration system I didn't know existed until it was too late — you had to be in it to get anywhere. The Family section flagged it for others; check whether your destination has one.
A childminder as a backup while we waited for a nursery spot saved us. Don't put all your hopes on one waitlist.
Ask your (or your partner's) employer — some have priority arrangements or subsidised places nobody advertises. HR surprised us.
Central register + backup childminder + ask HR. Adding all three to the "do this first" list for the next family who asks.