Ditto putting the child on the list now; we put our daughters on a list when she was 7 weeks old and she was nearly 3 and a half before she got in. We found a really good childminder in the interim with whom she spent 18 months.

We looked into putting our childs name down at several private nurseries until we realised that it would cost us £50 each time as a registration fee. Not sure if that has changed however you can apply for as many state nurseries as you like, but they mostly do half days at the moment due to demand on places.
If you are fortunate to work for Lewisham Council there is a council one for children of staff in Hither Green- we looked at that one and then my partner changed boroughs but it was less than half the price of most private nurseries so it would have been around £450 per month for a full time place- worth looking into. South Bank Uni have a workplace nursery however that is closing down. Some Childrens Centres run really good full time nurseries, some at reasonable rates. It really is worth looking around.

If I were you I would join the NCT and network amongst other parents as sometimes childminder shares can be the way forward. I' sure it will all come together in the end for you- it just seems difficult at the start!