The Belfast duo behind popular new group Melted Parents NI have told Belfast Live they want real change to childcare provisions in Northern Ireland.
Becca Harper and Casey McGivern only recently started the group on Instagram but have attracted thousands of followers and hundreds of first-hand stories of parental hardship.
The pair went to the same school but recently reconnected over their frustrations with what is available to help parents currently in Northern Ireland when it comes to childcare.
Read more: Family highlights childcare costs with £40k bill calculation
As Becca explained to Belfast Live, choosing the group's name felt like a very organic process:
"We were chatting and we thought 'Parents for NI Childcare Reform' was just a bit boring," she said.
"We did think 'Melted Mummies' but then we thought no, this isn't a mummy issue, this is an all-parents issue and really we just feel like our heads are melted.
"So Melted Parents was born."
Although the two bounce off and laugh with each other throughout the interview, they said the contacts they've had on Instagram have been sobering.
"Parents are trying to plug the gaps of childcare that they can't afford," said Casey.
"People are actually talking about the fact that they're having to change their working patterns, they're going self-employed, they're with their children all day, they're working in the evenings until midnight, parents are burned out.
"The mental health of parents is really suffering right now and families have no respite and when they do, they're relying on grandparents during the week and then they feel guilty asking for more help.
"It's a huge issue and it's actually been really saddening to read some of the stories."
Becca points out that one person who contacted them has two young children, with childcare costs of £1,750 per month, which dwarfs their monthly £395 mortgage payment.
"We have mummies telling us that they can't afford to go back to work, that's having a knock-on effect on employers and businesses," she added.
"Quite a lot of mummies have come forward working in the NHS that literally can't afford to go back to work.
"We're not talking mummies with a few children and full-time childcare, a lot of these mummies are mummies with one or two children at a young age, that even in part-time care, their childcare bill is still more than their wage that comes in.
"It's just not good enough, it's just not good enough."
Casey said they are working on applying pressure to Stormont politicians to do more to address the problems facing parents.
"We're sort of sick of families being told to grin and bear it until your child is five or in school, so we wanted that lived experience to be heard," she said.
"Secondly, we really want to rally our representatives to do something for families now, so families have really been struggling.
"At the moment, Stormont's not sitting and we're being told to wait on a longer term childcare strategy, but families can't afford to wait that long, so we really want to support parents views and trying to drive for a bit of support for families now.
"Lastly we just want that childcare strategy to move forward and for parents views and experiences to be at the forefront of that strategy."
The plan for now is to compile an open letter to the Secretary of State Chris Heaton-Harris and to the Stormont Assembly, relaying the experiences they have been told about.
The pair are also urging people to write to their local MP to ensure that they are aware of the strength of their feelings.
It is early days for the group, but Becca and Casey have said given the huge number of messages they've had, it already feels like a more collective effort and they are determined to get those voices heard.
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