I realize there are pros and cons to each. [name]How[/name] did you decide which one to go with?
Does nobody utilize either?
I, myself, do not yet have kids, but I know for sure that I will send them to day care. I think that allows them to interact with more people and experiences than if they stayed at home with a nanny, and that would lead them to be less afraid of change and more independent in the future. Plus, it’s typically cheaper which is a nice bonus
In my opinion it depends on the age of the child. If I was unable to stay home with my baby during the first year (or chose to go back to work) I would prefer that they were home with a nanny for the one-on-one attention. For a toddler aged 2-3 I would prefer a daycare or preschool. My son is 2, almost 3 and he has been at a preschool the past year and a half. Although he would rather be home with me, he loves seeing his friends at school and loves all of the crafts and things they do. I like that he gets to interact with other kids. He does of course get sick a lot more than if he was home with a nanny. Despite that, I would choose the school/daycare even if I could afford a nanny, now that he’s a toddler.
I worked in a day care center and was a nanny for several years. I agree that I would prefer a nanny for a younger child (say 3 and under) but would like for an older child to either be in daycare (one that provides a preschool type curriculum) or have a nanny part time who also takes the children to preschool a couple of days a week. Of course a nanny is generally more expensive, but not necessarily way more in certain areas of the world. I did not get as much bonding time with the infants at the daycare b/c I had to watch between 3-5 babies at once and I couldn’t take them out (to the park, etc.) like I could when I worked as a nanny. I watched older children as well, and they got plenty of socialization at school and on playdates so that isn’t necessarily a huge factor in my opinion. I can’t really say which I would do right now for my own children b/c I decided to stay home with them instead and don’t plan on returning to work for several more years.
I don’t have any children of my own (yet!) but have worked as a proffesional nanny for the last 5 years. If I had to go back to work before my child was at least 2 years old, I would definately hire a nanny as opposed to dropping my baby off in a centre.
I personally don’t believe a baby aged 0-24 months benefits from socialization as at that age they are still in the solitary play stage of development. Depending on where you live, a carer at a centre has to look after up to 5 babies at once, compared to one on one attention they would be getting at home with either you or a nanny.
As a nanny I have been lucky to share an amazing bond with the children, seeing them grow up has been so wonderful. The last family I was with for three years, since their two boys were aged only 5 months and 23 months and when I finished up with them they were 3.5yrs and 5 yrs old and had a third baby boy aged 10 months! We are still close and keep in touch.
Another benefit of having a nanny is that the baby hardly ever gets sick, the parent are able to set the routine, care and disipline philosophy as opposed to having to adhere to the centre. A nanny is able to take the baby/child to the playground, museum, library etc etc as well as do crafts/read stories/or whatever the child is into.
I taught the baby sign language which the parents were very grateful for.
It is also less stressful for the parent as there isnt the morning rush to get the baby dressed, bag packed and dropped off to a centre, the nanny comes to your house and caters to the babies needs. She can even hang up washing or cook a family dinner while the baby naps!
That all being said, I am sure there are a lot of dud nanny’s out there (just as there would be bad day care centres) so if you do choose a nanny make sure she like me has child care/teaching qualifications, first aid certificate and plenty of references! Good luck!
I agree completely with this. There are benefits to both, but a nanny is more suitable for a younger child whereas a preschool is more suitable for a toddler.
I plan on using neither, but if I had too Daycare.
I work in a daycare, and it’s far more interactive, and learning based. We actually have curriculum guidelines, and report cards. So it’s far from just a babysitting service, we teach the kids as well. And it’s great to teach children social lessons.
East93- a nanny is very different from a ‘babysitting service’, the term babysitter makes me think of a teenager who gets paid to watch tv while a kid sleeps which is a far cry from what we do lol. And just because a child is at home doesnt mean they aren’t provided interactive learning experiences, I think stay at home mums would agree with that too. I have child care qualifications so I use that knowledge to help create fun and engaging learning activities tailored around the child’s interests. I agree that day care/preschool is perfect for getting socialization and learning social lessons but I personally would save it until they are at least 2 years old. [name]Just[/name] out of interest, what age are the children that you are writing up report cards for at the centre you work at?
For our first child we used a family day care from 6 months to 2.5 years. This was licensed care in the caregivers home to about 8 children. There was an assistant many days. She was very highly recommended, warm, engaging and fun. There were ouside a lot playing mostly. My daughter loved her and so did we. It was more affordable than a nanny but offered more consistency of care giving than the centers in our area (high turn over - lots of caregivers, lots of kids), and the small group of kids interacted so well - like siblings. Having the exposure to children just older than my daughter gave her good examples of language and play to emulate.
Personally I think a nanny or a small home daycare is better. My mom was a nanny for several different families at different points. When I was born she could take me with her. When I really a little older we had up to 5 kids at our house mom during the day. The family my mom was a nanny for she is still really close with. The kids (who are now in their early 20’s) still try to get together with her at least once a year. It creates bonds that can’t be created through a large daycare. With a nanny you can bring the kids to preschool for two hours a day twice a week (I never went to day care but I did preschool that way) and bring them other places where they can see plenty of other kids (library programs, gymnastics, etc). I am working as a part-time nanny for a family with older children (twins age 10 and older sister 12) and I love it. They like that it’s pretty laid back, I can make them whatever they want for lunch and we can do whatever they want without needing to stick to a daycare schedule like some of their friends. But at the same time, they have to do their chores and clean up their messes. It’s different than just having a fun babysitter at night when your parents go away. It’s fun but at the same time they still act like they would for their parents. I also work for a summer camp which is a lot like a daycare. But at the end of the summer I forgot the kid’s names and they forget mine. With the family I work for, I am going to watch their dance recital in a few weeks, and I keep in touch even when I am not working for them for a while.
Last year I was my cousin’s only babysitter. I watched him two to three times a week for a few hours. This year my aunt worked more so she had to put him in daycare and he really misses his days with me.
I am not at all saying daycare is bad, lots of different things work for different families. I know many people who absolutely love their large daycares and it works well for them. I just have more experiences with nannies and small home daycares and I almost always hear good things about them.
This is actually not true at all. I am a toddler teacher in a daycare center and babies socialize and play together way earlier than 24 months. The children in my room transition to the toddler room anywhere between 15 and 18 months and they already love talking to and playing with each other. I don’t know how it is in other centers, but where I work, the legal ratio is 1 teacher to 4 children, but that is rarely the case. We have three teachers in each room for the majority of the day, in addition to student workers who help out. The ratio just means that we are legally allowed to be alone with four children at a time, and this only ever happens when we take turns taking older toddlers to the bathroom! We also write up detailed lesson plans for the children each week, as well as observe the children and plan individually for each of them to work on a skill they may need help with or to help them expand their play in an area they seem to be interested in. I was also a nanny for five years with the same family, and although I loved it, when I have children, I will be putting them in daycare.
If you are looking for a good daycare, a great indicator to look for is that the center is NAEYC accredited. This basically means that the center had to submit a lot of paperwork and have multiple observations done to prove that they are a worthy center of the accreditation.
I’m trying to make this decision myself now. I go back to work on [name]July[/name] 2nd. With my older two I did daycare when I worked/went to school, but for some reason with my new baby I can’t fathom dropping her off yet. Plus, my schedule is different and not as daycare hour friendly, so I think I’ll be looking for a nanny. The major con for me with a nanny right now is possible instability - if she’s sick it would be a problem. The problem with daycare for my older two was the stuff they were picking up. They are school age and there were definitely some negative influences. Yes, they can get that anywhere, and yes, I certainly made some teachable moments, but I’m ready for them to be at home with someone rather than after school care for awhile.
UNLESS the nanny will take your child around other children, i say nanny. BUT if they plan to be mainly at your home or not around many kids the child’s age, i say daycare. WHY? Children seriously need to learn the social skills early on. It has shown positive results in studies on children. Not socializing them doesn’t benefit them at all and can actually hinder them in some ways. While children are around other children they learn so many things and how to deal with situations, and they make friends
I don’t have children but as others have said a nanny for a child under 1 year is probably best. And then perhaps a combination of the two? Whilst nanny’s are far from being “just” baby sitters,I think in the 1 yr to 6yr period it’s really important to socialise children as much as possible. Once they’re at school full time a nanny would again be ideal.