Daycare vs. Private Sitter

rlgoge01

I am having trouble deciding which childcare option to use when I go off of maternity leave...daycare or private sitter? I wish I could just stay at home, but I can't for income and insurance purposes. (My husband has one year left of dental school and I am a special education teacher).
I am stuck. I've thought about the pros and cons of taking baby to daycare and then also to a private sitter. The two places I am stuck between come both highly recommended by new mothers and educators. I toured both places and met the caretakers. I wasn't displeased but I wasn't 100% satisfied at either place. (I'm a FTM and I'm sure that has a lot to do with it!) The women were very sweet and lovely. They answered all of my questions.

Here are my thoughts:

Daycare Pros:
Camera to watch caretakers with babies, people have to be buzzed in and out, state comes in and evaluates, follow rules and regulations for childcare, CPR and first aid certified.

Private Sitter Pros:
Lower ratio of caretaker to babies which leads to more attention, baby would stay healthier, feels like a home, CPR and first aid certified.

Daycare Cons:
Higher ratio of caretakers to babies which leads to less attention, higher chance of getting sick, babies are like a to do list.

Private sitter Cons:
Doesn't have to follow rules and regulations, no camera, no way to keep track of who comes and goes from the sitters home.

I'm thinking of putting her in with a private sitter while she is an infant so she can have more attention and less risk of being sick. Then when she is older (walking/talking) enrolling her in daycare for the socialization. But then again I love that daycares have cameras and can watch and control who comes and goes.

What are your thoughts?! Have any of you all decided on a childcare option for when you go off of maternity leave?

Help!!!

MoRay05

I'm a SAHM now, but 3 years ago daycares in my area were really expensive and my checks would have basically broken even.

I would lean towards the private sitter for couple of years then daycare or preschool after that.

Would it be possible to have the sitter come to your house? Then you could install a camera system to monitor things.

ash413

I don't really have any advice as we are dealing with the same thing. We put a deposit down with a nice daycare to hold a spot but we are still not sold 100%

lakesideknitter

We found a really nice in-home daycare where my child will be the only infant. It's important to me that the person watching my child cares about him on a personal level. I also love the open-door policy - basically, stop in to visit your kid at any time (other than nap time) without warning. To me, that is just as comforting, if not more so, than having cameras.

mmk29

My DS has been in daycare since he was 9 months. As far as the sickness, be prepared that either option will lead to a few colds. However daycares tend to have stricter rules about doctors notes and attendance, this could both be a blessing and an annoyance.
For instance my son has sensitive skin and gets heat rash easily. I recently had to take him to the doctors to prove to daycare that he didn't have strept throat even though it was obviously just heat rash.
My daycare has an open door policy. I can stop in whenever, but they do buzz you in. The caregivers are wonderful, and my son always loved them. I knew I could trust them because he was always happy to see them. I honestly never worried about him getting enough attention from them.
I don't know what your particular private sitter is like but a daycare is a buisness. We get a list at the beginning of the year about what holidays they'll be closed and every other day they're open. Family emergencies and the caregiver being sick never effects the schedule of the daycare, but it may be a big problem for a private sitter. Unfortunately the nature of both of those are unpredictable and you may not be able to easily scatter to find other arrangements if something comes up for your caregiver.
Good luck, it's a hard decision.

thefithuntress

We toured a local academy and loved it. We plan to enroll our little lady 3 times a week when she's still a baby so both she and I can get used to it. Once six months rolls around I'll need some time in my schedule to get work done.

One thing they pointed out that I appreciated is that while babies can't just up and tell you what they learn they are receiving the information and getting something out of the "lessons." I also hope that starting her young will help familiarize her with going and possibly make it easier when she's older. To add I felt like they'd do more activities with her than someone who'd come to my apartment because they had more space/props/toys.

Definitely a tough decision and there's a different answer for every family! Best of luck.

VexedMommy

A con of sitters that I don't see listed is that if there is only one caretaker, when she is sick your child can not attend daycare.  You will also potentially have to take off work if your sitter needs to go to the doctor or attend to any personal business where a small child would not be welcome.  If she has school age children, your child will be at least as exposed to germs as a child at a daycare facility and your child may end up frequently attending events at the school. 

I have had my child at both daycare facilities and private sitters.  She was well taken care of and happy in each situation.  At this point it comes down to what fits best in your lifestyle.  If you have more flexibility and like a looser style, a private sitter may work out best.  If you require advance notice and like a dependable schedule the facility may work out best. 

wedding crazed

I'm pregnant with #4 now and became a SAHM after #3. But I toured many facilities after having my 1st and was very worried as I needed to work full-time. I chose a nanny of sorts situation until he was 1. A former nanny at my Church watched him in her home with her children. It worked great. More 1:1 care. She did baby signs with her own kids and I wanted to with mine so she was on board with that. Also, she could stick to our eating/sleeping schedule. At one I transferred him to an in home daycare with preschool included. We found a great place there also. But I am glad as a baby he got more attention.

TarHeelMomToBe

I would recommend looking at licensed in-home day cares.  All the pros from both places - best of both worlds.  DD was at an in-home daycare when she was little and then we moved her to preschool at age 2 when she was ready for more structure and interaction.

My state has a website where you can search licensed day cares on child age and location (I have a dozen in just my zip code); you can see both centers and private day cares and see their ratings based on inspections and history of care.

dapoint23

The thing that really scared me about a private sitter as an infant is they can't talk yet.... not that they always will anyway but they have no chance of telling you if something is not right....

loverofnaps

I like licensed daycares because there are rules and regulations and teachers are being held accountable. DD started at a small licensed daycare at 7 weeks and we've never had issues. He went there until almost 3 and they helped teach him his abc's, he can count to 15, he recognizes letters and shapes and knows most colors, he says please and thank you. I love that he got to socialize everyday, play outside, etc.

Most daycares aren't very flexible though. Charged for being late, have to pay even when your child can't come or they close for holidays, etc.

Some daycares provide formula, snacks, and lunch.

I would tour daycares in your area so you can see how their program is set up and where babies will play and sleep, meet the caregivers, see what policies they have in place and see how they progress to toddler classes to preschool.

kestes946

I would highly recommend a college age woman to come into your home and watch your child. It is 100% better to have an in home sitter than a day care. I worked at a day care for 3 years and would NOT want my own children in one. Yes, many of the daycares are nice but I don't think it compares to a trusted adult at home. You can install cameras and of coarse do a background check and make sure the care taker is CPR certified. It's always nice if you know them too but if not that's ok. I think this would give you a peace of mind, plus you won't have to worry about illness as much and having to pick your child up after work. There is just way more flexibility if they are at home. You can have the caretaker take them to the doctors or out for walks and such. You could even have them do some light house work and cooking with an added fee. I worked for a child care placement agency in College and absolutely loved it because they were great families and I got paid well.

Anyhow, Hope this helps! Good luck with your decision making!

tdart14

My preference is for private sitter as all ages get to interact. The daycares in my town have to keep the children segregated based on age, which I absolutely despise.

loverofnaps

tdart14 said:

My preference is for private sitter as all ages get to interact. The daycares in my town have to keep the children segregated based on age, which I absolutely despise.

How would babies sleep if toddlers are running around playing? Likewise, what if a screaming hungry baby wakes a toddler up from a nap? What if a rambunctious 3 yr old knocks over your just learning to walk baby?

Besides the logistical and safety reasons, it absolutely makes sense. When they go to school, they're also separated by age group.

Edited for typos

Bettytteb

We are leaning towards a nanny...and hope to use someone who is a friend of the family (she actually nannied for my step sisters when they were little). If that doesn't end up being affordable we'll look into daycare.

kmd91

As a private care provider I am probably a bit biased. However, if I ever have to find care for my son or future children I would prefer to go the private route over a daycare. And my reasoning is this, in that situation I get to personally hand pick the individual who will be responsible for my child. In a daycare, while they do have regulations and requirements, it's not like you get any say on who gets hired, who will be responsible for your child's age group, and there can often be a quite high turnover rate. I'm really paranoid about trusting people with my child, and so I couldn't accept not being in control of that. Just because you can get hired by a daycare doesn't mean I want you to be responsible for my child. Maybe I'm tainted by a personal experience with a toddler being slapped in the face by a care provider at a highly reputable daycare facility. Of course, I'm not saying something like that isn't also totally possible with someone I personally select, it's just I would feel more comfortable if I can personally know who is watching my kid and hopefully have a working relationship with them.

peachesnpearls

Nanny. Just can't put a 8 week old in daycare in mid-January. It's a germ factory which is good but my preference is after 6 months when summer has dampened the flu, rsv, and other misc viruses. Plus, can't afford to leave work every time the baby has diarrhea or a fever, etc.

tdart14

@loverofnaps my preference is my prefrence and that's all there is too it. For Pete sake, my private sitter is an entire house, the kids sleep in bedroom while kids play in other rooms. Obviously school seperate by age. A 5 year old and a 10 year old have completely different mental capacities. I seriously rolled my eyes at you. Not everyone in the world is gonna have the same opinion as you, or even see things in remotely the same way. My children will never be in daycare.