Seeking input: Daycare vs Nanny

mom2adoodle

Hi ladies - does anyone have personal experience with choosing between a nanny or a daycare facility for their infant? What factors did you consider and what aided your decision? 

0SeaMonkey0

Yes, we just went through this last summer looking for childcare for my son. We looked at daycare facilities, licensed in-home daycares and private nannies. We ended up going with a nanny. Here were our thoughts (this will be a small novel!):

I looked at two in home daycares and quickly decided that was not the option for me. Where I live an in home daycare can have up to 5 kids PLUS the providers own children Most like to keep the daycare kids in just one "daycare room" meaning that 5 or more young children only had one small play space and a back yard to play in for eight hours every day. I asked one if they ever went on walks or to the park and she just laughed and said "with this many kids of different ages it's way too hard". I took my son out so much when I was home with him that I just wasn't ok with the idea of him being stuck in the same place all day every day. I also felt that because the home daycares don't have a dedicated infant space like a daycare centre, the toys were often geared more towards the older kids. 

I also toured a daycare centre and was generally ok with it. I've worked in daycares before so I pretty much knew what to expect. I think they're a good option. The major downside is that they tend to have very strict rules about illness, pick up and drop off times etc. I've know parents who have to take days off work because their kids daycares have rules like "no coming to daycare until symptoms have been gone for 24 hrs". One friend had to take a whole day off work because her son got sent home after lunch one day because his eye was red. Turned out he had sand in it from the sandbox but he wasn't allowed back te next day because of the 24 HR rule. Another started carrying a thermometer in her car because she was getting so many calls from the daycare saying her daughter had a fever when she was perfectly fine. Just stupid annoying stuff to have to deal with. 

Like I said, we ended up going with a nanny but we take our son to her house. I really didn't like the idea of someone coming to our house and using our things. Our nanny has a son who is two months older than mine and a daughter who is in school. She has two good car seats and a double stroller so between 9 and 3 while her oldest is in school she can take the boys out walking, to the park, the library, they go all over the place and have a blast! I feel like he's getting a really good mix of one on one care and socialization. We really couldn't be happier with the arrangement! The price is reasonable too. We pay her $50 a day including meals. All we supply is diapers. It works out to less than we would have paid for infant care at a daycare and about $5 more per day than a toddler space at a daycare but it's well worth it. 

beachmama14

This thread had a ton of great info I remember. Definitely worth a read! I hope it linked right. I never know how to do stuff on here haha! https://forums.thebump.com/discussion/comment/88571230#Comment_88571230

mom2adoodle

@beachmama14 Thanks!!!

mom2adoodle

@0SeaMonkey0 That was very enlightening! Thank you! 

mamadomino

I think we are going to end up with a nanny.  With a toddler and two newborns.... Getting out of the house in one piece semi on time sounds impossible. 

kosmo86

We decided on a daycare center. Since we will only have 1 child a nanny is too much. I don't like the idea of home daycare becuase like @0SeaMonkey0 they can have 5 children + their own and the ages vary so much that I really cannot see 1 woman (or man) taking care of 5 children under 5 and getting the appropriate care. I have also heard many horror stories as well. 

The daycare we choose is a great learning environment. They work daily to help improve infants motor skills in a structured environment. It is a 3 to 1 ration of care giver to infant and the babies up to 3 are set up in different rooms by 6 month age difference (2 mo-6mo, 6mo-1yr). home daycare are cheaper than daycare centers and we will end up paying $1200 a month for our daycare center. 

marajay6

My husband really wanted a daycare center because there are multiple staff members that can keep people accountable. In a nanny situation or a home daycare, it took more trust than he was comfortable with. We love our center. The staff are all very well trained/educated and they really help the kids learn and develop. DS loves having other kids around to play with.

The biggest drawback of a center are the germs. Kids are cesspools and it can get frustrating for DS to get sick so frequently. Most of it is mild, but it still isn't fun.

There is also a financial aspect to worry about. In my area, we figured that for 2 or less kids, a daycare center is cheaper. Once you get to 3 kids, you can save money by having a nanny instead.

Having a nanny has the drawbacks of having a household employee - and you have to have a back-up plan for when they need time off. That is much more cumbersome than enrolling a child in daycare.

tiffanyschaetz

We looked at multiple options as well and ultimately ended up deciding on a daycare center.  We did in-home for a bit, but kept running into issues when the babysitter was sick, or her kids were sick and then I had to have alternative plans or stay home from work. Ultimately, it just wasn't reliable enough for us.  Also, I'm extremely happy that we do a daycare center because my son does a lot better with the amount of structure they provide and the socialization is great.  It was also a huge help when we were potty training him and the transition into preschool has been super easy as well. 

We may look into a nanny for #2 and #3 due to costs, but I think ultimately, we'll probably stay with the daycare.

abberson

A nanny share has been great for our family -- we split the salary of a nanny with another family (they have a daughter the same age as ours) to make it more affordable. The cost was about the same as infant daycare. She's watched them since they were 4 months (now almost 3 yo) and has been amazing. Amazing. We interviewed 5 nannies and she was the definitely the one. She's been reading multiple books a day to them since they were infants, she takes them to libraries/parks/activities every day, she's hooked up with a couple of other nanny shares in the area so the girls socialize regularly with 4 other girls their age plus a bunch of other kids at the playground. She parents both girls in the manner she knows we each would want -- a little more free style for our daughter, and a bit more structure for the other. But they're treated and loved equitably, they're learning manners. The positives were especially big when they were infants; I didn't have to pack up bottles of breastmilk everyday and neither of them got sick before their first birthdays. Also, our nanny works even if the girls have a cold or a slight fever (we've learned that they're both going to get sick at the same time anyway). I do stay home if my daughter is throwing up or super sick (i.e. RSV, hand foot and mouth). The drawbacks are having to cover her vacation or sick leave, but she gives us ample vacation notice and we have a back up nanny. Her sick days are rare and not much different than having to scramble to cover if my kid was home sick. She's well worth the drawbacks for us, she's become part of the family. She's going to nursing school full time this fall and I'm heartbroken we can't keep her for this little one.