Day cares are the TW in my life right now. You want me to pay $30k+ a year for you to change and feed my baby?? Are you nuts??? I get that they have my child's life in their hands but infants don't DO anything! These are college tuition prices! We're going to be so poor forever.
@DuchessOfCambridge that is exactly why I'm not working as an X-ray tech right now. Child care just wasn't going to be worth it! So while my kids are small I'm just waiting tables and staying home most of the time (babysitting from home) The schedule sucks because DH and I usually work opposite times, but it was the only thing that made financial sense for us. I'm hoping if my mom moves down before this baby is born we'll have some child care breathing room.
My TW is my neighbor. She now has 3 outdoor cats and they keep using my flower beds by my front door as a litter box and have completely destroyed my Easter lillies! Not to mention the smell. I like cats, but I don't know how to get them to stop!
@BayCamp - Ewwwww. That is so gross. You should borrow a friend's dog for a few days to scare them away.
My TW is the carpet cleaning company. I'm WFH today to let in the carpet cleaner. Our appt was at 9am. He called at 8:45am to move it to 10am. It's now 10:45am and he's nowhere to be seen. I mean, I'm just sitting at my desk and doing work, so it doesn't really matter, but I would like it to be somewhat dry when I bring the kids home.
@baycamp try putting soem cardboard with sticky tape on it or tinfoil down for a few days. Cats hate the crinkle from the foil and the sticky from the tape.
@kissthesky32 we have 2 dogs, but they really only stay in our backyard since the last time they were in the front yard they both picked up fleas :::looking at you cats:::
@baycamp try putting soem cardboard with sticky tape on it or tinfoil down for a few days. Cats hate the crinkle from the foil and the sticky from the tape.
Good idea! I'll have to try that!
I was just so sad about my Easter Lilly. DH got it for me last year and it sprouted back up on Christmas Eve which I thought was awesome. It's all trampled and yellow now :-(
In that case, I would sit on my front porch with a hose, @BayCamp. I know I mentioned it in a UO post a while back, but I cannot with cats. And if they were using the front of my house as a litter box? Just no.
@DuchessOfCambridge Infants are supposedly the most expensive to care for. Where I read that, I don't know now, but I read it somewhere. I get why day care is expensive but it's such a tough pill to swallow when you have no village to help you.
@DuchessOfCambridge Infants are supposedly the most expensive to care for. Where I read that, I don't know now, but I read it somewhere. I get why day care is expensive but it's such a tough pill to swallow when you have no village to help you.
This. No village here. Daycare is already causing me panic.
Update: Found a daycare that won't leave us destitute. @ElizabethSchuyler I've read that too. I guess when I nannied I just thought the two month old was so much easier to care for than the three year old. She just ate and slept and needed her diaper changed. On the other hand, I suppose that money goes towards making the facility better and happier better paid teachers, etc.
@BayCamp that's gross. I love my cat but his bodily functions smell like no other. I do not love that about him. They sell some stuff that we bought for when he bit our charging cords for laptops/phones etc, it smells/tastes like bitter lemon and made him stop. Maybe there's something they sell for yards and your neighbor should buy it for you!
@ElizabethSchuyler and @DuchessOfCambridge Infants are more expensive because the teacher:student ratio is less than when they get older. I know that where I am, it's 1:4 for infants, 1:6 for toddlers, and 1:10 preschool. So they need more teachers to care for fewer infants, which makes it more expensive.
@DuchessOfCambridge We didn't go with the most expensive places we toured. And it wasn't because of the price - we just felt more comfortable with the way the center we chose was run. More expensive doesn't necessarily mean better.
@kissthesky32 Was just about to mention the ratio! With my son, the infant room was about 15% more than the toddler room.
One other thing I will mention to check on- some centers provide baby food, wipes, stuff like that. And of course, if your baby needs a specific kind you must provide if that is not what they already use.
@JDW0325 the center we're looking at right now is $350/week for infants. There was another daycare in the area that was $2500/month for infants (which we can't afford) but they did include breakfast, lunch, and snacks.
@DuchessOfCambridge Make sure you ask about discounts too. We get 5% off every month for paying the whole month in full by the 1st. We get another 5% off for having 2 children there. We also save money by not doing the meal plan. (This actually probably costs us more money in the long run, but at least I know my kids are eating healthy.)
You all must live in a big city... I had my daycare provider picked out when I had (TW) my MC last time. She's awesome, but I live outside of a small town (500 people) and work in a town just a little bit bigger than that so it's really tough finding people. I am so happy that she was free to take this baby too! It'll cost us about $470/month depending on how long baby is there. It's nice she goes by hours, not a set dollar amount. So we only pay when baby is there! But even this amount I am stressed out about!
My son's infant room was $210 a week. That included baby food at age 6 months, baby friendly snacks, and wipes (although we declined all and brought our own. no discount with that either, boo).
edit- obviously different areas will be more/less. Just wanted to give you example
@JDW0325 right?? Hence my freak out! I do live in an expensive city so I'm not surprised. There are plenty of parents here who can afford that kind of care, we are just not them!
My day care is 2x the price for an infant and toddler than a preschooler. So before we were paying 250 a week for ds2 in toddlers and 125 for ds1 in preschool. Now we finally got it down to 125 for ds2 and 75 for ds1 in school age. And now we are going to have to start the cycle all over crazy how expensive child care is! Never ends!
@DuchessOfCambridge Maybe an in Home nanny would be cheaper? I think infants are the most expensive because they need a lot of care. Frequent feedings, holding, putting to sleep, diaper changing and here there dan only be a 1:4 ratio. So you need more adults for fewer kids. I used to work for an infant day care in college and it was fun but it was a lot of work to be in charge of four babies. I don't know if that's still worth 30 k though! I used to be a teacher but I stay home because I want to and also because of daycare costs.
@TeacherMama7 unfortunately nannies in my area are quite expensive due to the cost of living. We did look at it as an option but when we priced it out, it was cheaper for me to stay home. We wouldn't be comfortable lowballing a nanny either, we have friends who just got out of that career and they really struggled with it - and they worked for families who were able to afford multimilliondollar brownstones!
@babycamp I hate hate cats, I'm allergic as well but I personally don't see the point in them as pets and I definitely do not see the point of outdoor cats as pets. I have to keep my dogs in my yard and not let wonder, why is it ok for your cat to come use my yard as their litter box and terrorize the birds that visit me?
@DuchessOfCambridge I'm trying not to think of daycare right now. I would only need someone 2-3 days a week maybe and those days are never the same. Some days we need a sitter is a On as weekend. I wish my mom was better from her TN and surgery, I know she does too, she's just not to the point where I trust her to be safe with a baby just yet. There's an in-game daycare across the street from me but I don't see any itty bitties over there. Glad you found someone who won't cost you an arm and a leg.
@MaximumEffort to each her own but my cat is super loving and snuggly and he has dramatically decreased my anxiety level since we got him. I agree that people with outdoor pets should do what they can to make sure their pets aren't bothering their neighbors but it's a bit harsh to say you don't see the point of cats as pets.
ETA: OMG I know, daycare is so stressful to think about. Hoping DH can work from home a few days a week to decrease the cost!
I'm ok with cats in general, and she's had them (off and on, different cats) since before we moved in 3 years ago. I have no idea why they suddenly started using my front porch as a littler box though. DS just stepped in mulch covered cat poop while walking to the car so now I'm definitely going to go talk to her. Although I'm not really sure what she can/will do. They also have a dog they leave in the backyard for hours on end barking his head off. They aren't the most responsible pet owners :-/
@BayCamp I guess if my cat was doing that I'd find a way to keep him in the yard or look up solutions whether it's some type of repellant that keeps him away or whatever. I hate my cat's litter box so much we taught him to use the toilet. I wouldn't inflict his bodily functions on other people. Gotta take responsibility for your pets!
@DuchessOfCambridge Infants are supposedly the most expensive to care for. Where I read that, I don't know now, but I read it somewhere. I get why day care is expensive but it's such a tough pill to swallow when you have no village to help you.
It's due to the ratios. Mandated more care givers per child in the infant room.
@DuchessOfCambridge true, a bit harsh. Cats like me, my body does not like them. I also don't like being "kneaded" and having their claws dig into me or the furniture. Pets are really to each their own.
The same woman who asked me if this pregnancy was planned also asked me today, "omg are you showing?!" She is the first and only person for both of these questions. I resent both. Just because she knows I am in fact pregnant doesn't mean she needs to comment on my changing body (especially because I was clearly trying to hide the bloat with a nice, long, flowy shirt.)
ElizabethSchuyler
member
Re: TW Tuesday
Day cares are the TW in my life right now. You want me to pay $30k+ a year for you to change and feed my baby?? Are you nuts??? I get that they have my child's life in their hands but infants don't DO anything! These are college tuition prices! We're going to be so poor forever.
My TW is my neighbor. She now has 3 outdoor cats and they keep using my flower beds by my front door as a litter box and have completely destroyed my Easter lillies! Not to mention the smell. I like cats, but I don't know how to get them to stop!
My TW is the carpet cleaning company. I'm WFH today to let in the carpet cleaner. Our appt was at 9am. He called at 8:45am to move it to 10am. It's now 10:45am and he's nowhere to be seen. I mean, I'm just sitting at my desk and doing work, so it doesn't really matter, but I would like it to be somewhat dry when I bring the kids home.
I was just so sad about my Easter Lilly. DH got it for me last year and it sprouted back up on Christmas Eve which I thought was awesome. It's all trampled and yellow now :-(
@BayCamp that's gross. I love my cat but his bodily functions smell like no other. I do not love that about him. They sell some stuff that we bought for when he bit our charging cords for laptops/phones etc, it smells/tastes like bitter lemon and made him stop. Maybe there's something they sell for yards and your neighbor should buy it for you!
Was just about to mention the ratio!
With my son, the infant room was about 15% more than the toddler room.
One other thing I will mention to check on- some centers provide baby food, wipes, stuff like that.
And of course, if your baby needs a specific kind you must provide if that is not what they already use.
edit- obviously different areas will be more/less. Just wanted to give you example
ETA: OMG I know, daycare is so stressful to think about. Hoping DH can work from home a few days a week to decrease the cost!