anyone have family member watch DC?

midwestgirl78

MIL watches DS when DH and I are at work.  DS will be a year old soon, and I am thinking about putting him in a DC at least part time.  I worry that him just being at home with MIL isn't socially stimulating enough.  I don't do a lot of play groups on the weekend.  He doesn't seem behind socially or anything, but this is just something I am toying around with.  Thoughts, opinions, insights?  Thanks! 

poolgirl7901

My mom watches DS once a week and he is in DC the rest of the time.  She had watched him twice a week, but reduced to 1 day a few weeks ago b/c she said our DS "looked bored". 

Now that DS is crawing and pulling up, I think he was just too active for her - though she's not frail at all.  I like that she watches him Mondays b/c he gets the time with her, she doesn't pressure us for plans on the weekends, and I know he has a day of real rest after the weekend.

That said, we LOVE daycare b/c they do story time, music time, art time, outside time...etc.   I feel like he gets more there than my mom or I could give him at home.  Also it's a great place for us to meet other parents and for DS to have friends that he could have for a long time (quite a few of the other kids will be in kindergarden with him and one lives up the street...).  He is definitely getting more words and gestures from being around the other kids.

 

Hope this helps!

huxtable

My mom watches DD.  DD will likely go to daycare part time when she is 1 or 2 years old for socializing. 

abpdjs

lol, we did exactly what you are thinking about doing.  Carson was primarily watched by sil for the 1st year.  and i love that he was, he saw his 3 aunts and grandparents almost everyday and 2 dogs to boot, lol!  he had plenty of stuff to look at and do the first year.  at 13 months i wanted him a little more exposed to kids so i put him in an inhome daycare two days per week and he had 3-4 other lo's to play with.  then at 18 months i switched him from the inhome daycare to a daycare center 3 days per week (for many reasons i will not go into).  now at 2 years old he will be starting the daycare center fulltime.  i don't regret it and he is a very happy adjusted baby.

JLS0320

My mom watches DS 4 hrs a day and DH has him the other 4 hrs a day. We have already discussed when DS gets older my mom wants to start taking him to activities so he can play w/ other kids. I'm kind of jealous though that my mom will get to do this and not me but at least he will get out and about to socialize

massdreams

My mom watches DS one day a week and he's in an in home daycare the other days. He really loves being around other kids and just watching them. When he's with my mom, my cousin and her baby often come over or my mom takes him out on errands, but I do think he'd be a bit bored by himself all week long there, and probably fussier for her because of it.

jenuine

DD is with different grandparents two days a week, at a center the other 3 days.

I think it's a perfect ballance. She gets the education and peer interaction from the center, as well as a second set of eyes to be sure she is developing on schedule. And she gets field trips with grandparents - the library, museums, beach, walks, etc.

Her nana takes her to story time at the library, swim lessons and regularly goes to the same playground where she knows a bunch of the kids. Could you have your MIL take her to activities? If you paid for them, it would still be less expensive than day care.

mrsbookworm

We had a relative watch our son from 4 months until 1 year old.  We then enrolled him in daycare for the same reason you are considering.  We wanted him to experience the social interaction benefit of being around other children daily.  We are happy we made the move.