Daycare options?

JanuaryBride1

DH and I would like to TTC in about a year, but we want to start looking into daycare options now. We live in the city (currently the gold coast but we would probably move to get an affordable 2 or 3 bedroom place when we have a baby) and I'm wondering what good daycare options people on this board have found. We want a good place for our hypothetical child, but also don't want to spend half of our salaries on it.

If you did not become a SAHM, what was the best option for you and why?

punkrockabye

I am of no help, but I hope someone can be! I feel very intimidated by the thought of finding daycare in Chicago proper. I hear horror stories about getting youself on a waitlist when you're 3 months pregnant and just hoping you get a spot by the time you need it. Despite really wanting to stay permanently in the city, we may be forced to Evanston when schools become an issue, but we want to stay in our one bedroom in Edgewater for as long as possible. I haven't even looked at the daycare situation in the suburbs--as of now, I'm overwhelmed just by trying to figure out what we'll have to be doing a year from now IN the city, if I'm pregnant! We definitely want to stay here as long as we can, like I said, so that will almost inevitably mean navigating a maze of Chicago daycare obstacle courses.

My husband and I are going to start TTC in October, and if we succeed right away, I will be having a baby shortly after I finish my master's program. Given different variables and the economy, I'm not sure if I will be working right away or not. But given the amount of money I figure we'll be making, at least off the bat, I have a feeling that we will unfortunately qualify for childcare payment assistance for a little bit in the beginning. This is just another issue I need to be wary of.

The costs I've been seeing are mindblowing, in my opinion. Of course, I am low maintenance and don't like to spend a lot of money on "things"... childcare is something that you WANT to pay for, though. I'd be afraid if something struck me as way too cheap. Then again, is $1800 a month REALLY what it will take to have good care throughout the city? Maybe that's standard, and in that case, I need to just get used to it. Hopefully someone knows something about average costs and other bits of data that can help us!

egsquared

We live in Lakeview, and I used Neighborhood Parents Network (npnparents.org) to find a daycare.  There's a message board on there about child care.  I called daycares that I saw recommended on there.  Yes, most had waiting lists and cost a small fortune.  We were just lucky that one daycare had one open infant spot right when we would need it.      

Mabmin

DH and I are just beginning out search - I am due in August.  I am not aware of any daycares close to our home in Lakeview.  Due to our jobs, we feel our only choice is to hire a nanny.  I know that most daycares require you to pick up your child by 6 and we cannot guarantee that we can do that, especially since we can both get stuck at work and I travel.  It will be expensive, but if there is one thing that I will spend money on, it will be my baby.  All of my neighbors who have kids also have nannies so I feel like I even if I looked, I wouldn't find a convenient daycare option.  It would be different if one of us worked in the suburbs, we both work in the city and take the el.  Therefore, we don't pass any daycares on the way to work.  I know there are some downtown, but it would be difficult logisticaly.

orienae

I'm 25 weeks (or thereabouts), we are on a waitlist for one daycare, Bright Horizons, where DH works in Deerfield.  But, I prefer keeping the baby in the city if possible.  So, we are also looking at the nanny share option and have started our search on NPN as another poster recommended.  Cost wise, maybe a little bit more expensive, but value wise I think you get a lot more with it, someone that is flexible, that will do the activities you would like to do with your baby during the day, and can help out around the house on occassion.  My second choice is to find in home where another SAHM wants to bring in one little one to make come extra $$.  We'll see what happens!