why did you chose a nanny over daycare?

hopeful34

I am trying to figure out what to do. My MIL watches them 4 days a week and my dh and i alternate wed at the moment. But my MIL is too tired (she also works 3 nights a week) and has no time to do anything for herself on the weekends because she switched her nights to the weekend. So we are looking for 2 days a week possibly 3. Its so hard to find an in-home daycare that will take them 2 days. I'm not big on the centers because i feel like they are a number there. I think i want to go the nanny route.

I am however worried that i'm not letting them build an immunity to germs by keeping them at home. I won't have a nanny come in when they get to be about a year. At that point i will send them to daycare because it's good for social skills. But for now....

Please share your thoughts on this. Thanks!

kimarino13

I chose a nanny because I wanted them to get one-on-one (two-on-one) personalized, loving attention in their own home.  We really did hit the nanny jackpot.  She loves them like they were her own and I love having them home for now.

We will think about daycare in another year or so.

jalaiaa

We chose a nanny based on the fact that dh and I have very odd schedules and sometimes need someone overnight or if I have to go to work at 4am. I think we probably would have gotten a nanny instead of daycare if we had regular schedules. 

I wanted to say thought, that I wouldn't use building an immunity as a reason to send them to daycare. My boys get plenty of exposure to germs at the mall play area, our gym daycare shopping carts etc.  

TheNewFry

We did the daycare route the first month I started back to work (January) and we pulled them from it at the end of January because they were sick all.the.time.  They are still trying to get over it all.  Also, it is very nice to not have to get everyone up and out of the house in a rush every morning and we now don't have to rush home to make sure we get them before the center closed. 

I love that they are here in their own home, not exposed to crazy amounts of germs and developing a great routine.  A couple different times when I picked them up at daycare after work, when I arrived they were both crying in the swings/bouncers... I am not sure how long they were there, but it was heartbreaking to think that they were left there for a while to cry because the staff to baby ratio is 3-1.

But mostly we pulled them out of daycare because they have both been soooo sick since January when they started. 

GL with your decision - I am sure it will all work out!

leviandlandensmom

I vote nanny if you can afford it.

mbjmaybebaby

Several reasons...

1. They were preemies so we didn't want them exposed to all the germs at a daycare.

2. An in home daycare can't take 3 infants and the centers are germ factories.

3. The cost of putting all three in daycare was more than having a nanny part time.

4. They can get more attention than if they were in a daycare with other kids.

sarahjane936

leviandlandensmom:

I vote nanny if you can afford it.

I choose a nanny because it was more affordable.  I posted the job and pay on Care.com and found a great lady.

janjag

I only work PT 3 afternoons/wk.  My preference would be to stay home full time, and I like that my girls are at home, and not switching between how I want things done, and how a care center does things.  DH gets home before me on the days I work so girls are only w/out a parent for 4hrs each time. 

Other reasons are:

They were preemies and I was able to keep them away from germs early on.  They are exposed to plenty of germs at the playground, grocery store, etc - immunity building doesn't seem like a good reason for DC.

The more one on one attention from the same person. 

It's hard to get kids up and ready and dropped off at a DC everyday. 

Cost of PT at home w/a nanny vs. DC.

Having a nanny has been great so far for us, but not perfect!  Our nanny is loving and dedicated to the girls, and trustworthy, but we've had a couple glitches along the way.  It is stressful to think about changing nannies when your LOs are attached to that one person.  Even if/when our nanny moves on she will still (likely) be part of the girls' life.  She still does outings with the girl she watched before V&A, twice/month.  I like that  

Ruby_Tuesday

1. The nanny is more convenient for us.  I cringe at the thought of getting three up dressed, in the car, and transported to daycare.  Our nanny also does the baby laundry & makes the bottles which is VERY helpful.

2. The nanny costs slightly less than three in daycare would.

3. As preemies I didn't want them exposed to all of the daycare germs.

4. It just seemed more "right" to have itty bitty babies at home than in a center.

I have been having some second thoughts.  I feel like my nanny is utterly worn out some days and I wonder if the boys wouldn't get more attention at a good daycare center.  I think it would probably be the same caregiver to baby ratio but there woudl be multiple caregivers.  I don't know.  I haven't really checked into it yet.  The comment above about finding both babies crying in swings breaks my heart.  So maybe this is the best option.  It's just hard when it's not you there with them. 

When they are older we will put them in daycare instead for the socialization... maybe when they are 2.5 years old as that is when they would be eligible for the Montessori school that is practically in our back yard! 

keg

Our intial plan was to get a nanny, because I was going back to work part-time and it's really difficult to find part time day care spots.  I also wasn't a fan of daycares and didn't want to expose them to all the germs.  However, even though we interviewed several people, it became clear that it was going to be difficult to find someone we didn't know who we'd trust with our girls in our house all day.  We actually wound up going the daycare route because we found one we really liked, pretty much by accident.  The center has a 1:3 ratio for infants and if there were multiple upset babies, often some of the front office staff would come to help out.  I actually liked having to get them out of the house because it gave me practice and got me used to doing it.  It also has gotten the girls used to riding in the car for 15-20 minutes.  Also, the price of a part time nanny was about the same (possible more when we factored in taxes) as two full time daycare slots so now I have to option to send one or both girls to daycare on the days I don't work which allows me a chance to get things accomplished if I need to. 

monkski

we chose a nanny for a lot of reasons (many of which were already mentioned by PPs).

1.) we know that our schedule is followed to a T.

2.) don't have to get them out of the house in the morning

3.) nanny does light housework = we get to spend more time with the kids when we are home.

4.) we aren't exposing them to crazy amounts of germs. We all (nanny, DH and I) have colds right now (twins are yet to get them), so it's not like they aren't exposed. I asked our pedi if it's doing them any harm to not be exposed to them and won't they just get more sick later and he replied that at least when they are older, they can deal with it better. As little babies, it's so hard for them to clear congestion, eat while stuffed up etc.)

5.) right not it's about the same cost as daycare. We will consider daycare once they are 2. The price goes down, plus, I look at it more like school then. They'll get to socialize and do more activities with other kids.

6.) I just feel comfort knowing that our little babies are safe in their own home and sleeping in their own beds. It makes going to work so easy and I've learned to love being a working mom because

LALASEPT05

I chose a nanny because for one it does make things somewhat easier in that we don't have to wake them and get them dressed and packed up every day. I leave my house by 7:15am and have an hour commute - so that saves a lot of time and fuss for me.

Second I really did want to have a nanny because of the ratio of people to baby. I am not oppose to daycare but I just feel like that will be one thing when they are older and they advocate for themselves. Right now I just like the idea that there is someone there who is focused only on them all day long. 

 

nygrl79

There were so many reasons to go the nanny route.

1.  Individual attention and love -- she spends a lot of time on developmental play with them, takes them outside every day rain or shine. 

2.  They are in their own home, they nap in their own beds.

3.  Babies I know that go to day care are sick all.the.time  (ear infections, antibiotics, etc.).  They are too young for this.

4. The thought of getting them both ready to get out of the house in the morning on a daily basis makes me cringe -- getting the both dressed, getting enough diapers, supplies for both, etc.

5.  I don't have to rush home if I am delayed at work, my nanny usually can stay an extra few hours.

6.  My nanny cleans up after them, washes their toys on a daily basis, keeps their stroller clean, etc. -- all the things I don't have to do in the evenings or the weekends.

7.  Daycare for two is not any cheaper than a nanny.

8.  We invested in a nanny cam for peace of mind and know for sure that everything in our home is wonderful while we are gone.

aniticipation

I agree with much of what was already posted - but just thought I would add that by 18 months we put them into daycare. One that we love and have waited to get into for a while. By 18 months, they were more than ready to be with other kids and bored with our house.  Just thought I would throw this in the mix.