Infant Daycare

PMFuentes10

Has anyone else started looking into infant daycares? I have just begun my search and apparently just in time, if I want LO to start next February there seems to be a waiting list at most places already. But that is not my query, for those of you ladies who are looking into daycare for your infant (I have to go back to work right at 6 weeks) are you finding daycare rates to be comparable to your mortgages? I've spoken with about 6 different places on rates and for the price they are charging I just don't understand how most people afford this. I know that everyone says that babies are expensive but I had no idea!

shanniebananie

Infant spaces are expensive, no joke... As a provider, I often have people balk at my infant rate. Talk to your work and ask your DH to check into his work to see if they offer a plan that helps subsidize or check in with the YMCA to see if you qualify for help with child care. 

If you find the cost to be to high, you may also want to look into getting a nanny. They're often more affordable than you think.  

TheMrsRN

I know a provider and she said that it is so expensive for newborn daycare because at least in our state, she said that 1 newborn counts as 2 older children, so therefore if she takes a newborn, she can't have as many other children in her daycare. I am not sure if this applies everywhere, but because of this reason, she charges double the cost for a newborn than she does for an older child to make up for the loss of an extra child.

kclear

i found the PERFECT daycare about 5 minutes from my house. I called to get on the waiting list and the owner said she thinks she is full for Feb already! Then she proceeded to ask me why i was looking into daycare so early! Luckily we are the first on the waiting list and she said we stand a good chance of getting in. The cost at this particular daycare is nowhere near as much as the other places I have looked. It's about half of what kindercare learning centers are. I've looked at about 3-4 different daycares so far and they seem to be all over the map as far as pricing goes! I just hope I can get into my first choice!

shanniebananie

TheMrsRN:

I know a provider and she said that it is so expensive for newborn daycare because at least in our state, she said that 1 newborn counts as 2 older children, so therefore if she takes a newborn, she can't have as many other children in her daycare. I am not sure if this applies everywhere, but because of this reason, she charges double the cost for a newborn than she does for an older child to make up for the loss of an extra child.

Double!! Dang. LOL In CA, the state limits you to 3 infants and 5 over 2 with 1 being school aged. However, my program won't allow me to have more than 2 infants and 4 over 2.

Infants cost more because the level of care they require and the added stress. They're feed on demand, change on demand, nap on demand and entertain on demand And unlike when an infant is home with his parents, most states have very strict requirements about what you can have for an infant. In CA, I cannot have a swing, a rocker or a bouncer, no jumparoo or walkers, either. So baby is either in my arms, on the floor or in their crib. 

jjswife08

Yes!  It is crazy how expensive it is!  We are lucky that my mom will be watching LO for us but I wanted to find a day care for 2x a week to give my mom a rest and let her enjoy her retirement.  Sadly, I have to pay the same if LO is in day care 5x a week or not at all!  It's insane!

vanessa11411

We started looking but the place my DD went to is just as much money as I make now that Im working part-time. So I might just opt to stay home after LO is here.

PMFuentes10

So lucky! I would love to stay at home at least for a year. My boss is really sweet and he says I can bring the baby to work but I think he's forgetting how distracting LO's going to be, it's nice to have options though!

sherbear1322

We have been looking as well.  My husband and I are going to meet with one daycare facility that has been highly recommended this Thursday.  I also have a list of at-home providers that I found and have no violations.  Friday night "date night" was spent doing a drive by of the different houses to eliminate some of them, and now I have a few phone calls to get some initial information.  I am interested to see how much, if at all, home care is in comparison to a day care center. 

Mags748

Yes, when my first son started daycare, the cost for 5 days was actually a little more than our mortgage. Then when we refinanced our house, it was about $200 more per month than our mortgage. We found a way to do 4 days of daycare while I still worked full time to cut down on costs some. I have a better paying job now, but now we need to figure out how to afford 2 in daycare.

Mags748

TheMrsRN:

I know a provider and she said that it is so expensive for newborn daycare because at least in our state, she said that 1 newborn counts as 2 older children, so therefore if she takes a newborn, she can't have as many other children in her daycare. I am not sure if this applies everywhere, but because of this reason, she charges double the cost for a newborn than she does for an older child to make up for the loss of an extra child.

There are ratios depending on the state. In Wisconsin for infants its 1 teacher to 4 infants. Then sometime after one, it jumps to 1 to 6 ratio and then I think 1 to 8 when they are 2.5 or so (not sure of the exact ages). So it costs more teacher salary per each infant than an older child.

flyer1982

Full time daycare of an infant is very expensive. People usually think I'm kidding when I tell them the cost!

But I don't think it's too early for you to start looking now. A lot of the places that are good fill up quickly. I've already told our daycare to save a spot for our baby. It was easy to pick though since DS already goes there.

smilelari

Our daycare actually costs a little bit more than our mortgage and that's just for the first kid.  With 2 kids it will be more than double.  Eeek!

arobertson072409

I will register at the beginning of July for February enrollment at the place around the corner from my work. They already have a waiting list. Will be $225 a week.

JillianAshley6

I'm in a LCOL area, so daycares weren't bad. For example, we pay $700 for rent in our 2 bd/2 ba condo, and will be paying $435/month for childcare.

Honestly....I started looking for childcare when I was 7 weeks pg. Even then there was a waiting list. My kiddo will be starting in mid-late January, and out of 3 places that I am waitlisted on, only 1 guaranteed me there would be a spot open for me before then.

These people will be taking care of this baby 8 hours a day-so to me, its worth it to find the RIGHT place, and spend the money. I'm much more comfortable being out more money than being unsure of the people who are caring for my kid during the day.

littlewinnie15

This is why we're leaning toward an in-home daycare. I posted a while ago about an in-home daycare vs. daycare centers. Since then, I've looked at 5 or 6 different centers and they are all close to $300/week or more. The in-home providers I've found are in the range of $100-180. Our next step is to start checking places out, hopefully this week!