Worry about structure

SCtoDC

We have a nanny share hosted at our house, and the other child is significantly younger than my LO. (18m and 6m)  I worry that he's not doing and learning the same things that his peers would be in a daycare. 

If I were a STAHM, we'd be doing art classes or partial day day care or something, but that is not an option.  We can't afford to pay a nanny and a day care, and I'd rather not do day care full time.

How can I make sure he is getting the exposure to new things, learning time, and constructive play when I'm not there all day?  I love our nanny, but she isn't a 'teacher,' she is a loving caretaker.

rabstbmom

Honestly, I wouldn't worry too much about this just yet. My son is 20 months old, and he goes to an in-home daycare. Like yours, she's a very loving caretaker but not a teacher. A few months ago, when he was 18 months and slightly younger, I sometimes worried about whether he'd be learning more, too, if he were in a daycare setting but that isn't an option for us right now.

Now, though, he's at a point where he's starting to talk, and I feel like it's amazing how much he's learning and I know it's from daycare and not necessarily from us at home. He tries to do the arm movements for Itsy Bitsy Spider and new words are coming into his vocabulary every day.

I'd say at least give it another few months until he's closer to two. Give him a chance to show off what he might be learning in terms of words, skills (ours is good about throwing stuff in the trash, his clothes in a hamper, etc. that show to me just how much he's learning), etc. There will be plenty of time to put him in a more formal preschool setting for art, letters, numbers, and all that once he's more like 2 1/2 or 3.