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lemen
i think you were considering small blessings when you thought that andrew was going to be in daycare...now that you are interviewing nannies...i assume the cost of a nanny is more than a daycare center. can i ask, is it a whole lot more? like double? not quite double?
i'm so not ready for kiddo #2 but one thing that i think about when even considering it in the abstract is that paying for two kiddos at daycare would be so expensive and i wonder if a nanny would be a better option at that point.
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Re: lemen
The nanny is a lot more expensive than daycare. We pay $12/hr. I wouldn't say that's really high or really low...it's probably average. Some nannies want more! (yikes) It's not to say that you couldn't find someone cheaper though. I know Jen (jenben) has a great nanny (I think she brings Eli to the nanny's house) that's much less expensive than ours.
I think Small Blessings worked out to be around $8/hour for us, but it may be different because we are part time (more expensive per hour).
With 2 kids though, you'll get a discount at SB. And daycare gets significantly cheaper with age, but a nanny doesn't.
That being said, I love having the nanny. It's way more convenient for us (we can let andrew sleep in the morning...and he needs his sleep or he gets grouchy and doesn't want to eat) and it's way better for him IMO. Like for example, one of the nannies we interivewed was okay, and she's a current daycare teacher in an infant room. I'm sure she would be *fine* (nice, qualified, etc) but, we are looking for someone outstanding. I also can't imagine one teacher having 4 infants. Of course the biggest bonus of the nanny for us is him not getting sick, but I love the individual attention he gets, and I feel like Andrew and his nanny have a great bond. You can tell she really loves him!
I'm not trying to knock daycare, I mean, we were going to do it, but I do love having a nanny more than I expected. Of course both have their advantages/disadvantages - I think one advantage of daycare is social interaction and of course it's less expensive!
That is a lot more expensive...you do get a discount with two kids, but it is only 5%, I think.
I totally see the advantages to both nannies and daycare. When I was looking for daycare, I loved that small blessings worked with each child's schedule, basically let them set it. But now, I am wishing that they had more time to work with him on really getting into a napping schedule. I think it would help nicholas a lot.
At the same time, the social interaction at such a young age is really cool. When I walk in and see him 'playing' with other babies, it is so adorable. He definitely has developed a strong attachment to his main teacher..on days when he is tired or fussy, she is the only one that he'll take a bottle from.
I've been thinking a lot about this lately; thanks so much for the perspecitve on the costs.
No problem!
Good luck making a decision. I know it isn't easy! 