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Pros and cons of a baby in daycare?
I'm curious if you have any pros and cons about your baby in day care. We initially had DS with a nanny but I'm thinking with the 2nd baby of just putting him/her in daycare. What things do you like/dislike? This inquiry includes in-home too.
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Re: Pros and cons of a baby in daycare?
naps were rough until she moved to the older infant room, where they have a nap time. It still isn't great, but she does get about an hour a day.
I would send 3 5 oz bottles and 1 3 oz bottle of EBM. Then they'd just give it to her every 2-3 hours with the smallest at the end of the day, so I could nurse her when I got home. It was probably more scheduled than on-demand, but she adjusted just fine. When I was around she'd nurse when she wanted, and at school she'd get a bottle every 2-3 hours.
But the big pro is the social interaction-- DD's best friends were all about 3m older than her, so she did things early since she was trying to keep up with them. She loves her friends at school and even talks about them and her teachers at home (just names for now). It is wonderful to see how she's blossomed there.
We are in a similar boat. We have always used a nanny. However, our latest nanny quit while I was on leave. I am honestly pretty burnt out on nannies at this point. Even though I said I would never put my kids in daycare, we are planning to do just that in August. As far as I can tell, the only drawbacks are:
1) sickness
2) not seeing them as much throughout the day (I work from home usually)
The pros outweigh the cons in my opinion. I figure if we put them in daycare and they hate it, or we aren't comfortable with it, we can (gulp) go back to a nanny.
For me:
Pros-
Social interaction- she loves her teachers and has built many good friendships. Their eyes light up when they see each other in the morning.
fantastic activities- painting, music (they have people come in to do music class), making ice cream, body painting etc they cover a range of very cool activities while learning about the world around them! They also provide all the meals and they have full day preschool and kindergarten!
Reliable hrs and accountability- DD had an accident at the center and they were so on top of it. I was very impressed. They were also very supportively with me dropping in to nurse when she was an infant.
Potty training- the techers have been so supportive with the PT. They put her on every 30 mins and she's been diaper free at school for overa month now. Wish it was the same at home
Cons-
Sickness- Our company center is HUGE so DD always has something ie cold or a runny nose. The worst has been pneumonia but no ear infections yet. The positive of this is that she is building up her immune system early on.
When she's sick I do have to find alternative care or DH/I stay home with her. They have strick rules about fevers, vomitting and diarrhea which is great but can be frustrating
Cost-- its expensive but in my opinion worth it!
"Did they work with you on your breastfeeding schedule and what about getting them down for naps?"
I sent as much breastmilk as possible and told them to feed her on demand. I also nursed her at school as soon as I picked up her. Some babies went to sleep alone in their crib and fussed it out, if that was what the parent wanted. Her teachers knew I didn't want her to CIO so they let her go to sleep in a swing, bouncy seat or by rocking.
I don't do daycare since I work PT and my mom watches DS for the time being, but I vote nanny for under age 2, daycare for 2 and over. IMO when they're little and they don't need the socialization aspect of daycare it's better for baby to get more 1 on 1 attention from a nanny, and then when they hit 2+ it's better to do daycare so they can get socialized/get their immune system strengthened before they go to school.
GL with whatever you decide!