Childcare?

ecubaby19 · May 2014

I'm already thinking about it. One of my biggest worries is care for baby when I have to go back to work! I want to make sure its cost effective but good quality. We don't have family that can help. I don't have an option to stay at home because we rely on my health benefits. DP is a trucker and is occasionally home during the week at random times for short periods and usually Friday-sometime on Sunday. During busy times of the year he may not get home till Saturday evening and leave out Sunday night. He's basically the breadwinner of the family and makes over double what I make working as a respiratory therapist. There are plenty of facilities in the area but they don't generally cover care for 12 hour shifters and I may possibly need coverage weekends. Daycare in my area is basically about $190 per week part time at the facility that covers hospital workers. I'm thinking about home daycare if I can find that option. It's usually less and they are still regulated. What are your plans? Are you staying home with your little one?

MNgirl326 · May 2014

You may need to piece together care for situation. Maybe a regular center/home daycare during the week and then have a nanny or other sitter on call for the nghts/ weekends you need more coverage.

For my family- DS goes to a center and has since he was 11 weeks old. He is in his second center/preschool. We switched because I wanted something closer to work. This next baby will go to that center as well. DS is almost 4, so we will really only have from April - June to figure out child care for both and then they will both be home with me over the summer, then that August DS will go off to KG and baby will go to the center.

ecubaby19 · May 2014

DP has family around 30 minutes away that may possibly be willing to watch baby on weekends he is not home which would be awesome because then I would only need coverage 2 workdays a week. Does it get easier entrusting your little ones with someone else overtime? I feel guilty even leaving my dogs!!!!

alibc123 · May 2014

I'm lucky that I have my parents close and my MIL closer (in the same house if were in a pinch). My mom will be the regular child care for us though.

BookitBoo · May 2014

It was a hard transition from SAHM to having DS in daycare (and also working at the daycare), but I can honestly say that it does get easier, trusting other people to care for your baby. I can see how much the teachers love him and how much he loves them (he gives his teacher sugar before we go home every night).

I don't really have much helpful advice for your situation, but what pp said about hiring a babysitter or a night-nanny and having full time day care sounds like a very god idea.

Not sure if this is helpful, but Full time daycare in our region costs about 130 a week (meals/formula provided).

Good luck!

Maebb · May 2014

@ecubaby19‌, do you have any friends who are SAHM, or maybe you could look into an in-home day care? It has its pluses and minuses over regular daycare, but my DCP is a close friend who is a SAHM. I like it because it's more economical than regular DC, more personal, and the hours are more flexible.

liladelphia215 · May 2014

When I went back to work with DD we needed full time care so we chose a center. It was pricey but very worth it. This time, we only need care from 1:30-3:45 five days/wk. My mom is taking two of those days.. the others I'm not sure but I'll look into all my options.. in home, the Y, another facility, hiring a college kid looking for part time work.. I'm not sure yet.

Megs528812 · May 2014

After my first I stayed home
For a year. He now goes to a dc that is 325 a week. I was only comfortable with a family member or a center since there are tons of eyes and cameras watching. The next baby is only 25 off! Why did I think it was buy one get one free? Soooo paying 3,000 plus for dc a month is ridiculous and I will be making like a few hundred dollars a month after Paying them so it's ridiculous. I'm allowed 5 years off without my job being given away so that's what I will do.

MaPetiteFamille · May 2014

DD has been at a daycare center since I went back to work at 6 months postpartum, and it's been great. She's learned so much both socially and "academically," and I really think there's a benefit to having your child develop healthy relationships with adults outside the home. I also like that I don't have to worry about a nanny being sick or late or paying for a nanny's taxes, health insurance, and vacation (which is both the legal and the right thing to do).

That being said, infant care in our area is crazy expensive ($430/week), but for us it gets cheaper as they get older and now we pay $330/week for the toddler room (DD moved there at 15 months). When baby #2 is born it won't make sense financially for me to work, and I'm going to stay home until DD is in preschool (Sept 2015). After that I'm hoping to start a PhD program and will likely do some daycare with maybe a mother's helper for when I need to work at home.

I have friends who use in home daycares, and some are very happy. Others have had to switch because they weren't thrilled with the care. I agree that they can be more flexible, though it might take a little more work to figure out which ones have the best reputations.

I'd recommend you start touring centers and home daycares now to get a sense of what qualities you're looking for and what the costs are, even if the centers don't have extended day options. You can arrange for aftercare separately. And are you allowed to work 8s as an RT? Just a thought. You might need to do some math to figure out which solution makes the most sense financially.

peggels24 · May 2014

Daycare around here is crazy. Somewhere between two and three grand per month. We are going to play with our schedules as much as possible to try and limit the amount of days.

IHeartScience · May 2014

Good luck finding the right fit! Ds1 stays with a friend who has a little boy 4 days older than him (who I met through my bmb), and it has been great. Another option to consider since those arrangements can be very flexible.

LadyXaverian · May 2014

Finding childcare for my daughter was one of the toughest decisions I made. I talked to some friends, visited some centers, and ultimately settled on a state licensed in-home day care that was recommended by a lady I trust who runs an actual day care center. She couldn't take my daughter because she only takes kids age 1 and older.

Anyway, I remember feeling a weight lifted off my shoulders when I visited the in-home day care that my now 3 year old has gone to since she was 4 months old. We will send this LO there as well. I can't wait to tell the teacher that we are expecting.

Good luck finding something you feel good about!

rmpar29 · May 2014

My boys went to an in-home day care from 8 weeks old until about 20 months old, but that woman was retiring. We tried a nanny for a couple months, but that didn't work out at all. (She was not really looking to take care of our children. Her boyfriend was making her get a job, but she didn't really want to work.) They are now in a different in-home day care and I LOVE the provider so much!!!

It's important to interview many (we probably visited 5-10 while looking this last time) during the day, when kids are there, to see how the day care runs. Search on the internet, ask your local child development counsel for recommendations (if you have one in your area), ask for references on Facebook or craigslist. (I found my current daycare on Craigslist, although I vowed that I would never do that, and she is just fantastic.) Search for all avenues and make sure that you are very comfortable with the person and that you can stop in whenever you want to check on them.

I would leave work early some days in the first month that they were in both daycares to make sure that they were being cared for and not just "cleaned up and fed" right before my normal pick up time. I also called at different times of the day to check on them and make sure I didn't hear them crying in the background. Just use due diligence and I'm sure you can find the right situation for your family!

ETA: words are hard

[Deleted User] · May 2014

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AlfiesMOM · May 2014

You may want to consider a nanny with those hours! We have E currently in daycare and we will enroll this one in there as well. Its works for us but we work normal hours and need no weekend support. Most places around us are open 7-6. I hope you can figure something out!!

mmooki · May 2014

I went back to work at 5months PP with DD. She went to a babysitter (a former coworker of DH). It was just what we needed the first year. Now she is in a home day care and she loves it. She has learned how to play well with others and be social. Not sure what is going to happen with this LO. I'll probably have to go back to work in March or April. DD can go back to day care until the end of the school year. I'm hoping my mom will come stay with us for a while and watch baby while I work. But that is a while off.

MusicFanatic · May 2014

i work part time (I'm a ballet teacher and have 3-5 classes a week- all after school and/or weekends because I teach school aged kids) and will continue to do that. Each class is just 45 minutes, though, and the only time I have a few in a row is Saturdays. So.. I'll sort of be a SAHM, since I'll be home all day and just gone for 1 hour stretches every so often. But I won't stop working, dance is my world. And teaching it.

My H will be w/ baby on weekends when I teach. And during my weekday classes (because he's a teacher and still might be in school) I'm blessed to have my mom around the corner. She's also offered to watch him/her when I teach, so we won't need daycare.

koalabear0103 · May 2014

I use an in-home provider who's licensed. I've also known her for 15+ years so it was a no-brained. We pay $30/day and provide DD's food (and diapers/wipes when she was younger). I don't know how about this kiddo yet, it depends on openings if s/he can go there.

Pips09 · May 2014

Choosing a daycare is one of the most stressful parts of having young kids (if you need daycare), but the right daycare is truly a benefit to both you and your baby. We currently use a licensed in-home daycare in our neighborhood. We have been so happy with her care. But we're moving this summer and will need to find a new daycare. We are leaning towards a center this time, so we can have a formal preschool environment for our toddler.

Kelliann98 · May 2014

There's no right answer for looking for child care. Do what's best for you!! I work for a great childcare center but it's not for everyone. I hear great things about in home care too or just bringing in a nanny. Find someone you trust because when they watch your LO all day they become your family! Kudos to you for already being on the ball! Good luck and happy hunting

drpayne · May 2014

We've used a center and currently have a nanny. We ended up pulling them from DC because we were all so sick. Aside from that, I liked things about DC but now that I know what it's like to have a nanny, I don't think I could go back to a center. Social interaction isn't that important until about 18 months so don't worry about that in the beginning. Not as big of a deal with one kid, but getting multiple kids out of the door in the morning is stressful. This morning, one of my kids was still sleeping and the other had just woken up as I was leaving. I'm not sure I'd be able to handle going to back to rushing them out the door. My oldest starts MDO in the fall. It sounds like a nanny might work better with your schedule.

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