Nannies/ Care givers

ChiccoBeanz · July 2015

Any multi-time moms ever use a nanny or care giver after giving birth? I know that I am legally entitled to 6 weeks off for maternity leave, and I can take off additional time using the FMLA. But I do plan on going back to work. I wanted to know about some experiences you ladies may have had using a care giver when going back to work. Also, if you preferred a nanny or a center or what have you. I've read different things on different boards, but I wanted to know what the ladies of this BMB are thinking of doing or have done. Thanks.

dp1320 · July 2015

When we lived down south we had DS in an in-home daycare. We chose her because she came highly recommended from a friend. We didn't really look around because we knew she was who we wanted to go with and we were very happy with her. Since moving, we are now using a nanny because all of the in-homes and centers in this area had wait lists w/ no openings until the fall (we moved in May). It's nice having DS at home and not having to deal w/ drop offs and pick ups. This will especially be convenient when we have 2. The only problem is that we're paying almost triple per week what we paid down south. We are in a higher cost of living area though and our in-home charged next to nothing. For a nanny, we are still paying a lot less than what's "normal" but it was a tough pill to swallow. I think there are pros/cons to all and it's really what you feel comfortable with. I would recommend checking out a couple of in home daycares and a couple of centers and maybe interviewing a couple nannies and go from there. We plan on putting DS in preschool around 3 but we have a little bit of time to worry about that and we probably won't even be living in this same location anymore at that time haha

ChiccoBeanz · July 2015

@DH09072012 thanks for that. I appreciate the picture your answer painted and now I have more to consider.

Mags128 · July 2015

We use an in home daycare. We did research and found her. It's the down the street from our house and much cheaper than anywhere else we saw. We really like her. They only have 5 kids and treat DD as if she was their own kid. DD also loves it there

LC122 · July 2015

Add Au Pair to your list of things to research. A friend/neighbor just recently started using one (upon recommendations from several families from our preschool) and they have really enjoyed the experience and the flexibility.

raychalzupan · July 2015

When DD was born, I was home for 12 weeks and then we hired a nanny part time from a small service. We really loved her and she treated my DD as her own. Not having to worry about drop offs/pick ups and daycare germs was a plus too. We recently moved and enrolled DD, now 21 months, in a daycare, which we really like, but she's been sick and on meds basically since we enrolled her (1.5months). I guess it's good to build her immunity now than when she starts school, but I feel so bad that she's getting sick so often. On a plus side, she loves her daycare provider and all of her new "friends." She was a pretty early talker to begin with, but her language skills have really taken off being around similar aged peers all day. The cost of daycare is also cheaper than hiring in a private nanny where we're living now. For our new little guy, I'll be off from work for 12 weeks again and then my mother (who only works summers) will watch LO at home until he's around 6 months when we'll enroll him in the same daycare DD is at. There's so much to consider concerning childcare. I hope others experiences will help you narrow down options for you. Good luck!

Knottie1424906535 · July 2015

I am a FTM, but have been the lead teacher in an infant room for 3 years as well as both a live in and live out nanny. I'm not sure where you're located, but I worked at a KinderCare and loved it. It's a great way to socialize babies! Also, I was a special educator in a public school prior to that, so definitely had the credentials. Currently I'm a live out nanny, which is super convenient for the babies parents. It's flexible, and great to keep baby in her environment. Pros and cons to both, but if I had to choose, and what I am going to do for my little boy, is day care! Good luck choosing! I'm sure your babe will thrive in any environment!!

hummingbird35 · July 2015

I work in a KinderCare and my son will be going into the infant room part time when I go back to work! The other part of the time he will be with one of his grandmas. The best thing about daycare is the strict adherence to licensing. You will know that your baby is being safely cared for-- nothing in the crib besides a pacifier, supervised tummy time, and no time in a bouncer or infant chair (all considered to lower the risk of SIDS). We also have random ratio checks where an outside party makes sure that the teacher to child ratio is strictly followed at all times. I heard a story about a woman who left another center (not KinderCare) to start her own in-home daycare and a baby died in the first few months because he was put to sleep in a crib with a blanket over him. She didn't realize he was dead for several hours. That couldn't happen at KinderCare because we have to do name-to-face checks every half hour to make sure all of the kids are OK (and record it in a CSR-- we are very diligent about this). I'm sure in-home daycares follow licensing as well, I'd just make sure you trust and have checked out whoever you go with!! (sorry for that scary anecdote, it just sticks out terribly in my mind. I went to an in-home daycare as a kid and loved it).

Catherine1021 · July 2015

I've had kids with in-home daycare providers, daycare centers, and had a nanny. I now have 4 kids, and a nanny was the best option for us. She was cheaper than in-home daycare or a daycare center for 4 kids, plus it was much more convenient that she came to our house rather than having to pack up 4 kids and all of their stuff every day. If I needed childcare now, I would probably go with a nanny again, but that's mostly because I have so many kids. As a foster parent there were times when I only needed daycare for 1 or 2 kids- and then they went to an in-home daycare provider or a big daycare center. I never really had any problems with either type of care. It was much harder to find a place that had enough openings to take 4 kids- compared to 1 or 2 kids- which was another reason I ended up hiring a nanny. I think the most important thing is to find providers that you trust will take good care of your baby.

amw2133 · July 2015

I'm going to second what @VegDumpling said. If you are going with an at home daycare make sure they are licensed as well. In my area I'm not to trusting of out at home daycares. However that is specifically for my area I'm sure they are great else where. I'm lucky because I work at a center so baby will be going to work with me 3 days a week and staying home with daddy 2 days a week.
I would say play the field. Look into some daycare centers, some at home day cares, and interview a few nannies. Hopefully you will find one that you fall in love with.

brookeggarcia · August 2015

A nanny with professional backup is much better than day care services. If we choose them, our children can stay in a comfort and familiar atmosphere. A nanny will be trained about the moral values and will give extra care and love towards our children. But you should consider a lot of factors before choosing a nanny. We had selected a nanny from the best nanny placement agency in Toronto(Diamond personnel) after a detailed screening. She is responsible towards her work and we are really satisfied with her service.

monaclemere · August 2015

We have a "nanny" that watches DS. DD is in school all day. I hate to say nanny, because she's a college student who watches him 2 days a week, so babysitter feels more appropriate. We found her on Care.com and are really happy with her. She's been with us for over a year and my son is obsessed with the poor girl!

We tried daycare with DD when she was a baby, but it didn't work for us. We definitely won't go that route again.

tewinkle27 · August 2015

I am extremely lucky and my mom watches my daughter and will be watch both the kids once I go back to work.

VesperLove · August 2015

I'm a FTM so no immediate experience but I've been researching a bunch so I thought I'd throw a few things out there that we tend to be leaning toward. Our original hope was to use a nanny but unfortunately I don't think we'll be able to accommodate the cost. However, in our search for a nanny we also learned about nanny sharing, which is something we're looking into pretty deeply. You basically pair up with another family and hire a nanny to care for both children. You can rotate between the two houses or select whichever person's home is the better fit for nannying. Usually a nanny will charge less for two children (more than one but less than two separate nannies) so the cost is reduced per family. You have to make sure that you find a second family with a similar schedule or nanny preference as you and make sure you select a nanny with experience with multiple kids, or twins (two kids at the same age is a bonus). But definitely an option to consider.

We are also looking into an in-home daycare. We have a few options for that as well. I much prefer that idea to a center but I don't know if I can put into words why that is. I want the low adult to child ratio which can sometimes be hard to find in centers in my area. I also want someone who is obviously incredibly passionate about what they do and I'm not sure i can guarantee that with a center, especially if they have a larger staff who rotates days of work (many of our centers in the area do that). So we'd prefer a smaller in-home daycare, if possible.

maiatene · August 2015

I lucked up and my cousin watched my son and will be watching this one. In NYC you pretty much have to start immediately because most centers don't take babies younger than 6 months and the ones that do have wait-lists. The amount of independent nannys, nanny-shares, in-home options and the few centers that do take infants you have to look into is more than overwhelming. I interviewed nannies considered a nanny share but there was always something off about them, and the few in-home centers I visited I hated bc they seemed to be more concerned with making money then actually loving and nurturing babies. I loved the Bright Horizons centers but they were so expensive!!!! This is probably the hardest decision you will ever have to make because you baby will be with this person at least 8 hours a day. I recommend in not only researching any and every situation but also speaking with other parents who used the service... and trust your gut! If after you settle on an option and it seems like something is off don't be afraid to find alternate options.

BostonBaby1 · August 2015

Also no personal experience but here in MA, we have the highest cost for infant daycare. The average is over $16,000 a year. And that is just an average, meaning that often the cost will exceed that.

This leads to a large number who hire nannies. As PP mentioned, a nanny share is a possibility and if you look on your local board here, you can usually find somebody in your area that is looking for one. If not, you can start your own post.

*typo

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