Comparing Daycare to a Nanny
From Mommyplace.com WiKI Page
There are pros and cons to both daycares and Nannies. It can be a very difficult decision but the good news is that, carefully researched, all of the options below can be outstanding experiences for you and your child.
The pros of large daycares are:1) Socialization for the child 2)Supervision of the childcare providers by other childcare providers and the supervisor 3)Structured curriculum and activities 4)Lowest childcare cost 5)You do not have someone in your house on a regular basis 6)Staff is generally well experienced 7)Backup care is always available (if one provider is sick, there are backups)
The cons of large daycares are: 1)Your child will get sick more often 2)Higher number of children to adult ratio 3)Less individual nurturing for your child 4)Your child will be outside of their familiar surroundings (e.g, their crib/bed)
The pros of in-home daycares are: 1)Socialization for the child 2)Structured curriculum and activities 3)Lower childcare cost (vs a Nanny) 4)You do not have someone in your house on a regular basis 5)Lower number of children to adult ratio compared to large daycares 6)Family like relationships develop between the caregiver and the children who attend on a regular basis
The cons of in-home daycare are: 1)Your child will get sick more often (vs a Nanny) 2)Less individual nurturing for your child 3)Your child will be outside of familiar surroundings (e.g, their crib/bed) 4)More expensive than larger daycares (but less than a Nanny) 5)Back up care might be an issue if the in home provider does not have someone on call for when they are sick 6)Vacation schedule for the in home provider might not match yours (e.g. President’s Day)
The pros of a Nanny are: 1)Individual nurturing for the child 2)Your child will form a deep bond with the Nanny 3)Less contact with germs for your child 4)Individual teaching (if your Nanny possesses the experience and desire to teach your child) 5)Your child is in his/her environment (e.g, their crib/bed) 6)Easiest alternative for the parents. No need to pack a bag, get your child dressed, and drive them to the daycare. Nanny can feed and dress the child when they arrive. 7)More control over issues such as food allergies, what your child eats, etc
The cons of a Nanny are: 1)Most costly childcare alternative 2)You will have someone in your house on a regular basis 3)It will be difficult for the child when the Nanny moves on 4)Socialization for the child is dependent on the agreement between the family and the Nanny on classes outside of the home, playdates, and other activities 5)Backup care is very difficult to find if your Nanny is sick, has car trouble, etc.
Regardless of which option you choose, ease your child and yourself into it. I had our Nanny start 2 weeks before I returned to work. During the first week, our Nanny worked a few hours each day, at different times so that I could expose her to the routine slowly and repetitively. During the second week, I would leave for brief periods of time so that my baby could get use to being with the Nanny without me around. I also returned home a few times earlier than expected just so I could see what was going on. My first day back to work turned out to be much easier than I expected. I did not cry and neither did my baby.
