Two kids under 5: two daycares or au pair + part time preschool?

[Anonymous]

For those of you with two children below school age, please share how you handle the logistics of childcare. Our first is in a licensed in-home that we absolutely love and we always assumed we'd send all our children to this wonderful woman. But now that we're expecting our second, I can't imagine how the logistics would work of dropping off our younger baby at the in-home and dropping off the preschooler at a more school-like center.

If you have experience, please share: (1) if you do send your children to full time care at two different centers, how do you physically do it? Do you put baby in an Ergo, walk preschooler into class, then put baby back in back seat and drive to second location and wheel that baby in for drop off #2? That sounds like at least half an hour worth of hassle! (2) Did you go with a less than first choice provider just so you could have one drop off and pick up? There are centers that could accommodate both children, obviously, but for an infant, I really like the in-home model and I especially love the woman who cares for my child currently.

Alternatively, if you found that full time out of home care for 2+ kids was just not worth it, did you go for an au pair or nanny and then get part-time preschool for the older one? An au pair sounds like a great option but everything I read says that it ends up costing more than you expect - covering them on your car insurance, your family phone plan, food . . . not mention a portion of your home - so I'm not sure if it really is cheaper than just getting a nanny. But if you have experience either way, please share the pros & cons from your perspective and whether you think you really are saving anything over just paying for double childcare out of home.

Thanks for any perspectives you can share!

[Anonymous]

We had the same issue -- great in-home provider, but wanted older child to have a more structured setting. We were able to find a center that could take the older child 3 days a week, and then we kept her in the in-home with the baby the other 2 days a week (baby was at the in-home every day). On those three days, my husband and I would each drop off one child and pick up the other one. If needed, one of us could do double drop-off or pick-up -- both daycares were about 5 minutes from each other and 5 minutes from our house. It added about 15 minutes to the routine, but was doable.

It was a hassle, but worth it for what our kids needed. It would have been okay even if we had our oldest in the center five days a week.

This year we have one dropoff (baby is still in the in-home, and they are also doing before-and-after-care for our kindergartener), which is wonderful. After this year, we'll be back to two separate places (center for the youngest, school before-and-after for the oldest) and I'm already dreading it.

[Anonymous]

We did a combination of things.

Nanny share in our house for DC #2 - DC #1 in full day preschool.

Children at 2 different locations - husband and I both took a child for drop off and pick up.

Yes - it takes time. Figure out for yourself what is most important and use that as your guide (Time / Money / Structure / etc)

[Anonymous]

Hello - I am looking to find a part time day care for my son, and I was wondering how you went about finding programs that only do part time. I'm thinking either half day every day or most of the days during the week. Thank you!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hello - I am looking to find a part time day care for my son, and I was wondering how you went about finding programs that only do part time. I'm thinking either half day every day or most of the days during the week. Thank you!

I'm the OP - not sure if your question was directed at me but the part time preschools I know of are generally 3 days a week for a 3 year old or 4 days a week for a 4 year old. They're half day and generally run out of a church. A friend of mine also is part of a preschool co-op which is half day, three days a week and she has a shift once every two weeks. If you can't put in the time for your shift, you can just pay more instead. I actually find most places advertising themselves as "preschools" are only part time. Places that offer full time care call themselves daycare. That might help you when you do your search.

[Anonymous]

I have three kids but one is in Kindergarten. I WOHM FT and do both drop-off and pick-up. I drop Kindergartner at school at 8:30AM and then drop two younger kids at daycare center on the way to work. I am at my desk by 9AM. I then pick up two younger kids from daycare, and pick-up Kindergartner from aftercare at his school. We are all home by 6PM.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have three kids but one is in Kindergarten. I WOHM FT and do both drop-off and pick-up. I drop Kindergartner at school at 8:30AM and then drop two younger kids at daycare center on the way to work. I am at my desk by 9AM. I then pick up two younger kids from daycare, and pick-up Kindergartner from aftercare at his school. We are all home by 6PM.

You must live very close to work which is a significant advantage.

[Anonymous]

We have two children in two different daycares and it is very difficult because I have a long commute. DH does drop off and I do pick up and I am always scrambling trying to make it to the second place before it closes. It will make a significant difference in our quality of life when the other child gets a spot at her sister's preschool.

My recommendation would be to put both children in the same daycare center since they have infant care and most have some type of preschool program for the older one.

Ideally, it would be great to have an au pair plus part time preschool. This will also reduce your stress related to getting the children out of the house on time or what do you do when one of the children is sick.

[Anonymous]

Not sure where you are coming from, but we have two kids in two different daycares in Arlington this year and it is a hassle. (We both work in DC.) The only thing that saves us is that we both have pretty flexible jobs. DH does drop-off and gets into work around 9:30. I go in early so that I can leave at 4:30 to do pick-up-- but even leaving that early, I still find myself cutting it close to get to the second center by 6PM if the traffic is bad leaving DC. DH and I both watch the traffic closely starting around 3:30 and if there is an accident on the bridge or some other issue causing massive gridlock then he will leave early and do one of the pick-ups. (This happens maybe 2 times a month.) We thought about the au pair option but concluded that we would face this problem eventually anyway once the oldest is in elementary school and the youngest still has two more years in daycare/preschool. As far as logistics, the younger one gets picked up first, so I do need to buckle her and unbuckle her twice. I usually just carry her into the oldest kid's school.

[Anonymous]

We went with the Au Pair/part-time preschool route. This really works for us. Both kids attend the same preschool.

I actually started a thread on the nanny forum about the cost of an AP (look under AP forum). Yes, the cost is pretty close if not the same to a nanny when you add in all the extras. We like the flexible time an AP provides (nights and weekends). And we really like being a host family.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have three kids but one is in Kindergarten. I WOHM FT and do both drop-off and pick-up. I drop Kindergartner at school at 8:30AM and then drop two younger kids at daycare center on the way to work. I am at my desk by 9AM. I then pick up two younger kids from daycare, and pick-up Kindergartner from aftercare at his school. We are all home by 6PM.

You must live very close to work which is a significant advantage.

Yes! DS's Elementary school is a 5 minute drive, then 15 minute drive to work. Daycare is one building over from my work - heaven!