I would just start daycare right away. I sent my second to daycare at 4 months. Yes, he got sick more that first winter, but I think that's the case no matter when you start a child at a daycare. Plus, he might have caught a lot of the same germs from his sister who was still in daycare. If you want a nanny, rather than short-term for two months, maybe have the baby with the nanny until the baby turns one and then start the baby in the toddler room at daycare instead of the infant room.

OP, I am an early childhood educator (have been a director at NAEYC-accredited programs for 10+ years), and I agree that having more adults around is better. I'm sure there are lovely nannies, but I like the security of knowing there are many eyes on my LO (and his teachers).

Anonymous wrote:I work in a daycare and have a different opinion than the previous provider. I think daycare is safest. As another poster pointed out, having just one adult at home is scary to me. How do you know what goes on? Plus, what if nanny gets sick? In a daycare, there are multiple people watching out for the children. If a provider gets sick, there are substitutes.

+1 to the bolded (this is PP from 2/1, 14:15). Very valid point - you will need back-up care with a nanny, or else be able to take off work last-minute when nanny can't come to work.

Regarding the other issue of a 1:1 adult/child ratio being risky - I guess this is valid in the unlikely scenario of the nanny having a sudden medical emergency. IME our nanny always takes a sick day if she's having such a "rough day" that she can't care for our child. I'm not sure the rest of the explanation is a ringing endorsement of day care - I certainly hope they aren't coming to work sick or unable to carry out their jobs and others having to cover. As to "who knows what goes on" - well, you do have to thoroughly vet a prospective nanny and ideally observe her with your baby and/or other children before hiring, then work to develop trust. That's why I recommended not getting a nanny unless it's for a longer period of time, at least 6 months or a year IMO.

I work in a daycare and have a different opinion than the previous provider. I think daycare is safest. As another poster pointed out, having just one adult at home is scary to me. How do you know what goes on? Plus, what if nanny gets sick? In a daycare, there are multiple people watching out for the children. If a provider gets sick, there are substitutes.

Anonymous wrote:As a parent who put my 4 month old in care, I would advise to do short term nanny. My daughter got RSV her second week of daycare, and had two awful colds in the first 7 weeks. It completely ruined my transition back to work. If I could have kept her out of care longer, I would have done it so I could at least have gotten back into the groove of work before the barrage of illnesses began. And RSV at that age was horrible.

Daycare provider here. Absolutely agree with pp above. If at all possible keep new baby with a nanny for the first 6 months. One-one-one care is best for a newborn, for healthy physical and emotional development. Protection from daycare germs might be unavoidable because of 3 year old but it is better than being exposed directly I would think.
A 6 month old usually transitions well to a group care environment. At that age they are beginning to sit up unassisted, they are more cognizant, and able to be on a regular sleep/feed schedule.
Obviously not everyone can afford - or find - "ideal" childcare. So I don't mean to be critical of others as far choices and ability. I am simply offering a professional opinion.

If you could afford a nanny for longer then that is absolutely the better route IMO. The right nanny can make your life so much easier - baby will get sick less, nanny is more flexible (can fix bottles/food, modify hours upon request, etc.) and they're conveniently at your house. But if it was only going to be for a couple months I don't think it's worth it unless you can borrow someone's nanny or join a ready-made share close to your home, basically get around having to do all the legwork of hiring a nanny from scratch which is a PITA.

One thing to keep in mind is that you as the parent need to be 100% comfortable leaving 1 adult with a baby all day. And trust that they have the skills and patience to care for the infant. I always choose the safe route. And I always advice my friends that having 2 people in a room caring for children is ideal. We all have our bad days, and this way if one adult is having a rough day, the other adult is there to balance the energy out. We are all humans and babies require tons of patience. Do what will let you work and sleep at ease. Good luck.

Straight to daycare. Too many transitions otherwise.

As a parent who put my 4 month old in care, I would advise to do short term nanny. My daughter got RSV her second week of daycare, and had two awful colds in the first 7 weeks. It completely ruined my transition back to work. If I could have kept her out of care longer, I would have done it so I could at least have gotten back into the groove of work before the barrage of illnesses began. And RSV at that age was horrible.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. I was asking about what to do about the new baby only. Older child will definitely stay in daycare while I'm on maternity leave (and after, even if we get a short-term nanny for the baby).

My apologies, I read it completely wrong. I thought you were asking about both. I would put the baby in daycare. The two months are not really making a difference.

+1 It will be a smoother transition for the baby.

Anonymous wrote:OP here. I was asking about what to do about the new baby only. Older child will definitely stay in daycare while I'm on maternity leave (and after, even if we get a short-term nanny for the baby).

My apologies, I read it completely wrong. I thought you were asking about both. I would put the baby in daycare. The two months are not really making a difference.

OP here. I was asking about what to do about the new baby only. Older child will definitely stay in daycare while I'm on maternity leave (and after, even if we get a short-term nanny for the baby).

^I didn't see where she mentioned pulling the older LO out of daycare.... if you meant that I agree it is a bad idea. Enjoy the new baby w/o the 3yo at home all day.

Put the baby in daycare. It will be easier for you in the long run. I put my 4MO in daycare in the middle of winter and it worked out fine. The littlest ones aren' interacting with the other kids as much so I think they are a tiny bit shielded from the germs.

Keep her in daycare. I honestly don't understand why you would pull her out during maternity leave just to put her back in? She has friends, a routine, stability, and socialization. Keeping a newborn and 3 year old at home in the winter sucks

I'm pregnant with my second and trying to figure out our best childcare options. Our older child is in a great daycare center, and we anticipate putting the new baby there as well. But I'm stuck on whether to do so right away after my maternity leave (4 months) or get a short-term nanny for 2-3 months first before starting the baby in daycare. We put our older child in daycare right at 4 months, and in hindsight it didn't really start to click until he could sit up and play a bit more. Also, 4 months with the new baby will be January of next year, so right in the middle of cold and flu season. On the other hand, I have no idea what goes into finding a short-term nanny, and how the quality of care will be (whereas that's a known factor with daycare).

We need to tell our current daycare about our plans soon. Any advice on which option to pick?