Anonymous wrote:I visited the home daycares near me and wanted no part of them. They were depressing. (I am sure there are exceptions). I liked the more individual attention of a nanny share. I live not having to pack up and schlep every day. Nanny helps with laundry. Kid gets out a lot more and has a wider range of "zone" than just 1 room in a home daycare. (No centers near us).

Cons - cost, dependent on finding a good nanny and retaining her, less backup options built in.

You must have looked into really crappy daycares. My kids went to daycares that had outdoor playgrounds and they would go on day trips to the zoo and other places.

I have found that kids who have nannies tend to be more isolated and are often shy.

I visited the home daycares near me and wanted no part of them. They were depressing. (I am sure there are exceptions). I liked the more individual attention of a nanny share. I live not having to pack up and schlep every day. Nanny helps with laundry. Kid gets out a lot more and has a wider range of "zone" than just 1 room in a home daycare. (No centers near us).

Cons - cost, dependent on finding a good nanny and retaining her, less backup options built in.

This all depends on the age of the child.

Infants and young toddlers benefit most from a nanny as they do not need socialization skills yet from their peers. The adult/child interaction is enough for them at this point and it is vital that they have that one-on-one attention that only a nanny can provide them.

Older toddlers benefit from daycare because they get to spend their days in groups with their peers and this teaches them how to get along with others their age. They learn effective communication techniques as well as how to share, etc.

The downside to daycare is the exposure to germs and the lack of individual attention per child.

The downside to nanny care is the cost of course.

We had a nanny/personal caregiver from 2 months to 16 months. I felt at that stage babies require more affection and attention than group care permits. We also wanted our son in an intimate home setting.

Once he turned 16 months, we put him into a bilingual home daycare close to our home. If his grandma was able to stay longer, we'd keep him with her until 2 or so. But his daycare was great and we were really happy.

Pros of nanny:
- more one-on-one attention and affection
- convenience of not having to drop off and pick up

Pros of daycare:
- dealing with a system vs. a person (having rules, processes etc.)
- having access to more entertainment options than any one person can provide
- socialization
- opportunity to meet other parents and form relationships

We chose a nanny because:

- we have twins. The economics of two in daycare made a nanny comparatively not as expensive as if we only had one child.
- I don't have to worry about pick-up and drop-off. I think this is huge for our daily routine.
- our kids get tons of individual attention.
- the nanny helps with kids' laundry, keeping common areas tidy, etc... I am eternally thankful to have help with those things.
- our kids are learning two languages simultaneously (nanny is bilingual)
- we're spared some of the sickness issues w/ daycare (germs being passed around, having to stay home anytime a child has a fever, etc...)

Cons are:
- costs - still more expensive than daycare
- very reliant on one person
- less socialization for the kids
- employing someone in this capacity is uniquely personal and challenging
- some stress/cost around paying legally, maintaining appropriate insurance, etc...

I had my daughter in daycare, then with 2 kids I used a nanny for a year. Now I have a nanny 1 day a week and daycare 2 days a week.

I think nanny is great for babies or if you have 2 young children, younger than preschool age. You have much more control and the kids are getting much more personal attention. Less germs and sickness. I also find nanny is good if you work hours are outside of normal daycare. And drop off and pick up from daycare is stressful for me. It is better now that kids are older.

My kids are now 3 and 4.5 years so I like having them in daycare 2 days a week because they are learning, having circle time, getting used to classroom environment, etc... And I still have a nanny 1 day because of my work schedule that day is long.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I chose daycare

Much more cost effective
House stays tidy during the day
Socialization
Accredited program

Funny that you're here!
Why?

What's wrong honey, do you feel threatened that parents have other options for childcare?

Not the PP, but it is odd that you're here, this being the nanny forum and all. Also why would daycare make a nanny feel threatened? I'm not really in competition for the business of parents that choose daycare, as they are usually looking for a different experience (socialization, cost effective, whatever) while I offer a different service (more personal and comprehensive care, more freedom in activities, less exposure to illness, and I cook clean speak 3 languages and have a teaching degree).

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I chose daycare

Much more cost effective
House stays tidy during the day
Socialization
Accredited program

Funny that you're here!
Why?

What's wrong honey, do you feel threatened that parents have other options for childcare?

I'm not the PP you are so rudely addressing, but I think they are just rightfully curious as to why you would frequent a nanny forum if you are not/do not employ a nanny (AKA you have no experience on either front and our opinion means nothing). Valid question, no?

*your

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I chose daycare

Much more cost effective
House stays tidy during the day
Socialization
Accredited program

Funny that you're here!
Why?

What's wrong honey, do you feel threatened that parents have other options for childcare?

I'm not the PP you are so rudely addressing, but I think they are just rightfully curious as to why you would frequent a nanny forum if you are not/do not employ a nanny (AKA you have no experience on either front and our opinion means nothing). Valid question, no?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I chose daycare

Much more cost effective
House stays tidy during the day
Socialization
Accredited program

Funny that you're here!
Why?

What's wrong honey, do you feel threatened that parents have other options for childcare?

Anonymous wrote:I chose daycare

Much more cost effective
House stays tidy during the day
Socialization
Accredited program

Funny that you're here!
Why?

We chose a nanny because:

She can take DS out to a variety of activities rather than keeping him indoors or in the yard all day
DS' laundry, cooking, and tidying gets done (our nanny restocks the nursery supplies as well)
We wanted a heavy emphasis on language and chose a nanny we believed would talk to him as much (and in the same way) as we would
Don't have to get DS dressed or ready before we leave for work = much more pleasant family mornings

I chose daycare

Much more cost effective
House stays tidy during the day
Socialization
Accredited program

The parents' forum has tons of pros and cons on this question. Did you already search?

I'm currently going through this debate (with myself).

Anyone care to share how they decided?

For nannies that worked in both settings, what were the pros and cons?