Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:About to go back to work after 6 months home with my first baby! Would love to hear what all the benefits of having a nanny are versus daycare. New mom, a little tight on money, and really just trying to figure out if it’s worth the extra cost. Thanks!

A nanny might not be for you. They are expensive. Look into a great daycare.

Which daycare is great for babies?

The daycare you research, feel comfortable with and can afford.

You should google “the hell of American daycare”. There’s something wrong that is unique to Americans and how they regard the care of their little children. Most parents don’t really want to pay top dollar (even those who can well afford it), and neither do the politicians that they elect.

Anonymous wrote:Good nannies are expensive. However I used to work in the Infant Room of a well known daycare chain and I would never do that to a baby. The difficult babies get all the attention while the sweet, easy babies are simply left on the floor for their waking hours with no engagement or stimulation. There is little holding and cuddling which is so important for the baby’s brain development and very little speaking to the babies.

If money is tight, I would beg, borrow and steal to pay a good nanny until the child is 28 mo this and then transition to daycare.

Typo: I meant 18 months - not 28 months. A year and a half is a perfect time to transition to group care.

Good nannies are expensive. However I used to work in the Infant Room of a well known daycare chain and I would never do that to a baby. The difficult babies get all the attention while the sweet, easy babies are simply left on the floor for their waking hours with no engagement or stimulation. There is little holding and cuddling which is so important for the baby’s brain development and very little speaking to the babies.

If money is tight, I would beg, borrow and steal to pay a good nanny until the child is 28 mo this and then transition to daycare.

We prefer daycare because workers have the ability to take breaks, are supervised, have coverage for sick and snow days, don’t take vacation days, etc etc. We definitely don’t save money since we also have an au pair but it’s not about money.

That said my kids have been super healthy and we have had really good daycare experiences. If your kid is prone to catching every little bug, daycare can be torture.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:About to go back to work after 6 months home with my first baby! Would love to hear what all the benefits of having a nanny are versus daycare. New mom, a little tight on money, and really just trying to figure out if it’s worth the extra cost. Thanks!

A nanny might not be for you. They are expensive. Look into a great daycare.

Which daycare is great for babies?

The daycare you research, feel comfortable with and can afford.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:About to go back to work after 6 months home with my first baby! Would love to hear what all the benefits of having a nanny are versus daycare. New mom, a little tight on money, and really just trying to figure out if it’s worth the extra cost. Thanks!

A nanny might not be for you. They are expensive. Look into a great daycare.

Which daycare is great for babies?

Hiring a Nanny is likely the best option here.
If you truly can afford it.

In a daycare, the ratio of adults per child for infants is 1:4.
Meaning your baby may not have the opportunity to eat on demand, have his diaper changed immediately if needed and he will likely not have the ability to take good naps.

Yes, without question, a good nanny is more than worth the cost. However, if you aren’t able to afford a good, educated and experienced nanny -definitely choose a great daycare. Just be prepared for seemingly constant sick days (meaning home with a sick baby that daycare will not take).

At six-mos. of age, by all means having a Nanny is the optimal choice vs. putting the baby into any daycare.

Why so?
• Baby doesn’t need to be woken up early, packed up & dropped off at daycare.
She gets to sleep in her own crib + the parent does not need to allocate extra morning time to prepare baby for the day.

• Baby gets 100% personal, uninterrupted attention from the Nanny and is not exposed to a plethora of germs on a daily basis.

• Some Nannies are willing to do light household tasks such as baby’s personal laundry, toy wiping/organization + dishwashing duties which help the parents out.
Some even will assist w/dinner prep too!

• Nanny can be flexible, if needed.

Anonymous wrote:About to go back to work after 6 months home with my first baby! Would love to hear what all the benefits of having a nanny are versus daycare. New mom, a little tight on money, and really just trying to figure out if it’s worth the extra cost. Thanks!

A nanny might not be for you. They are expensive. Look into a great daycare.

OP, if you think you can’t afford a great nanny on your own, look into a nanny share. It offers some of the benefits of nannies (choosing the nanny, food the way you want it, limited germs, more attention than can be provided at daycare, flexibility). If you host, there are more (napping at home, no schlepping), but it might be worth it, even if you don’t host.

All kinds of childcare can work OP. Do what makes sense for you and your family, including financially. The solution that gives you peace of mind will pay dividends for your child.

I went with a nanny because:

- care was provided in our home. I didn't have to schlep the babies anywhere (twins.)
- twins
- nanny handles the kids' laundry and meal prep
- I get to choose the nanny. So I can hire someone who agrees with my parenting approach, who communicates well with me, who shares my values, etc...
- nanny will care for a sick child
- nanny can have flexibility for schedule (you have to hire for this) on days when I have to work late, or travel, or get stuck in traffic, etc...
- tons of individual attention to my kids

Im not sure if you are asking what benefits to offer a Nanny or the benefits if having one vs a Nanny.
Assuming the latter, the benefits are no drop off and pick up, your kid gets to sleep in his own bed and have his own schedule adhered to. If you have another kid although you will need to give a raise it will not be the same as paying for whole other child at a daycare ctr.

Congratulations on your first six months of parenting, OP.

About to go back to work after 6 months home with my first baby! Would love to hear what all the benefits of having a nanny are versus daycare. New mom, a little tight on money, and really just trying to figure out if it’s worth the extra cost. Thanks!