Do what you need to do, OP, but be prepared for your child to be sick ALL THE TIME from daycare in the first year and have a very hard time adjusting to being away from home, his nanny, and his bed at 18 months old.

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Anonymous wrote:As a nanny almost every employer I've had has told me they hired a nanny because it's so much cheaper then daycare. But if you only have 1 child I can understand it being a little higher.

OP here. We only have one child. With taxes, breedlove fees, and bonus, we pay about $1,000 a week

How old would your child be at the point he/she would start daycare? By 2, s/he might enjoy it, really, and by 3, s/he almost certainly will enjoy it. We have a bunch of kids and stuck with the nanny, but by the time they are 3.5, it has been clear to me that they would do just as well at preschool/daycare with friends.

He'd be about 18 months when we would switch

He's too little! Wait, OP. Poor little guy is used to the 1:1 attention he has gotten from his nanny since birth.

You can make more sacrifices than you think you can, OP.

OP, don't listen to the nanny trolls. 18 months is perfectly fine for a good daycare. He will want to be around other kids. Plenty of people put their much younger infants in daycare with no problem.

I am the PP and neither a nanny nor a troll. I think 18 months is too young to switch from a nanny to daycare. If the child has always been in daycare that is a totally separate circumstance - the baby knows nothing different. OP is talking about a little guy who only knows one-on-one care and probably loves his nanny. 18 months is too young to rock his world and sense of security. Even preschools have "parent and me" programs for children under two because they are too young to separated from their mother/nanny.

I completely agree!! My son transitioned from nanny to daycare at exactly 2urs old. It was an enormous disaster. He lasted 2 days. He was crying uncontrollably and was distressed even at night and could not sleep. Even after we pulled him he had anxiety for weeks. Horrible idea for us at least.

OP, I'm going through the same decision right now. We LOVE LOVE LOVE our nanny, but I just got a spot in a great day care / preschool. My child will be 2, but I can't help to think that's still a little young for a structured day of school. But if I don't take the spot, we won't get in for the age 3 group, since most just keep going.

The cost difference will be about $11k a year. But day care = more days off (closures) and more illness.

I'm really torn - our provider is priceless, but there is more flexibility with day care in the LONG run, since DC has so few options. Blech. Good luck!

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Anonymous wrote:As a nanny almost every employer I've had has told me they hired a nanny because it's so much cheaper then daycare. But if you only have 1 child I can understand it being a little higher.

???? A nanny is much more expensive than daycare. A nanny is the most expensive form of childcare, how can it be cheaper than daycare??

The daycare they were looking to send their 3 children to at the time ages 1,1 and 2 would have cost 400 per child per week. Or 1,200 per week. They pay me 400 per week to watch all 3. Plus they don't have to transport. I do the laundry, cook the meals, grocery shop and run errands. So I guess I'm the same price as 1 child in daycare. But personally I think I'm worth more because you also get the laundry done ect.

I don't know where you are located, but your numbers wouldn't happen in DC - your rates are ridiculously low...we paid as much for a SHARED nanny.

Are you even making minimum wage and getting ot? Why would you work that hard for so little? Can you pay rent on 400 a week? My rent is over 1k and I have a good deal :/

As a mom of two who recently put her youngest in daycare temporarily (older one was mainly at PT preschool) while nanny was out sick (recovering from surgery) for 2 months, i would not recommend it. He was sick about 10 days out of the 30 days he attended. Thank goodness they offer back up care through my work. DH or I would telework while the back up care was there.

Anyway, we decided before we put our son in that we would cut back everything we could to get him to at least 2.5 years old with our nanny. We had the option of keeping him in full time and enrolling our older daughter in the preschool program. Currently we have a FT nanny and she attends PT preschool (which costs quite a bit when you add those two things together). Once he was in daycare we realized that our decision was the right one. He absolutely hated it, and this is one of the top daycares in DC. At home he's able to sleep in his own bed and get 3.5 hrs of nap time total. At daycare he was only able to get about 1.5 hrs a day. Others there barely napped.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a nanny almost every employer I've had has told me they hired a nanny because it's so much cheaper then daycare. But if you only have 1 child I can understand it being a little higher.

???? A nanny is much more expensive than daycare. A nanny is the most expensive form of childcare, how can it be cheaper than daycare??

The daycare they were looking to send their 3 children to at the time ages 1,1 and 2 would have cost 400 per child per week. Or 1,200 per week. They pay me 400 per week to watch all 3. Plus they don't have to transport. I do the laundry, cook the meals, grocery shop and run errands. So I guess I'm the same price as 1 child in daycare. But personally I think I'm worth more because you also get the laundry done ect.

I don't know where you are located, but your numbers wouldn't happen in DC - your rates are ridiculously low...we paid as much for a SHARED nanny.

OP- do not feel guilty. This forum is a bit of a bubble. Most two-income families CANNOT afford their own nannies. A good daycare will be perfectly fine. The transition may be rough for a few weeks but plenty of people do it.

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Anonymous wrote:As a nanny almost every employer I've had has told me they hired a nanny because it's so much cheaper then daycare. But if you only have 1 child I can understand it being a little higher.

???? A nanny is much more expensive than daycare. A nanny is the most expensive form of childcare, how can it be cheaper than daycare??

The daycare they were looking to send their 3 children to at the time ages 1,1 and 2 would have cost 400 per child per week. Or 1,200 per week. They pay me 400 per week to watch all 3. Plus they don't have to transport. I do the laundry, cook the meals, grocery shop and run errands. So I guess I'm the same price as 1 child in daycare. But personally I think I'm worth more because you also get the laundry done ect.

Is this full time? $400/week sounds ridiculously low for one child, let alone 3.

It can't be. I make $500 a week watching 2 kids after school only, I only work a couple hours a week. Even if this PP is only make a really low hourly rate she is probably only working 20 hours a week.

I work 50 hrs a week sometimes way more

I've used both and honestly, by the time your kid is 1.5 yo, he's going to enjoy a more structured daycare setting anyway.

Your kid will be fine, awesome actually. Be ready for your kid's vocabulary to just take off. Potty training will also be easier when he sees all of his friends doing it just a few months after he starts there. You can find a very good center for $300/week or less. Relax OP, it'll be okay.

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a nanny almost every employer I've had has told me they hired a nanny because it's so much cheaper then daycare. But if you only have 1 child I can understand it being a little higher.

???? A nanny is much more expensive than daycare. A nanny is the most expensive form of childcare, how can it be cheaper than daycare??

The daycare they were looking to send their 3 children to at the time ages 1,1 and 2 would have cost 400 per child per week. Or 1,200 per week. They pay me 400 per week to watch all 3. Plus they don't have to transport. I do the laundry, cook the meals, grocery shop and run errands. So I guess I'm the same price as 1 child in daycare. But personally I think I'm worth more because you also get the laundry done ect.

Is this full time? $400/week sounds ridiculously low for one child, let alone 3.

It can't be. I make $500 a week watching 2 kids after school only, I only work a couple hours a week. Even if this PP is only make a really low hourly rate she is probably only working 20 hours a week.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a nanny almost every employer I've had has told me they hired a nanny because it's so much cheaper then daycare. But if you only have 1 child I can understand it being a little higher.

???? A nanny is much more expensive than daycare. A nanny is the most expensive form of childcare, how can it be cheaper than daycare??

The daycare they were looking to send their 3 children to at the time ages 1,1 and 2 would have cost 400 per child per week. Or 1,200 per week. They pay me 400 per week to watch all 3. Plus they don't have to transport. I do the laundry, cook the meals, grocery shop and run errands. So I guess I'm the same price as 1 child in daycare. But personally I think I'm worth more because you also get the laundry done ect.

Is this full time? $400/week sounds ridiculously low for one child, let alone 3.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a nanny almost every employer I've had has told me they hired a nanny because it's so much cheaper then daycare. But if you only have 1 child I can understand it being a little higher.

???? A nanny is much more expensive than daycare. A nanny is the most expensive form of childcare, how can it be cheaper than daycare??

The daycare they were looking to send their 3 children to at the time ages 1,1 and 2 would have cost 400 per child per week. Or 1,200 per week. They pay me 400 per week to watch all 3. Plus they don't have to transport. I do the laundry, cook the meals, grocery shop and run errands. So I guess I'm the same price as 1 child in daycare. But personally I think I'm worth more because you also get the laundry done ect.

You know your child, OP. I agree with others who pointed out it is completely different to transition a child into care at 4 months, 12 months, 18 months, or 24 months; every week is huge, developmentally, at this age. If he is outgoing, not bothered by being separated from you and/or DH, and you've spent some time at a great daycare you love he will surely flourish. If he is high-needs or going through an age of anxiety (developmentally appropriate), maybe wait a few months until the transition is less painful for him. Take your cues from your son.

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a nanny almost every employer I've had has told me they hired a nanny because it's so much cheaper then daycare. But if you only have 1 child I can understand it being a little higher.

OP here. We only have one child. With taxes, breedlove fees, and bonus, we pay about $1,000 a week

How old would your child be at the point he/she would start daycare? By 2, s/he might enjoy it, really, and by 3, s/he almost certainly will enjoy it. We have a bunch of kids and stuck with the nanny, but by the time they are 3.5, it has been clear to me that they would do just as well at preschool/daycare with friends.

He'd be about 18 months when we would switch

He's too little! Wait, OP. Poor little guy is used to the 1:1 attention he has gotten from his nanny since birth.

You can make more sacrifices than you think you can, OP.

OP, don't listen to the nanny trolls. 18 months is perfectly fine for a good daycare. He will want to be around other kids. Plenty of people put their much younger infants in daycare with no problem.

I am the PP and neither a nanny nor a troll. I think 18 months is too young to switch from a nanny to daycare. If the child has always been in daycare that is a totally separate circumstance - the baby knows nothing different. OP is talking about a little guy who only knows one-on-one care and probably loves his nanny. 18 months is too young to rock his world and sense of security. Even preschools have "parent and me" programs for children under two because they are too young to separated from their mother/nanny.

+1 I agree. For a child who has always been in daycare, there is no issue. For a child who has only been with a nanny or parent, eighteen-months is the WRONG time to move to daycare.

Hold out until DC is at least two, OP.

I dunno, my son has been with his grandmother for 16 months and started in a small home daycare at that age. The first week was stressful, then he adjusted just fine and two months later he was running to their door.

Anonymous wrote:As a nanny almost every employer I've had has told me they hired a nanny because it's so much cheaper then daycare. But if you only have 1 child I can understand it being a little higher.

???? A nanny is much more expensive than daycare. A nanny is the most expensive form of childcare, how can it be cheaper than daycare??