Whether you already have kids, or are planning to have them, you may be thinking about who is going to care for them when you have to go to work. Nowadays, most parents are both working; therefore, they are not able to stay home to care for their children. When this situation comes up, what’s a parent to do?
Is hiring a nanny something you are thinking about? Does putting your child in a daycare center seem like a good idea? The choice is yours.
The Benefits of Hiring a Nanny: Trust and Cost-Effective:
Hiring a nanny can be an arduous process for you as a parent. However, the advantages of having a nanny in your home far outnumber the advantages of a daycare. First of all, you have the opportunity to get to know the nanny as a person, so that you are able to build a trust with this person. If you find someone through a nanny referral service such as Classic Nannies, you won’t have to worry about checking their background or obtaining clearances and records, as the service will have already done this for you. Most nannies that are found through agencies are required to have a minimum number of years of child care experience, along with current CPR and First Aid certifications. Just as you sign a contract for a daycare, you’ll have to write up and sign a contract for your nanny as well, including pay, hours, responsibilities and benefits.
Having a nanny in your home allows you to keep an eye on her, as well as your child, at any time you wish. A lot of families even have a “nanny cam” for the times they are at work or away from the home, and they wish to check in on the house. This gives you, as a parent, a sense of security when leaving someone alone with your child. Eventually, you may start to feel as if the nanny is part of your family. As a former nanny to one family for several years, I did ( and still do) think of them as my second family. I am still close with the kids twenty years later.
Advantages of Daycare: Learning Programs
The only time I ever see daycare as an advantage is when your child is older. Infants and 1-2 year olds are just there for the “babysitting” aspect of daycare. 3 and 4 year olds can benefit from the preschool programs offered at a lot of daycare centers. 4 and 5 year olds can learn a lot from the pre-kindergarten programs as well. Also, school-aged children under 12 years of age are offered a place to do homework and play with friends before and after school. Most of the time, daycare is a great way for your child to do art projects, participate in field trips, and make friends. It’s a good way for them to become social before entering elementary school.
Enrolling your child, or children, in a daycare center can be costly, especially if you have more than one child. I knew a family who took their 3 kids to a KinderCare, and was paying around $2500 per month for care, for a 4 year old, a 2 year old and a 1 year old.
Illnesses in daycare are a given, and your child is most likely going to get sick a few times while they are in daycare. But think about it, the more your child is sick, the more you may have to miss work, and then you risk losing your job. Illnesses and germs spread around daycare centers like wildfire, and even worse if the classrooms and toys are not properly cleaned and sanitized. Colds, strep throat, pink eye, the flu and chicken pox are only some of the illnesses that your child is susceptible to.
If you find an established, accredited daycare that will give you that one on one care that a nanny does, then terrific! However, let’s be realistic and find that reliable, experienced, educated, qualified, loving nanny that I used to be. We are still out there.
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