WWYD - Childcare

So I work in Westchester -about an hour from home. I have a deposit for a daycare up there which is literally 2 minutes from my office so I can just drop by anytime I need a Ben fix.

I also met a woman who lives in my neighborhood who is looking to babysit. I like the idea of one on one and some flexibility that I wouldn't have with daycare.

What would you do?

PS - I am still hoping I win the lottery before July 1st so I don't have to do either...

Re: WWYD - Childcare

Posted by JsWife

So I work in Westchester -about an hour from home. I have a deposit for a daycare up there which is literally 2 minutes from my office so I can just drop by anytime I need a Ben fix.

I also met a woman who lives in my neighborhood who is looking to babysit. I like the idea of one on one and some flexibility that I wouldn't have with daycare.

What would you do?

PS - I am still hoping I win the lottery before July 1st so I don't have to do either...

Re: WWYD - Childcare

I would choose daycare closer to home anyway, you don't want to have your kid sitting in the car for hours everyday. Also, I think personally its not great for your kids to have you popping in once or twice in the day time, its confusing to them, and probably quite difficult for the staff. I say closer to home.

Re: WWYD - Childcare

Here is my MO on this. If I was going back to work and I had an option of putting my DC in daycare or have someone I trust to watch her at her home with her own DC , I would DEF choose the home care. JMO

Re: WWYD - Childcare

Is there someone who works closer that can pick DC up in case of an emergency? If so, then I say stay close to home.

Re: WWYD - Childcare

Outside of a grandparents, I'm not a huge fan of 1 person babysitting my DC on a full time basis (a home daycare, no problem but someone who hasn't done this on a regular basis and with other kids, it's not for me).

Of the two choices, I would choose the day care close to work. Yeah, it's more time in the car but it's great to be so close by if there is an emergency and you would get more time interacting, chatting on a daily basis by commuting together.

Re: WWYD - Childcare

PERSONALLY - I didn't like the idea of "center-type" facilities for my DS as a newborn. We went with a home facility - the person watched a few children.
The Pros - i liked the feel of her home better, i didn't pay when ds wasn't there
The Cons - she was a babysitter not a school, there were mixed ages so ds played at different levels (which could also be a pro), if she was sick, vaca i had to find alternative care.

Also, the home care was 1/2 between work/home - just worked out that way. The pros of close to home are that if you are sick and want to drop dc off - you can. The cons - you lose 2 hours a day w/ dc

Also, at 14 months, the state shut down home sitter - we went to a center. I think at 14 months that that is a better fit for us. DS plays with kids on his level, i get daily reports, he does crafts and he's in a school so they teach him stuff - well as best they can.

There are pros/cons to both sides- you just have to weigh both sides and see what fits best for you.

What would happen if you have to work late? Is DH close to work/home to help with pick-up/drop off? Will you ahve to travel at all - what then?

How would you feel about splitting dc between both options? What back-up plans do you have?

I'm sure this didn't help but at least gave you something to think about.

Re: WWYD - Childcare

I've been trying to decide between daycare close to home and daycare close to work for months. I've always leaned toward close to work because if DD has issues and needs to be picked up I can get to her quicker.

In your case, I might do one on one at home until 9-12 months then move to daycare for the socialization.

Re: WWYD - Childcare

If you know and trust this woman I would probably go with her.

Re: WWYD - Childcare

I would have the woman in your neighborhood watch him in her home, to start.

If it works out great, then that is awesome. If not, daycare is always a backup.

I hired a nanny to watch DS in my home 2 days / week, and kept my name on the daycare's waitlist.

Good luck - I too, am still waiting for the lottery

Re: WWYD - Childcare

Posted by tatuka

Here is my MO on this. If I was going back to work and I had an option of putting my DC in daycare or have someone I trust to watch her at her home with her own DC , I would DEF choose the home care. JMO

Re: WWYD - Childcare

Posted by avamamma

Posted by tatuka

Here is my MO on this. If I was going back to work and I had an option of putting my DC in daycare or have someone I trust to watch her at her home with her own DC , I would DEF choose the home care. JMO

I felt and still feel the opposite. I didn't want to leave Ava alone with one person all day. I like the idea of a "center", because there are checks and balances. If your baby is home alone with someone who is not properly caring for them, you may never know. At a center, there are a lot of people around and parents coming and going.

JMO

Re: WWYD - Childcare

id chose a center near home...

there are alot of crazy drivers out there, so the least driving the better... and i like the center structure better cause there are more people- like what happens if the primary caregiver gets sick- then you need back up- etc.

Re: WWYD - Childcare

I so appreciate everyone's thoughts.

My heart is absolutely breaking over leaving my DS with anyone. I just called DH at work crying about this...

I know this is going to sound strange - I want DS to be well cared for and yet the idea of someone soothing him other than me, DH, friends & family absolutely kills me.

Re: WWYD - Childcare

Posted by JsWife

I so appreciate everyone's thoughts.

My heart is absolutely breaking over leaving my DS with anyone. I just called DH at work crying about this...

I know this is going to sound strange - I want DS to be well cared for and yet the idea of someone soothing him other than me, DH, friends & family absolutely kills me.

Re: WWYD - Childcare

Re: WWYD - Childcare

Posted by nov04libride

Posted by avamamma

Posted by tatuka

Here is my MO on this. If I was going back to work and I had an option of putting my DC in daycare or have someone I trust to watch her at her home with her own DC , I would DEF choose the home care. JMO

I felt and still feel the opposite. I didn't want to leave Ava alone with one person all day. I like the idea of a "center", because there are checks and balances. If your baby is home alone with someone who is not properly caring for them, you may never know. At a center, there are a lot of people around and parents coming and going.

JMO

I would always choose a center too over someone you don't know too well because of the checks and balances. There are just more eyes watching your DC...

Message edited 6/15/2009 10:04:04 AM.

Re: WWYD - Childcare

Posted by JsWife

I so appreciate everyone's thoughts.

My heart is absolutely breaking over leaving my DS with anyone. I just called DH at work crying about this...

I know this is going to sound strange - I want DS to be well cared for and yet the idea of someone soothing him other than me, DH, friends & family absolutely kills me.

Re: WWYD - Childcare

If I didn't know the woman very well, I would choose a center. If I am having a virtual stranger watching him, I too would prefer it be more than one person. I don't go in during the day to see him and I don't think I would have if he started younger, either. I think it is easier for both of us, and the staff if they only have to deal with one drop off a day. My DS would have a meltdown if I came in during the day and then left.

If the only factor in choosing is closer to home or closer to work, I would say closer to home. My DS is literally 1 mile from my job. I can pick him up quickly, which is a plus, but the few times I was sick or had a day off to catch up on some cleaning, it was a pain in the butt to drive him over to daycare, home again and then repeat in the afternoon. Also, my commute is shorter than yours and the days when he is cranky, I often think he would be better off staying at daycare that extra 30-40 minutes and our drive home would only be about 5-10 minutes.

In the end, though, I am very happy with his daycare, so the driving and the distance doesn't really matter.

Another thing you might want to consider is proximity to the pediatrician's office. Ours is between home and daycare, which makes it easier whether I am taking him for a well visit and then to daycare, or if he is sick and I have to take him in. If the office is in a totally different direction from work and daycare, it could end up being really difficult when you have to bring him in.