Daycare vs. Nanny

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Permalink Reply by Heather Smith on August 18, 2009 at 9:37pm

The big pro about daycare is that your kids have more structure with other kids.
The big con in my experience has been that Em was always getting a cold or there was an outbreak of pink eye, foot and mouth or other various things.

I don't know how nannies are anywhere except NYC. When I would take Em to the park, there were always a slew of nannies of all types of nationalities and cultures and they ALL had 2 things in common, 1) they didn't really pay much attention to the kids, even the really small kids who could barely walk and the kids were often getting into perilous situations (like climbing up on things) and 2) the nannies wouldn't talk to anyone who was just a SAHM or SAHD and wouldn't let the children in their care play with the other kids who were not also being watched by nannies. I thought this was WEIRD!
The other thing (again, just based on NYC) is that they were demanding. I was on a listserv for parents that had about 6k members and the topic of nannies always came up. It usually involved what was considered acceptable in financial terms. Lots of nannies expected 3 weeks of paid vacation (even if you only got 2 weeks off), every single holiday off (even the ones that corporate america usually doesn't get off for but that the govt does), personal time off, a week of sick days, bonuses and on and on and on.

I guess it comes down to preference and cost as nannies cost more than daycare, but you can also get light housekeeping out of it and maybe dinner cooked.

Permalink Reply by Shannon Smedstad on September 18, 2009 at 8:57am

hi all - we had a college student watch our little one; she wasn't your typical "nanny" in that she didn't have ties to an agency, but she was the oldest of 5 kids, loved children and did a great job for us. She was full time during summers and breaks, and arranged her class schedule to care for our daughter 3 days a week during school. "Marma" stayed with us for 1 1/2 years before we decided to put our little one in daycare. My husband and I felt that our daughter needed more structure, interaction with other kids, and development that a daycare (school) could provide.

We were VERY picky about the school ... she's been there for 4 months now and LOVES it. The big CON is definitely the illness - (she's had her first ear infection and several colds). However, she pushes through the colds and talks constantly about her friends and teachers. For us, we've had the best of both worlds and our daughter has thrived during both childcare situations.