Which Is The Best Choice: Daycare Or Nanny?
When choosing a type of care for our children, we parents must consider every detail. Of course your preferences and family situation will count. Next, we’ll look at the advantages and disadvantages of choosing between daycare or babysitting.
Especially for mothers, leaving the baby at home to return to work becomes a very difficult option. When maternity leave ends and the breastfeeding period is advanced, it is time to resume professional activities.
At this point, both she and her spouse will want to feel secure and reassured about the person in charge of caring for the child. The choice between daycare or nanny usually raises many questions. Many issues must be analyzed, such as the quality of care, the hours, the service and, of course, the cost.
What to choose for my child’s care: daycare or nanny?
In order to offer a small but valuable help to mothers facing this decision, we made a list of benefits and negative aspects of both options.
Day care centers: what’s good and bad?
Day care centers are institutions dedicated exclusively and professionally to the care of children. The main benefits this option offers to parents are the following:
in favor
- It is a cheaper alternative than hiring a nanny who stays at home taking care of the child.
- The people who work in these establishments are usually capable people, with a vocation and specially chosen to do this type of work.
- Safety and hygiene requirements are observed. Anyway, it’s good that you do some research and check it out for yourself.
- Constant surveillance: there are establishments that have an internal circuit of cameras. Thus, by entering a login and password, you are able to see on your computer screen what your baby is doing.
- You can share opinions and experiences with other parents.
Against
- You will need to take the baby out of the house daily and expose him to adverse weather conditions.
- He can catch colds or other illnesses.
- He will not receive personalized attention.
- He may feel intimidated by a new environment and so many people he doesn’t know.
Nanny: advantages and disadvantages
Hiring a nanny can be beneficial in many situations. These are some of the main advantages that this service provides:
in favor
- The baby stays at home, which gives him greater comfort and security.
- You will be able to prevent him from getting diseases and suffering exposure to the sun, rain and cold.
- The bond with the nanny will be created much faster. In fact, the bond between babies and their nannies is often strong if cared for properly.
- You will have more flexibility to reserve times for special occasions.
Against
However, it will have disadvantages, such as:
- It usually takes a lot of time to find a nanny who, in addition to being a responsible person and doing her job well, can create a bond with the baby.
- Overall, this personalized service is more expensive than a day care center.
- In addition to the trust there must be, it can be difficult to have a person you don’t know in your home every day.
What if we leave him with some relative?
This may be a temporary solution that can get you out of the way if, for some reason, you can’t find a daycare or babysitter, but it’s not recommended that it become permanent. Of course, this solution has its advantages: they’ll love it at first, and you’ll be reassured.
However, the reason this doesn’t work is simple: no matter how much a grandmother, aunt, or any relative offers, being in charge of a baby’s care requires total dedication.
It may be that in the beginning the responsibility that this entails does not fall through, or that this responsibility is underestimated. However, over time these people will see their restricted routine, and that’s where the problems arise. Furthermore, the economic issue will be a very uncomfortable issue to be discussed between the parties.
Finally, it is worth noting the fact that each family has its own preferences and life experiences, which is why a single solution may not be applicable to any family. In short, the choice will fall to the parents, who will also have to periodically review the situation to make the changes they deem necessary.
