child care center or stay at home moms....

Alyson - posted on 11/09/2010

Becky, I was extremely reluctant of putting my son in daycare. The whole idea of it gave the heeby jeebies! My son is doing great and he's been in daycare since 4 months. He seems to be in better moods and much more enjoyable! The only thing I would say about home daycare is to be careful! My ex's mom had a home daycare and she was not the best watcher. She would just sit on the couch and watch soaps all day, and when the kids were napping she would go outside and smoke. Of course this was just her and I'm sure there are plenty of really good home daycares! My only other experience with a home daycare was when I was a kid. The woman watching me let me and my friend go outside by ourselves. Mind you we were only 3, and we went walking up the side of the street without her even knowing. Luckily my grandfather drove by and saw us. Boy did I get a butt whooping. Then again, I wasn't at that daycare for much longer. Anyways, just be careful! Go and look at the daycare and ask about the policies and how they take care of the children. Make sure it is licensed! Good luck!

Holly - posted on 11/09/2010

My MIL used to be a licensed home day care provider. She took kids from 4 weeks until 3 years (and sometimes she would take older school aged kids on school holidays). I can completely understand where you are coming from though, because now that she's retired she's not wanting to watch our kids more and more. Luckily, I don't have a job right now so I can keep the kids at home when she's not feeling up to watching the kids, but I am looking for a job and I just don't know what I'm going to do if/when I find one. We'll most likely go with a daycare center, but that's jut because there are 3 right in the same area as our oldest daughter's school and they do after school care (and they pick the kids up from school too). Yes, it's usually more expensive, but it's relly our only option right now...

All-in-all, there are pros and cons to each. No matter what you decide, you need to be comfortable with wherever your child is staying and ALWAYS make sure the person is licensed. DO NOT leave your kids with some random stay-at-home mom because you can never be sure if she has all the training (first aid, child management, etc.) necessary. Also, licensed places (centers or licensed at home daycares) are inspected for safety and clenliness on a regular basis. My MIL had 6 suprise visits and 3 planned visits every year from the licensing department to make sure she kept her home and care up to the proper standards.

Jade - posted on 11/07/2010

childcare is great for you child they can play with other kids ect and if ur in australia you may be intiled to jet so you gwet your childcare a hell of alot cheaper for 6 months while you workits a big help

Stephanie - posted on 11/05/2010

I use a child minder, which i guess is the same as in home child care? My daughter loves it, as there are restrictions on the number of children she can have then it means my daughter has only a few children to deal with at a time, and as they are older than her I feel it helps with her development. Here in the Uk child miners have to be registered and are monitored regularly. They also have to follow the early years education.

It is entirely down to personal choice, but if you are unsure visit a few places and choose what is best for you and your child.

Danielle - posted on 11/04/2010

My daughter has been at an in-home daycare and I loved it. She was there until she was 2.5 yrs. I found it fantastic for a lot of things. My daughter was the only child at the inhome daycare which made potty-training and just learning/playtime easier. The daycare provider was able to do more things with her since it was just her. I felt that she became one of their family! BUT I love the daycare centre that she's now in for different things. I found my daughters speech just flew through the charts once she started at a daycare centre. I found her communication skills over-all improved. And she absolutely loves it!

I don't think I would change how I did things. I think if I have another child I will have him or her start off at an in-home day care and then move to a centre when he or she is ready for more of a challenge.

REBECCA - posted on 11/04/2010

that is a hard one because you always hear of these crazy things happening with the child care i think if its going to be an in home situation it must be with someone you know extremely well i have seen all these babies dying in the care of these so called child care providers if you want to look into a center i would just do lots of research because lots of them have been prover to be shady too. Its sad but this world is a sick place and there are sick people everywhere so it is not a matter to be taken lightly look into a place thats more like a kindercare they provide lots of educational activities even for babies

September - posted on 11/04/2010

I LOVE our at home day care provider. She runs a small licensed program and she is WONDERFUL with the children! She teaches them, plays with them and does arts and crafts with them daily. One of my favorite things that she does with the children is the letter of the week which includes talking about the letter, doing a craft and also eating foods that starts with the letter that they are studying that week. Our 2 year old knows his abc's but the time that she takes to explain the letter and the activities she does with the kids is helping our son to be able to recognize the letters and it's also helping with being able to make the sound of the letter as well. That’s just one of the examples of the wonderful things she does with the children. I think that there are some great in home day cares as well as daycare facilities, you just have to put some time into finding which works best for you and your family. Good luck!

Rachel - posted on 11/03/2010

A lot of "home-daycares" are not monitored very well, so they can get away with a lot. However, so can a stay-at-home-mom if she's not a good one. I'd find a licensed child care center if you can. If there are multiple teachers, then someone is always around to make sure that the other adults are doing their job properly. Good luck.

Sarh - posted on 11/03/2010

I refuse to put my children in an in-home daycare, unless I know the provider. I put my daughter in a daycare center. She was in a Kinder Care (not sure if there are any around you), it was amazing. It is like preschool, they even "teach"/play w/the babies.

Laura - posted on 11/03/2010

I used a in home daycare and I loved it. It was small enough to give my boys enough attention and it was always the same person there so we knew who was taking care of them and we trusted her. We were luck if one of her kids were sick she could send them some where but if she was sick you're kidda SOL. I guess it just depends on how fexable the person you find is or how flexible you can be.

Medic - posted on 11/03/2010

Well beind DEPENDABLE is important......so daycare centers are always open wether or not the teacher is sick, they will call a sub. In home daycares close when the person running it is ill and the same goes for stay at home moms.