Daycare vs in Home (Finallying Thinking of a Daycare)

My in-home licensed day care provider is excellent! She listens to what I have to say and always gives constructive suggestions about my daughter's development.

My daughter started daycare when she was almost 4 months old and she loves the place and has been doing really well there.

I preferred a home day care too, since I wanted a more personal setting for her. Less infections and less chance of being lost in the group.

We did 2 in-home day cares and both were decent, BUT there were times when I dropped off at 7:00 (the time they opened and we were always the 1st ones there) and the provider was not ready for the day. I mean hair wet, no make up on and so on. My issue was, this is your business and you open at 7:00 and I am paying you. I expect you to be ready. Not taking my kid upstairs and putting them on a bed so you can dry your hair before the others get there! If the in home provider is ill or take a vacation, there may be a random friend or family member there in place of them. Again, not what you signed up for or are paying for.

If you go to a Center, you have a Director that is in charge. The employees have standards that are expected of them and if someone calls in sick, the center is still open. There are lots of other kids the same age for your child to socialize with. At in-home you may have kids 6 weeks to 6 years old in one room. No matter what, tour, tour, tour and sit in a classroom for 30-40 mins with your child. See hour the teachers respond to your child. See how the other children act in this class. Do they listen to the teachers or is it a free for all?

My son was in an in home daycare until he was almost two, and then he moved to a small center.

I LOVE the center. They cook once a week, do arts and crafts, learn songs, listen to music, play with blocks, the sand table, dress up, in the play kitchen, read books, do science experiments, play outside...

He was starting to get bored in the in home daycare - there just wasnt as much to do. And, as they say about idle hands - he was starting to get in trouble for getting into things at the home daycare.

I was worried about putting him in a center because I thought they were big and impersonal, but this one is small, homey feeling, and family like. I really love it and all the things he gets to do there.

My daughter has been there since she was 4 months, and I love it for her too. She has had the same caregiver there for the past year, and is in a room with just two other babies. .Its a wonderful situation.

They clean all the time. At her one year appointment, her doctor commented that she had only been brought in for one sick visit, ever. Just one ear infection - my son had three or four by the time he was one, and he had been in a home daycare at that point.

When I was researching home day care vs commercial day care (when my maternity leave was ending and my son was coming up on 3 months old) the news had just reported two 6 month olds who had died while at a home day care. It seems the Mom was planning a birthday party for her own kids and set the babies on an adult bed to nap. The babies pulled a blanket over their heads and suffocated.
I decided on a commercial day care. They have parents coming and going all day and see what goes on. It makes it much less likely they'll prop a baby up in a crib with a bottle and leave them there. If a care giver gets stressed, they can take a break and not take it out on the kids.
At a center - the care givers are there to watch the kids and I think they are more focused on watching the kids - they are not there to do their laundry, watch tv, surf the internet, have friends visit, or step out to do an errand when they think no one will notice (there was just something about THAT situation on the news just last week - some kids died in a fire while a woman went shopping and then she left the country when she was going to be charged).
When we started at the center, I asked them what they did in case of fire. The baby room could have up to 8 babies in it and I wondered how they managed. They showed me 2 cribs with wheels on them. They said in an emergency they put all the babies into the cribs (4 each) and wheel them out of the building. They actually did fire drills. The fire dept was right across the street from the center. It all made me feel better.
I just don't have it in me to trust what could go on in a home situation, although I'm sure there are some very good ones out there, but that's just me.

Personally, I wouldn't do homecare. By daughter has been in a daycare since she was 2 and loved it.

My concern or homecare is that you never know who is coming and going from the house. If perhaps the "weird" cousin or uncle is in town? I feel that at daycare, there are lots of eyes and lots of protocol.

Good luck in your decision. No matter what you decide, know that your son will have tons of fun and that the transition will be tough at first for both of you but hang in there and it will be a great experience!

I had my first born in a home setting till he was about one. I thought of moving him to a day care for more structure and learning. It was the BEST decision I have made! He has more kids his age to play with, he is learning SO much!

When he was 3 1/2 we welcomed another baby and I started her straigt at the daycare he is at in the infant room...I couldn't be happier!!!

My son started daycare at a woman's home was he was 13 weeks old... he loves it and has a group of friends that he talks about constantly. We went with a home daycare simply b/c that is what made me comfortable as a first-time mom. Dropping him with Miss Trudy is like leaving him with my cousin for the day. She and her aides love him like family and we have only positive experiences with them.

My best suggestion is go and see what is available in your area and ONLY use licensed providers- like many others will tell you... when you meet the "right one, you just know!"

Yes, you are making the right decision- consistent and reliable care is essential.

Hi, A.:

Shop, Shop, Shop for what you are looking for. What is your goal for the care of your baby?

Google: Daycare in..............(the city where you live). Visit the place in person and interview the staff before you make your final decision.
Good luck.
D.

We love our day care. i think if you do your research and find a good one, you'll be much happier. it's a more structured environment, your child will be in a room with kids his own age, learning age-appropriate things and doing more learning activities. not to mention that he won't have to deal with children much older than him in his room. it will cost more, but you will have much better piece of mind i think.

Like donna said, make sure you visit each place you're considering and talk to the teachers. most good places let you come in and talk to whomever you want to talk to.

It is going to be a more structured enviornment,it will cost more. They will be more in control of behavior issues. He will not be watching tv like he does at the babysitters. They may not hold him as much. I would visit a few local daycares during the middle of the day and see how they react with the kids. If you are running late after work that is an issue too. You or your fiancee will need to be there by a certain time or they may charge extra if it is past the time of pick up. Good luck. Think it through carefully before you make you final decision.

Pros- social interaction, group environment, usually open almost year-round, long hours available, cheaper than a nanny (but more expensive than an au pair if you have more than 1 kiddo)

Cons- stuck in the same room or rooms all day, more colds/illnesses than kids with nanny or au pair due to kids sharing germs, 3-1 care is still not 1-1 and some kids get neglected/not enough skill development, center closes when it closes and you pay extra for running over, you pay for days unused if you have full-time but don't need it for a week here and there, can be dirty/germy, less outdoor time (depends on the center); nannies can watch sick kids but daycares make you pick them up

I pulled my kids out of daycare (DD was in from 9 mos-26 mos; DS was in 12 weeks old-10 mos old) because they were just sick TOO often -- I had to miss too many days of work picking them up, taking care of them when they were mildly ill but still not allowed to return, and each ended up in the hospital with issues --DS a virus that landed him with a nebulizer for 3 months a few times a day. We got an au pair who lives with us and it has been great. We are on our second year with the program and about to interview for our third (our kids are now 3.75 yo, 2.5 yo, and have a baby due in May). Good luck on your decision!

A.,
I've read many of your posts about your babysitter and thank goodness you've decided to take your son out!!! At this point, I think the day care environment, given that you research the ones in your area, are probably going to be better than the babysitter's. Good luck to you and your little guy!