Nanny vs Childcare Agency

Hi L.,
I am now just pregnant with my first child, so I can't give you advice from a Mom's stand point...
But what I can do is give you advice from someone who saw first hand how a child growing up at home can be a great blessing for the WHOLE family. I was recently a nanny for a wonderful family for almost 4 years. I had the oldest son from the time he was 13 weeks old until he was 4+. And his sister since she was just born. As a Mom, YOU set the rules. We just follow :) Thankfully, I was there in the early stages, so naps and stuff was a learning experience for us all and I was able to help get a schedule for them.
But the main thing being.. they get their OWN bed, their OWN clean toys. And if you get a nanny that loves her job and loves your kids, then she will do crafts with them and take them to the park, read with them, etc. We did all those things! And LOVED it!!
I realize that it takes a lot to keep a child home. A nanny is no cheap price. But it was a BIG blessing for me and I know it was for the family I worked for. They became family to me. Their children were VERY well behaved and I know it had a big part in the "rules" always staying the same between their parents and myself. I would also suggest hiring someone that is on the same page as you (discipline styles, expectations of their job etc.)
My nanny family as well as my husband and I have all moved recently into different states, so I no longer watch those sweet babies. But the biggest blessing in that is their Mom now stays at home with them. She is LOVING it as I knew she would. They grow up SO fast! Enjoy it :)

i agree, my son stopped napping at 3 and that was a problem for him at preschool where they take designated naps, he would find it very hard to lie still on a mat for more that 5 seconds or so - 4 is usually too old to take much of a nap.
my son had a nanny/friend up until i was lucky enough to stop working and stay at home when he was four.
the nanny took him out everyday and loved him like he was her own child. interaction with other children is good, but he can get that from going to the park, young children do not really need to interact with other children as much as we think they do, they can interact just as well with other adults - and learn less bad habits (we would hope lol). my son had very little interaction with other children and is the most social child you will ever meet, he is homeschooled and most of his interactions are with adults.

I noticed that your son is almost 4...which is not uncommon for children that age to stop napping. Just a thought...maybe it's not the setting, but the child that is interferring with naps. No matter what route you decide, the only way to be 100% in control of your children's days is to stay home with them.

What if you had a nanny that was part of a mommy group? you could make it part of the employment arrangement. Then you get the best of both worlds. Private care, and interaction with other children.
Curious, were are you in Indiana?
I just moved from Indiana to San Antonio in Feb.