Please Help! I Cant Decide Which Is Best for My Newborn!!!!

You might look into a nanny share arrangement. We did this with my daughter for a year when I went back to work. We shared a nanny with another family with a baby the same age and the nanny watched both babies at the same time. Those parents worked from home so the nanny was always at their house but other people switch houses week to week. It is a way to lower the cost but have the advantage of a lot of individual attention. We found our share on craigslist.

M., I am a first time mom whos son is now 9 months old...my do they grow fast. I had a TERRIBLE time with daycare issues at the start. I had a friend that was all excited to Nanny for us, then on the third day, she text messaged that she could not do it anymore.

Then while I was looking, my son was in a "Grandparent" care situation. The best darn month of all our lives. But as I looked into Nannies vs. Daycare, I found that daycare can offer a bunch more for a child, if you pick it right.

I found a place in Livermore that was looking to raise the daycare providers son with another baby. They believe in the 2 by 2 situation (2 of each age) so there is an age appropreate child there to learn and play with.

My friends have a very smart child in a Nanny position, but he is missing out on socialization. My son does things much earlier than babies in nanny situations.

I found my provider on Craigslist and I swear, I have friends now raising my son. They treat him like he is their own. He is not lost in the crowd of the other children. The kids all call out his name when I bring him in first thing in the morning. He is the " Norm" of daycare.

Do your research and do what feels right. That is the biggest thing. I felt after my research that private in home care was the best way to achieve the care I wanted for my son. His father and I love going to get our very happy, well taken care of boy.

He has never once cried as I felt. He feels safe and loved where he is. Which is important for those 40 hours a week I leave my most precious son there.

Good luck. I do know a few places in the Concord area that are WONDERFUL. If you decide to do a nanny, pay the money to register with one of the sites. That way, they are screened before hand.

Congrats!

Hi! Have you considered sharing a nanny with a neighbor or friend? Your newborn will sleep and eat every two hours for the first few months, which makes it slightly easier for a sitter to multitask between kids.

I can't imagine being in this position. We are lucky, I work 3 days and we have family close that help our the days I work so we have been so lucky. I don't like the daycare centers, but the at home day care, well, fewer people there to watch over everything. Especially since the newborn can't tell you when someone is doing something wrong or neglecting the child. I do know someone that I would use if I were sending my kids to daycare. It is out of home, in Pleasant Hill. She calls it Rugrat Ranch. She is amazing and Karen is the only person I would have trusted with my infants. If you don't have another friend that can recommend someone then I would only use a center. At least until the child is 2 and can let you know when something is wrong. At least at a center there are many different people working there plus, parents picking up and dropping off all the time so it's almost like they always have to be on their best behaviour. Best of luck deciding. If you do go with Karen get in touch with her soon since I know when school starts she will have a new batch of kids to look after and if you have to get on a list then you want to do it soon.