Day care

[Cumberland]

DH and I decided we just cant make ends meet and I am going to have to work part time. The funny thing is that I really want to work part time, I just dont want to HAVE to work. But as the time gets closer ( i am going to teach nursing clinicals two days a week, at the same hosp when DH will be), I dont want my precious baby girl in daycare. I just dont. The university day care is ninety dollars a week for full time and they dont offer part time. I am assuming she can go part time but I will still pay for full time. I was thinking about getting a nanny, but dont know the going rate, I would bet it is about ten bucks an hour which means I could pay a nanny for 9 hours what I would pay the daycare center for 50 hours. Serious rambling here....... I just dont want my baby to be in a kid factory.

Wow! 8O Daycare prices sure vary by region -- $90 per week sounds like a great deal.

As to the daycare situation, I had a really hard time finding a daycare that: a) had a room for kids under 18 months old, b) wasn't unbelievably expensive, and most importantly, c) was a place I would feel good about taking my baby. But, thank goodness, I found a great daycare and preschool that my daughter still goes to. My point is, you might be able to find a daycare setting you are comfortable with. It was more expensive than some other places I looked and I paid full time even though I only used 4 days per week -- it was well worth it for the quality. I'm sure they would let you use as little time as you wanted as long as you are paying the full time rate. But do you like the hospital day care center? If not, the nanny option may be a good one. You might want to find someone to share a nanny with and alternate days or something like that. One downside of that is if the person is sick or goes on vacation you might have to scramble for coverage. In home daycares are a good option too and can be more flexible about the full/part time stuff.

[mommax3]

I don't know a whole lot about daycare, but the church-based preschools I have used since my oldest was two have always had kids there whose moms worked part-time. My current preschool has regular hours from 9 to 3, for less than $20 a day (and they do take babies) and there is an early care option that begins at 7:45 for only $2.25 more. I have used this occasionally when I have subbed at my older boys' school.

It might be worth checking out some of the preschool/mom's day out programs in your area since you really only need care two days a week. http://www.naeyc.org is a good resource for finding accredited preschools.....the one we use now is not accredited, but the one we used in San Antonio was and I LOVED it.

Good luck! I understand about not wanting your baby in daycare, but in hindsight, if I could have found a part-time option when I had my first, I think I would have considered it.....you may end up getting the best of both worlds!

Sally

[HeartRN]

Wow, $90 sounds great! We pay $200/week for full time at the hospital. You may want to see if another mom or dad who also works part-time would want to share a full time day care spot with you. That's the only way they will do part-time care at our facility--just an option to think about if you feel comfortable with the hospital facility. I was dead set against it initially, and I cried for about 2 weeks when I went back to work after maternity leave (Keelin was only 8 weeks old)--but her caregiver is consistent and she's worked at the facility for over 20 years, so I know she gets great care. The thing that sucks about daycare is always getting sick, but I figure it's now or later! I just keep pumping breastmilk and nursing at home hoping it helps!! (Plus, I love nursing! ) I'm sure you'll find something that's a good fit for you. Believe me, I am right there with you about hating the feeling of going back to work because you HAVE to. I repeat this mantra all of the time...only temporary, only temporary, this situation is only temporary......*sigh* Hang in there.

http://www.naeyc.org is a good resource for finding accredited preschools.....the one we use now is not accredited, but the one we used in San Antonio was and I LOVED it.

Great suggestion! I think it is a reliable source of information. The preschool we are using in Portland is accredited by this organization and I think they do a good review of the schools.

If you are going to use a day care, be sure to get references and talk to other parents who are currently going there, and maybe have olders kids (who can talk). I don't want to sound paranoid, but this is your precious baby and you want her to have the best care. I would also caution you against enrolling in a new center -- they are untested and you don't want to be the lab rat.

Also, have you considered hiring a SAHM to watch her for you? Maybe someone with another baby the same age? You could check with churches who have mother's groups, or other play groups in your area. I watch two boys 2X/week, and it works for both of us. I am extremely biased here, but I think babies get better care in a "home" rather than a "center."

I hope you can find something you are comfortable with. Working part-time sounds like a great option.

[houseelf]

$90 a week for a center 8O 8O 8O The cheapest center care for an infant here is $220/week!

I agree with what has been said here about in-homes. I think that babies tend to do better in smaller environments. I have looked at both centers and in-homes and even with the center that I liked the best (a christian university daycare center with a fantastic child/provider ration because of the students) I still didn't like the fact that there were ten cribs lined up in a brightly lit room. It just seemed that a baby would be overwhelmed with all that stimulation. But that is my .02.

BTW, this will be the most difficult decision that you make. I wish you the best of luck.

Kelly

a SAHM might be a great idea to look into- check the newspapers, flyers at supermarkets and talk to people in the area for references...you might find a nice in-home daycare from an unexpected source!

My daughter has been in a small "daycare" setting part time since she was 5 months old. I do hate leaving her, but we need my income right now. The daycare is run by 2 sisters who have about 6 or 7 kids there each day- most of them are toddlers- when Carly started there - only one other infant was there so she got plenty of personal attention.

I hope you find something great. I agree that $90 a week is great! Are you able to tour that facility, sit in on a few hours to watch the staff, do you know anyone that uses them?

[Phoebe]

Ok... a little off the subject. You parents talking about daycare or not wanting to put your child in daycare, that is why I am a SAHM now. But yesterday my 2.5 year old told me she wanted to go to daycare. She was asking about her friend down the street and I explained daycare and why Seth goes there. She reiterated to me again today that she wants to go to daycare. I feel so bad! I know she just wants to play with her friend, but maybe I am not doing a good enough job! :|

Jennifer

[Sheherezade]

But yesterday my 2.5 year old told me she wanted to go to daycare.

When we moved to our Boston suburb, the situation my 2 year old daughter faced was quite different than what my son had experienced when he was a 2 year old in Baltimore. There were NO kids to play with her age!!! We spent a year trying to meet other moms and children but ultimately I put her in a morning preschool program at 3 y.o. She loves it. Sometimes I feel like it is silly to spend the money when I am home, but it is the community norm and she needs the socialization. In Baltimore, I ran a co-op parents group when my son was 2 and 3 with 10-12 family members. We had plenty of kid friends....here, there is no one--or actually, there was ONE, but the family moved away <SOB> . I think you have to decide what your child needs. Sometimes it is a good idea to put them in something if they don't have playmates, even if you are SAH. (JMHO.....very humble.....)

Angie

[mommax3]

Jennifer, my oldest son used to ask to go to daycare all the time when he was 2. There was a Kinder-Care at the entrance of our subdivision and he thought they had cool playground equipment. He went to preschool 2 days/week, but he just wanted to try out the cool slide that the kindercare kids got to play with.

Don't take it personally! It is a good thing we parents aren't in it for the compliments and appreciation, right?

Sally

[PrincessFiona]

Ok... a little off the subject. You parents talking about daycare or not wanting to put your child in daycare, that is why I am a SAHM now. But yesterday my 2.5 year old told me she wanted to go to daycare. She was asking about her friend down the street and I explained daycare and why Seth goes there. She reiterated to me again today that she wants to go to daycare. I feel so bad! I know she just wants to play with her friend, but maybe I am not doing a good enough job! :|

Jennifer

Jenn,

My kids still ask to go to afterschool care some days. I have to admit that if I were a kid, I might want to go myself...they get to play with their friends, put off doing their homework, do crafts, swing on the monkey bars, etc. There is no nagging mom there to make them clean their room before they go outside or to send their friends home if they start acting up. Of course, there is also no mom there to kiss skinned knees or listen to their woes...but some days I admit it is an inviting option for all of us

kris