Arranging child care

[meandthebump]

My husband has beet fretting about childcare as one of his work colleagues has already booked his unborn baby into nursery for January 2010 I can't believe you have to do it so far in advance but thought i'd mention it in case any other first timers hadn't thought to look into it so soon.

Anyway, I spoke to a childminder today who has been highly recommended by two people i know. She sounded lovely and has vacancies for when i need it so i'm going to go and visit her for more of a chat and to see her home arrangements. Does anyone have any thoughts on the difference between child minders and nurseries? It's really nice to be able to go somewhere recommended by a friend so at the moment i'm thinking that this child minder will be my best option.



Thanks for your thoughts/experiences.

 

[angelcake89]

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[mudgey]

Id recommend a nanny if you can afford one but then thats only because I am one

A lot of the more popular nurseries do have very long waiting lists so check them out early if you are definitely wanting to use one even if wont be for a long time. Ive worked in a variety of nurseries and we used to get loads of pregnant women having a look around and putting their babies names down for a years time!!

One thing with nurseries is be very careful choosing, I have seen some truly awful ones and some things that go on you wouldnt believe!! Of course there are lovely ones too but make sure you check them out thoroughly. And dont just go on the Ofsted report either, they dont really tell you what goes on in them. And be warned just because it looks lovely doesnt mean it is, the staff are all warned when a parent is due to be shown round so everyone is on best behaviour, any crying children are comforted (that might sound silly but it isnt always the case ) and the best toys are put out and everything is tidied. Id do at least a few visits at varying times of the day and visit lots of nurseries so you can compare.

Hope I havent scared anyone but I know Ive worked in some places where I wouldnt want them looking after an animal let alone my baby!!

 

[jellyk]

Personally, if I can't be at home to look after my baby, I would rather they be at someone else's home and have them look after him rather than in a nursery.

I too have seen some awful nurseries in very respectable areas (I did some supply whilst teacher training and was treated like dirt!) and it worries me to think of leaving my baby in a place with lots of children and a high turn over of staff. At least with a child minder it is only them that you are leaving your child with and they have that stability. Of course I am generalising here, but these are my own personal views and I don't want to offend anyone!

I would be happy leaving my child in a nursery when they are older as I think it is important for them to socialise.

I am sort of hoping a solution to my child care problem will present itself over the next few months!

 

[scones]

I feel like jellyk, I wouldnt use a nursery but would rather use a childminder for the one to one and the fact that my baby would be allowed to slepp when they wanted to, not 'put down' when all the other babies were.

I work at a preschool, we take them from 2 years, I think preschools are better than nurseries as the ages are mixed up and the turnover of staff is usually less and the staff are usually mums themselves,however these are usually term time only.
Id put my child in the preschool where I work at.

 

[beanie]

I feel like jellyk, I wouldnt use a nursery but would rather use a childminder for the one to one and the fact that my baby would be allowed to slepp when they wanted to, not 'put down' when all the other babies were.

my daughter's nursey was very flexible and she would have a nap when she was tired - I remember picking her up early and she was zonked out in her cot whilst all the other babies were having messy time so I had to ask them to call me when she woke. They worked to her schedule, I had to fill out a very detailed questionnaire so they knew what she wanted. Ask around. I had no worries about leaving my fdaughte in a nursery as I had checked it out, the staff had been there for ages (her keyworker at 6 months is now her keyworker at 3) and I was uneasy about leaving her with a childminder. Look around and find out what options work for you.

 

[Becky]

My daughter's nursery is just like Beanie's. The children are put for a nap when and where they prefer. Some of the children sleep in cots, some on their keyworker's lap, others in the room with the other children on mats etc. The nursery is fab because in all aspects they try to be led by the children, especially with sleeping and eating.

I think the issue of what kind of childcare depends on your child's personality and also your own lifestyle. With a childminder you're dependant on them so if they're sick you need to make alternate arrangements but with a nursery it's open all the time. However some children will be better off in the smaller childminder environment.

DD went to nursery from 10 months old and she has always loved it and got on really well but I think in part because it's a smallish nursery - the baby unit only has 9 children which I think is good.

Personally I would book places early if you need to but wait to make your mind up until you have got to know your child and what suits their personality.

 

[meandthebump]

Thanks for all your thoughts on child minders and nurseries. I think it's going to be hard leaving my baby with anyone. I wish i lived closer to family so they could help out a bit but unfortunately thats not an option. We are thinking that we'll try to work out our hours to minimise child care so i'm hoping to drop to working 4 days and my husband is hoping he could do compressed hours so work 4 days. That way we'd only need 3 days in child care.

Another thing i do want to check with child care people is what they feed the children. A friend of mine has a nursery which she's generally happy with but the food they feed her toddler is terrible. It's really annoying when she makes an effort to feed him properly and then the nursery feed them cheap rubbish full of salt and additives. So, that question will be high on my list!

 

[Jaidy]

My son used to attend nursery, and the nursery was great until his main keyworker left and then it went terribly downhill. All standards seemed to slip which was not good.

Also Zachary was always, always ill being in nursery, simply because some mothers would send there children in when they were still a bit poorly and im sure the nursery staff were reluctant to send children home but obviously cant prove this. No child should be as poorly as my son was last winter!!!

It was that bad that he had hearing problems, and now they have cleared up, the ear nose and throat consultant told me that Zachary probably got glue ear as a result of all the colds he picked up at nursery, and now he has been removed the problem has resolved it self.

This is the main reason I pulled my son out of nursery, due to his heath. Since he has been looked after by a nanny and a very good friend of mine and he has come on leaps and bounds.

I would definately not recommend nursery unless there is no other option, but this is only down to my personal experience.

 

[mudgey]

Thanks for all your thoughts on child minders and nurseries. I think it's going to be hard leaving my baby with anyone. I wish i lived closer to family so they could help out a bit but unfortunately thats not an option. We are thinking that we'll try to work out our hours to minimise child care so i'm hoping to drop to working 4 days and my husband is hoping he could do compressed hours so work 4 days. That way we'd only need 3 days in child care.

Another thing i do want to check with child care people is what they feed the children. A friend of mine has a nursery which she's generally happy with but the food they feed her toddler is terrible. It's really annoying when she makes an effort to feed him properly and then the nursery feed them cheap rubbish full of salt and additives. So, that question will be high on my list!

It depends on the nursery as to what they feed the children, most now have to follow quite strict guidelines though and generally the meals have improved a lot. The nurseries I've worked in usually have fruit and milk and water for snacks, then a cooked meal for lunch which always includes vegetables and is something like pasta, meat and potatoes, casseroles or shepherds pie. Then tea would be something more snack like such as jacket potatoes or beans on toast.

With babies in nurseries its just pureed fruit and veg like you would do at home, then as they get older its just what the older children have but mashed up.

Im not sure about childminders but as a nanny I feed home cooked food which I usually make myself, its generally whatever the parents want though and you have a lot more say obviously with a nanny than a nursery. Hope that helps.

 

[ejjie]

I've been thinking this over and over since I got my BFP. I am leaning more towards a childminder than a nursery. I went to a childminder when I was a kid and I think if you find the right person it's a nicer environment.

Although saying this, I would like my kid to be socialising with other children in bulk too so they are ready for school so maybe a pre school a day a week or something later on. I don't even know if you can mix and match like that?

I'm worried now that I should be thinking about this already!

 

[mudgey]

I've been thinking this over and over since I got my BFP. I am leaning more towards a childminder than a nursery. I went to a childminder when I was a kid and I think if you find the right person it's a nicer environment.

Although saying this, I would like my kid to be socialising with other children in bulk too so they are ready for school so maybe a pre school a day a week or something later on. I don't even know if you can mix and match like that?

I'm worried now that I should be thinking about this already!

You can mix and match as much as you like, its your baby and you can do whatever is best for you A childminder would usually go to baby and toddler groups during the day anyway though so you would get some socialising anyway. The little boy I nanny for used to do nursery 2days and have me 2days, now hes older he has me 4days but goes to pre school twice a week and we also do toddler groups a lot so he gets a mix of both. Its entirely up to you what you choose and you can do something different everyday if thats what suits you best