Daycare vs Nanny care

Are you a working parent wondering about the best care to give to your child? Parents are often torn between enrolling their kids in daycare or hiring a nanny to stay with them at home. You are not alone in agonizing over this decision. This article compares daycare vs nanny care in different aspects.

Nanny care Vs Daycare Research

We all agree that the best care for our kids is our care as parents.  The quality of child care offered to your child impacts many aspects of the child’s development. Research done by Howes and Olenik, 1986 on toddlers aged 18, 24, and 36 months at home in daycare proved that children in high-quality centers showed more cooperativeness and compliance.  The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development study analyzed the relationship between childcare characteristics, development, and experiences. The study was conducted on children subjected to different forms of care, including nanny care and daycare center, from birth to age 18.

The study concluded that children in daycare centers were more likely to get respiratory infections than children cared for at home. Additionally, the study revealed that the type of childcare does not impact the baby’s development. Noteworthy, the main factors that affect a child’s development are the home environment, parent education, and the parent-child relationship quality. Hence as a parent, prioritize your child’s well-being before trusting someone else to take care of them. Spend quality time with your child for their proper development.

What is quality child care?

Before deciding on the best care to put your child under, let’s first understand what quality child care is.

It is not only daycare or a nanny that a child needs but cares and love to replace the hours their parents are working. Non-parental care is important in the cognitive and behavioral development of a child. Positive outcomes are attributed to the daily happiness and security of the child and the parent’s satisfaction with the child’s care.

Quality child care is a warm and supportive interaction with adults in a healthy and safe environment. Early education and trusted relationships mix to support a child’s emotional, social, physical, and intellectual development.  Before settling for the type of child care for your baby, consider if it fulfills the above definition.

Is Daycare better than hiring a Nanny?

While we may think that choosing a nanny and daycare is about the baby, the most important is what suits the baby and the parents best. Factors like finances matter a lot when making this decision. A skilled nanny will help with housework and run errands, reducing the mother’s work. When the mother is cared for, she can take good care of the family.

On the other hand, a quality daycare center will expose a baby to social interaction, which is good for the child’s development.

Nanny Care

Pros

• Works well with your schedule
• Custom care for the child
• Can help reduce housework for the mum.

Cons

• Expensive
• Need for tax-related paperwork
• Lack of oversight

Daycare

Pros

• Structured space and hours
• More social interaction for the child
• Feels like preschool for the baby.

Cons

• Exposure to germs
• High staff turnover
• Inflexible with parent’s schedule
• Can be expensive

Factors to Consider when Choosing Between Nanny care and Daycare

Before deciding on what care to subject your child to, Consider the following factors;

1. What is your schedule? Are you working full-time? What hours are you committed to working? Do your hours collide with daycare closing and opening hours?
2. Cost. You have probably heard before that childcare is expensive. Yes, Childcare is a huge expense added to your monthly or weekly budget. Before deciding between a daycare and a nanny, scrutinize your budget. Nannies may be slightly more expensive than daycare but will offer more flexibility and cut other expenses. For example, you may need a laundry person to come into the house when you do not have a nanny.
3. Back-up care. Do you have backup care if your child falls sick? Or will you need to take some time off from work? Can a family member come and watch your baby when you are at work? What will happen if your child falls sick? Your child may fail to get the required attention when sick at daycare. A nanny will be available to pay close attention to the baby
4. Social Interactions – A child needs social interaction, especially when learning to speak. A daycare is a center for kids and many toys that can be loud and stimulating. Consider your child’s personality and if a daycare environment would overwhelm them. With a nanny, you can plan and communicate how to ensure your child socializes with kids. Maybe the nanny can take the child for a playdate.
5. Personal Attention – In a daycare where there are a lot of kids, your child may not get full attention from the staff. For nannies, a one-to-one relationship can be a form of extension of your parenting style.
6. Education – Daycare may offer many early childhood programs to prepare your child for school. It might be expensive for you if you hire a nanny with an educational background in early childhood. But if you are okay with the cost, a personal nanny will teach your child and prepare them for preschool.

Wrap Up!

If you decide that a nanny is the best option, remember you become an employer and need to adhere to salary payment rules. Choosing the type of childcare you want is a personal decision. Depending on the child’s age and personality, choose the best for them. By age, I mean it wouldn’t be advisable to leave a 6-month-old baby at a daycare center.