Okay, so i have a 22 month old daughter and am 7 months pregnant with my son. Right now i have a temp job at a really great company and it seems like they might offer me the job permanently. I used to be a stay at home mom but now i want to go back to work. Scratch that i NEED to go back to work because its just too much for my husband to deal with all the finances by himself, especially now with the new addition. Im having trouble finding someone that i can really trust to care for my kids while i go back to work. Both sets of grandparents work and i dont really see either brother in law taking care of two little ones especially a 3 month old. im stuck between a rock and a hard place. Any suggestions?
Unless one can work from home I feel better about daycare but this is just my personal opinion.
I just do not like the idea of leaving my child with only one person around (which is usually not the case in daycare) just in case they are upto something but as I said this is my personal opinion and I know this works for a lot of people if they know someone they can trust with their child.
Absolutely!!! Consider an au pair. The cost is less then $8 an hour and you can schedule up to 45 flexible childcare hours per week. Of course, you need to have an extra bedroom in your house as au pairs come from other countries and live with their host family but it really works out well. The au pairs are screened and qualified with their childcare experience in their home countries and you can chose from many candidates. Let me know if you'd like to know more about it. I work for a great au pair agency and have met hundreds of terrific young men and women who come to the states for a year or two to be with a host family.
Ask everyone you know (and have your husband do the same) if they know of any great childcare providers. Referrals are a great starting point.
We found a terrific one through Craigslist. Just be sure to bring a list of questions for you when you meet providers (and there are some really wonderful ones out there!), check their licensing and then ask for and call some referrals. Most of all, trust your gut instinct. Our provider is a former preschool teacher and nanny who's been doing daycare for years. She's a real pro at it, genuinely loves kids and is almost like part of our family now.
Good luck!
Have you thought about an AuPair
Check out this site for some good information.
I am a busy working mom to an 18 month old. We both work....a lot. I travel...a lot. I am getting ready to think about having #2 and everyone who has had #2 knows that the real life shift isn't with baby #1, but with #2.
My saving grace: my au pair. She came the weekend I went back to work after 3 months of maternity leave. She is my right-hand. She does all the things I would do with my daughter if I were home all day. Play group on Monday, Music on Tuesday, Swimming on Wednesday, etc...and an occasional dinner out with my husband alone. For real, she is the best way I can figure out how to manage being a working mom and keeping it together. Check it out. Email me if you want more information about it. Hands down...the best decision you can make...even if you have to double up your kids in one bedroom....(I will be).
Start researching. What's easier for you? Daycare or nanny? For us, in Chicago, the cost was relatively the same, so we went with nanny.
We hired the first one we interviewed. We just had such an awesome feeling about her. She has been a BLESSING to my son, he loves her and I hear how great she is with him from all of the other SAHMs in our neighborhood.
www.sittercity.com is a good resource to go to. If you are in need of interview questions/contract, I'm happy to share what we used. Just PM me and I can email it to you.
Research, research, research. Here in CA, we have a resource and referral network that has a database of licensed daycares and homes that is really helpful, you may have one in your area as well. Ask other moms in your neighborhood or at work for referrals if they use daycare/nanny services.
I am not sure if you have resolved this or not but I would be able to talk to you about an au pair! It's a great way to go if you need flexibility and affordability!
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http://vbellisbrouk.aupairnews.com
