Daycare Verse Nanny

Be very careful with hiring a Nanny. I think this is a wonderful experience if you are confident with the person you hire. Children are "safer" at daycare in general but Nannys can be wonderful for a child if chosen carefully!

K., Is there any other daycares around that does not have as many children in it? Or a stay at home Mom who watches other children? This is what I learned from my children. If they stay at home all the time and get used to it, when they do have to go somewhere like school or even Subday School it makes it much harder for them to want to go because they were not use to being around anyone else. So in saying all of that I would look for another Day Care that didn't have as many children or someone that watches children in there home

We personally use a nanny now and have in the past when we lived in a larger city as well. We had our son in daycare for a few months and removed him because he was sick every few weeks and the other kids were showing him more bad habits than good ones.

I think interaction with peers is great, so I joined a moms group and have play dates for my son. But the one on one care with a nny cannot be beat im my opinion. One of our nannies taught him a few nursery rhymes and taught him some things we hadn't yet. So it also gives your child different experiences.

Good luck.

There are so many pros and cons to both. I will give you my personal experience. I believe daycare is awonderful thing (our daycare is!). They have helped teache my daughter things. Part of your daughter's independence has probably from going to daycare. She has friends there. She gets a great deal of socilization from daycare which is a big help when she has to go to "big school". I think daycares are great waya to assist parents in teaching your child. Is is possible to ask to have her put in another class?

Dear K.

I think you should use both. While one on one is great, she also needs to learn how to cope with other people and learn social skills. There are programs ou there called mother's day out the allow the child to come 2 or 3 days a week for half the day. HOPE THIS HELPS.

What if you got a nanny and also enrolled her in a mothers day out program a couple of day a week so she could be around her peers. There are plenty of places a nanny could take her to interact with others.

K., i will give you my own advise keep your daughter in daycare,besides the fact that she get to interact with other children, somebody else is watching the person who is with her versus a nanny at your house, you don't know what she can be doing to your daughter until it's to late, even if you think you got the best nanny in town. I had a nanny for my 20 month old baby girl, last week i fired her!!!i set a nanny web cam at my house when i came back and i watched the tape i saw how she took my daughter by her feet put her up side down, shake her several times, the grab her by her two hands and started to spin her around really hard.
best luck to you!!

Personally I would say a nanny would be much better. At her age she needs more close attention. But it is all a matter of personal opinion. My daughter was in a home daycare for 3 years and it was wonderful. It wasn't a nanny situation, but there were 3 stable ladies watching the kids and they were all family and the kids were the same and not more than 12 kids so they do get individual attention. I am super extra picky! I am sure you are too. I know my daughters previous care has opening b/c of kids going to school. She takes children 1-4. If you are interested just let me know!

Try hiring the nanny and have her take the child to classes such as kindermusik, gymnastics, playgroup, etc.
T.

I have a 17 month old. I love him being in daycare interacting with other kids his age. I have a cousin who has a little boy 1 week older than mine and she is a stay at home mom. We try to get the boys together to play whenever we can and I notice that sometimes my son is better sharing toys and interacting a little better b/c he is used to being around other children his age. But it's your own personal choice in the long run.

Hi,

Perhaps since your daughter is independent and smart, she might benefit from being bumped up to a class with slightly older toddlers if such a class is available. It could be that in a class of 16-24 month olds, there would be more fun activities (circle time, singing, games) on the part of the teachers and less time devoted to just basic care. If your current daycare is unable or unwilling to provide such a transition based on your daughter's particular needs/abilities, maybe you could shop around for other facilities that offer more for your daughter.

No matter which option you decide on (daycare or nanny) you may find that you have to continue to monitor closely to make sure that your daughter gets the type of one-on-one you seek. Her independent nature might frequently be interpreted as just "easy-to-care-for", when what she also needs is lots of attention and an enriching environment--maybe more so than the average child.

That's my two cents. :-) Good luck!

In the past, I directed a preschool/daycare for the air force, and I've read a lot of child development literature, also I'm a grandmother of four. (All that to say that I'm not an expert, of course, but I can make an "educated guess")

I recommend that, if you can afford it, a nannie at this age would be the optimal arrangement for your child. Right now, she is at a stage where her play in a group of her peers will be "parallel" to the other children, rather than really playing "with" them. Having her in a group with other children, and other caregivers, is good to broaden the circle of people with whom she feels comfortable, of course, but it will not be until about age 3 when she will really benefit developmentally from being in a play-group with other children her own age. Right now, a nannie who will spend one-on-one time with her, and expose her to new sights and sounds, stacking blocks, trying on hats and scarves, playing finger rhyme games, singing songs, reading books with her, taking walks outside and enjoying nature together, etc. would be more beneficial to her on a developmental level. Then, later, when she is ready to begin to learn to play "with" other children, a play-group will be an excellent choice.

My opinion is that a 14 month old does not really interact with other children her age. They parallel play, which means they play next to each other and enjoy seeing others, but they do not interact they way a three year old would. My suggestion would be to go with the nannie and then enroll your daughter in preschool when she is 3 or 4. She will thrive on the individualized attention now and be even more confident in herself as a preschooler later.

well as far as the will she get enough out of a personal nany i dont know....but looking into finding a stay at home mom who keeps other kids might be a good thing. As far is daycare any better then private care i don't think so. I have a 5 yr old son and my neice is only 5 weeks older then him. He was at home with me and she was in daycare and honestly you can't a difference in development. My son is a lil better behaved he doesnt throw the tantrums she does. But i think thats moree parenting then the daycare.

I was fortunate to have an at home mom to keep my daughter from 8 wks till 1st grade. She kept up to 4 kids at the most ever and had a few children of her own who were all in school. This was a great situation for me!

You may try that environment for your daughter. You get the best of both-- one on one and yet the interaction the toddlers needs to 'understand'.
The nanny approach is great if you can afford it but I just don't think I could /would have even done it.

Good luck to U!

LHW

If you are wanting to get a Nanny but want your child to interact with others you can always find play groups in your area. Your little girl and the Nanny could go to the play dates and get involved in someother child classes. I have a 9yr old that was in daycare for the first 4 yrs and I have a 3 yr old that has never been in daycare or with anyone else. Having both I see the pros and cons to the interaction. I have gotten me and my son involved in play groups and I love them.
Just my 2 cents
M.

Definitely the one on one care and teaching that could be provided by a nanny would be priceless. But it is still important that she learn social skills and how to interact with other children. If she never learns how, the when she gets to school you will run into the same thing. She will sit back while the other children get the majority of the attention in class.

Hire the nanny and she can set up playdates with other kids
The best of both worlds

A. - single mom of 6yr old girl

What daycare is she in now? You sound like you feel the same way we did about our daughter at that age. You want to make the most of the peak learning times and challenge your child to be the very best they can be.

Have you looked into a Montessori school for her? They have a different philosophy for daycare and for teaching, once the child reaches school age. They are usually more pricey than most other daycares, but shouldn't be any more expensive than a private nannie. If you like what Montessori has to offer, it could be the best of both worlds for you and your daughter.

Good luck!!!

Hey R. here,
I run an in-home daycare. Not trying to advertise to you but I just couldn't help notice your need of individual attention. I can keep 6 children in my home. An in-home daycare like mine can give individual attention and help her socialize. I like giving them and in-home environment. It helps with separation anxiety and I can also teach her what is not in a set curriculum. When my oldest 4 1/2 was in daycare they limited how much education she received. I pulled her out to give her the extra help and attention she needed. Her pre-k teacher says she is the smartest in her class. She can spell and write words independantly, and is starting to read. Just had to brag a little. Anyway, if you are in the Elberton, GA area and are interested call me ###-###-#### at home or ###-###-#### on my cell. You can also check out my website:
ga.local.yahoo.biz/tadpolesandpollywogs/
(type as is with no www and no .com)
If you know anyone else in my area send them my way.
Thanks in advance, -R.