When it came to deciding on childcare for Charlie, hiring a nanny was the only option we considered. We loved the convenience and individual attention that a nanny provided, and because I work from home, I could pop in and see Charlie whenever I wanted. My friend on the other hand, who’s a working mother of two, vastly prefers daycare, though she actually pays more for daycare than she would a nanny. Since she works outside the home, she loves that the teachers are supervised (whereas a nanny would not be), and that her children get tons of socialization without having to enroll in any extra curricular activities.
Deciding on childcare is obviously a very personal decision, and what works for one family may not work for another. We recently transitioned Charlie from a full-time nanny to full-time daycare so I thought I’d dig into the pros and cons of a nanny vs. daycare to help those that are currently navigating the childcare waters.
A nanny was definitely the right choice for us when Charlie was a baby, but now at 21 months of age, I think he can also greatly benefit from daycare. I wouldn’t have considered daycare as an option until I realized just how much Charlie has grown up the past couple of months due to a recent language explosion. Full-time daycare is also about half what we were paying for a full-time nanny, which was another big factor in our decision.
Still in an ideal world if money were no object, I’d want Charlie to attend daycare part time three days a week (9am – 1pm) so that he gets that classroom structure and experience with other authority figures. And then I’d want him to be with a nanny in the afternoons and the other two full days. He is a very active and curious little boy, and I loved that he was able to go to the zoo, aquarium, children’s museum, library, or any adventure he wanted. While a classroom setting is definitely a great experience for him, I think full days are a lot for a toddler his age because he’s so verbal and aware, but not yet mature enough to understand the concept of school. I’m sure he will make the transition, but I have to admit this first week has been a little hard because he cries at drop off. More on that in another post. 
How did you decide which childcare option was right for your family?
Hiring a Nanny part 1 of 2
1. The Pros and Cons of Nannies vs. Daycare by Mrs. Bee2. The Financial Cost of a Nanny vs. Daycare by Mrs. Bee
Daycare part 1 of 8
1. The Pros and Cons of Nannies vs. Daycare by Mrs. Bee2. The Financial Cost of a Nanny vs. Daycare by Mrs. Bee
3. Preparing for Daycare by Checklists
4. The Daycare Juggle: Five Tips for Getting into a Good Groove by Ms. Fairy Wings
5. the best back-to-school books by Mrs. Cowgirl
6. Best Toddler Backpacks by Guides
7. The Well-Packed Daycare Bag by Mrs. Stroller
8. Why We Decided to Send Charlie to Daycare at 18 Months by Mrs. Bee
GOLD / apricot / 337 posts
Great post! As Emma gets older we are definitely going to consider daycare since we see how much she enjoys socializing with other children. Right now, her primary caretaker is my mom and I can already see how she has learned that grandma loves her to pieces and will do anything for her… so I don’t want her to be too spoiled!
guest
This was a hard decision for us. In the end we decided that a nanny was a better option while our son is very young. I like that he’s in our home, has one-on-one attention, and the convenience is huge. When he is a little older (I’m guessing 18 months?) we will probably switch to daycare/nursery school in order for him to have some time with other kids and get used to a more structured/scheduled environment.
apricot / 321 posts
i was so stressed out about returning to work i didn’t want to add dropping off/picking up into the mix. plus my husband’s schedule is really unpredictable so i knew it would be 100% my responsibility. i’d also seen my niece get sick often during her first year of daycare. although she loved her teachers and playmates, i didn’t want to worry about this so a nanny was the best choice for us. we were lucky to find a family with a baby the same age as max who were looking to do a nannyshare, so we were able to cut costs by half. we do one week at our place and then one week at their place, and it’s working out great so far.
guest
I love the daycare we have. It’s an in-home daycare, with only 2 other children. It’s a perfect balance for us. B gets to socialize with other children outside our home, but he still gets the attention he needs.
guest
Our in-laws live with us, so I’m grateful to have my MIL watch my girl while my husband and I head off to work. It was hard leaving her at first… and I’m so glad she’s in the hands of someone she loves and we trust. When she gets older I do want to put her in daycare though just to give her more of a structured learning environment and have her interact socially on a regular basis with other kids her age.
pea / 10 posts
About 6 months ago I put my oldest at 3.5yrs into daycare, we always had grandma watching my kids, but i felt that he needed more structure and routine. He did so well that at 2 I decide my daughter needed to learn how to socialize better and develop a routine as well. So currently they go twice a week from 830-230 and it works out great, grandma’s get a break and the baby mason at 11 can get some one on one attention. He just qualified for early intervention due to physical and motor skills. The therapist believes its not development or genetic just that he really didnt have the push from any adults, I can understand that, hopefully this route will work out for him as well. I hope to get him into daycare at 2 yrs old at well if he is not still doing early intervention.
olive / 50 posts
Having been a nanny for the past 7+ years, I’m all about getting a nanny.
Its great if you live in a neighborhood with kids your child’s/children’s age(s). I’ve done a lot of activities that I think SAHMs would do to get their kids some social interaction: go to the park, the library, storytimes, playdates, etc. This also gets me adult interaction–yay!
Now two of the kids are in elementary school and that leaves me with just one kiddo. He goes to preschool in the mornings, except for Friday, and we hang out the rest of the time. It’s a great combination of both worlds.