Childcare??

#16
The nanny agencies do background checks etc....which is good and hassle free fo you....JUST make sure they have experience with your AGE child...some nannies are great with older kids vs.younger ones...
 
#17
I don't know if you are settled on having a nanny but if not, here is my ringing endorsement for daycare. I was a stay-at-home mom with my 1st two until the oldest was almost 2 and the middle was almost 1. Then I went back to school and got pregnant. My youngest started daycare at 4 mos. I never thought I would use daycare, but I am so glad now that I did. My now almost 4 and almost 3 year olds have learned so much, both academically and socially, and my now 1 year old has really blossomed into a great toddler. If you are in a big city, I would start my search with the nationally accredited ones. Visit often, talk to the director and the staff, and most importantly, trust your instincts. If you get a bad feeling from the place, move on (I would say that this applies to nannies, too). Now and then, my husband and I get frustrated with the kids' school for little things and we think about just getting a nanny - it would even be cheaper - but we always come back to two big things:
1. At daycare/school, there are always other "eyes"
2. At daycare/school, the caretaker CAN take a break.
My sister has a live-in nanny who she is quite comfortable with but they butt heads. In her case, it is maturity issues (the nanny is a recent college grad), nothing serious, just lack of courtesty and consideration that comes with age and experience. She does have one thing that we do not which is a large social circle with lots of other nanny/child combos. This, I think, is a must. The nanny and the kids can get out and play with other nannies and kids. Everyone involved has a "support network". Good luck. And don't let anyone give you a hard time not doing it completely on your own. Daycare or not, nanny or not, you are raising your child the best you can, using your best judgement.
 
#18
Some of the best Nanny agencies are in CA!!! I emailed a girlfriend of mine for a suggestion. I will post as soon as I hear from her. I have not forgotten! You should ofcrouse do what makes yuo happy ALWAYS. Everyone has thier own ideas of what works best for them! I have had great nanny experiences....that is not to say Childcare is bad...I speak only from what I have experienced! I will be in touch.
 
#19
kylieReese said:
Thanks for everyones 2 cents.. I never had a babysitter throughout my daughters 19 monthes. My mom helped me in the beginning, now she lives in Hawaii. After just reading your story TWINKIE, it kinda confirmed my fear of Kylie coming home with bruises and such, because a daycare provider can't be watching over your child 24/7 so it leaves a lot of kids to play (rough or not).. That is the only thing I'm scared of is older kids picking on her. I just have problems letting go since we've never been apart. Where do I look for nannies? I tried calling a few I found on Craigslist this morning... a few I couldn't even speak to because they didn't speak much english. Should I be looking through those sites that charge to find you a nanny? Since I can't really interview any daycares for the timebeing, I don't totally trust DH to choose one. :lol: :lol: So I'm thinking of just getting a nanny for these two weeks and when I can get out to look at daycares. I want to enroll her in one to prepare her for preschool. I don't want her to be shocked her first day because she never had experiences playing with a bunch of children together.
Click to expand...

Outside of the two weeks that you need help with her, is the line highlighted above the only reason that you are looking for daycare?

If so...may I offer my experience? I hope I don't get flamed...this is just my opinion.

Nothing can replace time spent with Mommy. Nothing. When my boys were younger, I was active in my local chapter of MOMS Club. (Moms Offering Moms Support). I meant so many other stay at home moms right in my immediate area. It was a new chapter, and had to split into two groups after a year because we had over 150 members! You get a monthly calendar of events...playgroups, parkdays, activity days, etc. You pick and choose what you want to go to and what you don't. I can tell you, it made such a difference in my life just to be around other Moms (or Dads) that stayed home with their kids and knew what we went through everyday. I have a few very special friendships that developed from this, and we are still great friends now.

This alone prepared both my guys for preschool. They were around kids there own age...and as a mom, I got to gab with the other ladies while they played. They both started preschool when they were 3 and potty trained. They transitioned beautifully.

Just a thought.

http://www.momsclub.org/welcome.html

MOMS Club is an international organization, and there are over 2000 chapters in the US alone.
Here is a link to the SOME of CA chapters: (not all of them have links to their chapters)
http://www.momsclub.org/links.html#California
 
#21
When I was 18 I worked at 2 different daycares. It was horrible! They were very mean to the kids... and keep in mind that I live in a really nice suburban part of GA. Some of the teachers were really nice but half of them were pure evil who did NOT need to be working with kids. The Director of the daycare even told me that one child was still in diapers because he was "stupid" right in front of him! All they did was talk and gossip all day. It makes me really scared to put any of my children in daycare. =(
 
#22
I also wanted to add that maybe you should get a nanny that way you know what goes on, and set up playdates with other kids her age. Maybe other kids in your area... or take her to the park to play with other kids. I'm sort of a full time mommy, except it's my sister and not my daughter. I stay home with her all day. I take my baby sister to the park a lot and she loves to play with the kids there.
 
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