For parents with young children, deciding who to entrust with the care of your child whilst you are at work can be a difficult and stressful decision, after all it is a huge responsibility. With more and more parents choosing to return to work after their child in born, once the maternity or paternity leave has ended they are faced with the difficult question: Is it better to send my child to a nursery or a private childcare provider such as a nanny or childminder? Both options have their pros and cons, which must be carefully considered to decide what the right option is for the specific needs of your family and especially of your children.
Nursery: the advantages and disadvantages
Advantages:
- Socialising and stimulating: An environment such as a nursery is certainly stimulating for little ones. It allows them to develop their social skills, as they will be interacting not only with other children of the same age but also with other authority figures than their parents.
- Quality care: The staff are all qualified professionals, trained to a high standard and passionate about their work, who guarantee a reliable and quality service making sure that all children and parents feel at ease.
- Activities: Another positive aspect is that at nursery, children can find many games, books and other resources suitable for their age and aimed at stimulating their creativity and skills. Various recreational activities are then organised, which involve drawing, music and animated reading and which can help identify the attitudes of each child and prepare them for school.
- Cost: At the price level then, a nursery is generally cheaper than a nanny, because the care is not one to one but shared with the other children, although obviously it depends on the type of facility you choose.
- Reliable: Due to the professional nature of a nursery and there being multiple members of staff, it is very rare that the service will be unavailable due to illness or any other inconvenience and therefore you can count on not needing emergency childcare.
Disadvantages:
- Illness: Unfortunately nurseries cannot look after children when they are unwell due to the presence of other children at the facility, therefore if your child is ill they must stay at home. Additionally, due to the nature of lots of children interacting together in a confined space, it is likely that children may pick up illnesses and bugs from one another more frequently than they would at home.
- Inflexible: Another aspect to consider is that these facilities are characterised by little flexibility, because the hours are fixed you must be punctual both in the morning and when picking up the children. The child’s personality must also be considered, because the nursery setting is not suitable for everyone and may the overwhelming for some children.
Babysitters and Nannies: the advantages and disadvantages
Advantages:
- Choice and control: When you hire a babysitter or nanny, you definitely have more control over what your children do. The nanny or babysitter usually report to parents everything their child has done, from meals to activities, passing through any problems or behaviors worthy of praise. Normally, babysitters and nannies only take care of one child or one set of siblings and can therefore focus on the child’s needs and requirements, guaranteeing individual attention that can be lacking in nurseries, and also creating a special bond with the children.
- Flexibility: Hiring your own childcare provider also allows you to have greater flexibility because they will come to your home rather than you having to transport your child to them, and the working hours will be decided and agreed at your discretion, according to your needs and the availability of both parties.
- Continuity and Routine: With a nanny or babysitter, your children will enjoy continuity both in terms of space, because they will remain at home and nearby, and in terms of care, because when you find the ideal person you don’t let them escape easily and it is very common to keep the same babysitter from birth to the end of elementary school, for example.
Disadvantages:
- Finding a personality match: At first it may be difficult to accept a different parenting style as the babysitter or nanny may have different discipline or parenting methods than you. This of course depends on the person you choose, which is why it is important to prepare properly to choose the ideal babysitter.
- Cost and admin: It can then be a more expensive solution depending on the hourly rate of the nanny or babysitter, especially if you can not use your Government allocated free childcare hours, which is the case with many individual providers. Additionally for full time employees you will need to sort out a contract and organise the payment methods yourself.
Yoopies advice
To choose the best childcare solution for your children, take your time and carefully consider the pros and cons of both options. One tip is to make a list of what’s most important to your family, thinking honestly about what could really be a problem for you or your children. Remember too that the decision is not permanent, and in the event that the choice proves inadequate it is always possible to change your childcare solution to try something new.