Childcare by grandparents or the daycare or the Nanny/maid

Childcare by grandparents or the daycare or the Nanny/maid

MAKE INFORMED CHOICE:

Leaving your precious baby with a caregiver can be an anxious time for mothers/parents.Read our tips on finding a provider you can trust and avoiding separation anxiety.

Let’s explore the options do we have and what is the expected result of the action we take.

We will generally have three options. Leave the child,

1. in the day care homes.

2. with the grandparents.

3. with the maids at home.

Daycare centers

There are daycare centers with a limit of 10 to 25 children, all mixed up age group.

Types of daycare facilities

• The daycare centers may be like an organized school where the caretakers are well-trained people.

• The other type is more personalized where the childcare is run out of the provider's home, often as she cares for her own children at the same time.

Steps to choose a daycare center:

• Do your research. Get recommendations from other parents (at work and among friends). Some of the daycare may sell themselves well but check them out.

• The cost: What is the cost in terms of money as well as the time you need to drop and pick the child.

• The location: It should be close to one of the parent's workplace so that you can reach out the child ASAP.

Once you have identified the daycare, find the details.

 Are these conditions in daycare up to your satisfaction?

• Talk to the people who run the show.

• The timings and the yearly calendar for the days they remain off and the timings.

• What happens in case you are late some time? 

• Drop in the center unannounced and to see the kids in action in a daycare center. Then trust your gut: If something doesn't seem right to you, it probably isn't right for your baby, either.

• Find out if they have the playground, play area. Safety norms, activities.

• How many children with each of the helper and how many are nursery trained. 

• Do they have a doctor on call?

• What are security features they have?

• Can you log on camera to see your child?

• What meals do they give(quality/hygiene standards)? 

• Check references: Call other parents and take the feedback. The recommendation on record may be forged.

Benefits of the Daycare center:

1. Education: They have a defined and well-organized plan to teach. Like they may have storytelling, plays games indoor and outdoor, painting and various other types of activities. 

2. Good Infrastructure: They may have a place to play, perform other activities, the range of toys and a vast collection of books to activity books.

3. Social skills: Your baby will get lots of company with other little ones. He learns the language, social skills and much more.

4. Reliable: They are off on certain specific days but you lose the flexibility which you may work out with your maid or maybe a nanny.

A few downsides: 

• Cost: It may be very expensive.

• Exposure to infections: Because they're exposed to more kids, babies may get sick more often than those in another childcare setting — though In fact, early germ exposure can actually toughen up baby's immune system which may mean fewer colds and infections later on.

• Schedules: They are predefined and one has to make the programme according to their routine. 

• Daycare may have a less staff and the child-to-caregiver ratios, activities, and materials may not be sufficient. So this will bring down the quality of the childcare.

• The Staff: A change in the staff too often may be disturbing to your child if he/she is under the care

Daycare facility run from home:

The benefits of the daycare from caregiver’s home:

1. There may be very few children.The level of personal attention may be more.

2. You may be able to custom the needs of the child as there may be very few children.

3. You may customize the timings as well.

4. It may be cheaper and more convenient.

The downside:

1. They may or may not have been trained in this field. 

2. The home may not have facilities like play area, books and as many games etc.

The Pros of a nanny/maidservant/house helper

Your child gets a home environment, which is warm and familiar, child-proofed to parents standards. Parents can set schedules that work for them and not the other way around.Hiring a nanny can be the next best thing to having a child’s grandparent care for them.

With a full-time maidservant or a nanny, parents don’t have to:

• wake up their children early

• rush to dress them

• make breakfasts and lunches

• juggle drop-offs and pickups

The added advantage is, a maid/nanny or the house help can:

• Make our life easier by cooking and cleaning as well. 

• They can also cater to children’s individual needs and the time can be flexible. 

• They can provide a sustainable loving bond like a surrogate mother.

The Cons

• The child’s education comes from maid/nanny as she spends more than eight to ten hours with the child. It is important to know here, initial eight years of the life is a time of the building of the cognitive ability, shapes the personality, character, behavior, and language of a child.Check out, is she equipped to give the best of what you want for your child?

• Nannies/maid can be expensive. 

• The reliable ones are not easy to find.

• The maid/Nannies may not be able to provide social interactions or play outdoor games for the normal and happy development of the child.

• They may not be able to read books or play games or solve the puzzles. 

• If a nanny/maid gets sick or is late arriving, your life will be greatly impacted unless you have the backup care in place.

Grandparents as the caregiver:

Social Aspect:

Advantages

• More personalized attention

• The Caregiver has a personal interest in your child

• You may share the same values

• No Cost

Disadvantages

• The rules you may wish to set may be hard to establish with grandparents.

• Your childcare philosophies may conflict

• Playtime with other children must be specially arranged, either by you or your parents.

• No regulation on their TV time as well they too do not get a free time.

• Grandparents may have a hard time handling active toddlers.

• The grandparents may not be respected enough or reciprocated enough,  bring in the frustrations of them and build sour relations between you and your parents.

The research outcome

The study of 4,800 UK children born in 2000 and 2001 who had mothers who worked when they were babies compares formal care in a group setting with informal care by grandparents.Babies that are looked after by grandparents scores:

• Are "significantly higher" in vocabulary tests at age three than those placed in any other form of childcare.

• Are less ready for school than if they went to nurseries or daycare centre.

• May struggle to provide the other educational and social experiences infants need.

• Are considered to be less sociable with other children at age three than those who had been in the care of a good daycare centre.