https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Fri, 03 Jul 2026 03:38:08 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-have-the-pros-amp-cons-of-daycare-been-for-you#post-2061263 Mon, 09 Feb 2015 15:30:35 +0000 daniellemybelle 2061263@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Pros:<br /> - It's pretty affordable.<br /> - The teachers are so sweet.<br /> - I feel like it has helped her learn to be away from me.<br /> - I love the little crafts they send home.<br /> - It's good for my sanity to have a break from her (I WAH part-time).</p> <p>Cons:<br /> - I miss her. I miss her. I MISS HER.<br /> - She still struggles with separation anxiety.<br /> - Illness, though I think she'd get sick anyway. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-have-the-pros-amp-cons-of-daycare-been-for-you#post-2061137 Mon, 09 Feb 2015 14:40:30 +0000 Charm54 2061137@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Pros:<br /> -socialization<br /> -she is a much better napper<br /> -she eats great thanks to daycare<br /> -it's such a wonderful, lovely place where they do so many activities that I wouldn't necessarily do with her<br /> -she gets daily outdoor time, twice a day</p> <p>Cons:<br /> -I have to pay 5x a week, when she only goes 4 (my mom takes her once a week) plus I keep her home with me on snow days, holidays, and whenever my sister is in town, she keeps her home (probably 5-6 days a month) . Add all those days up and I pay for a lot of extra days. I'm sure there's a cheaper option but she loves her daycare so we stick it out. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-have-the-pros-amp-cons-of-daycare-been-for-you#post-2061120 Mon, 09 Feb 2015 14:33:26 +0000 yoursilverlining 2061120@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>This might sound too rose-colored-glasses, but really the only downside for us is the cost of our daycare. But, it is what it is and daycare is hella pricey around here, whether it’s an awesome one or a crap one, so at least we get what we pay for. </p> <p>LO really isn’t sick much, she LOVES it there, the socialization just isn’t something I could replicate at home or via drop-in classes, she is learning SO MUCH and they have fantastic activities all day long. </p> <p>Some days I miss her so much, so that’s another con, but then again, I wouldn’t be happy SAH either, so it is what it is. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-have-the-pros-amp-cons-of-daycare-been-for-you#post-2061112 Mon, 09 Feb 2015 14:27:34 +0000 sunny 2061112@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Pros:<br /> -Socialization with other kids. She's not shy at all and is very independent.<br /> -She loves it<br /> -She gets to do a variety of activities</p> <p>Cons:<br /> -It's expensive<br /> -She gets sick all the time<br /> -She's picked up a few bad habits </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-have-the-pros-amp-cons-of-daycare-been-for-you#post-2061057 Mon, 09 Feb 2015 14:08:44 +0000 BeachMama 2061057@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>PROS:<br /> Socialization<br /> Keeping Mommy sane by allowing me to work<br /> DD LOVES her teachers and school in general<br /> Teaching manners - throwing away trash, helping clean up, etc.<br /> Fun activities I'd probably never think of doing if I were SAHM</p> <p>CONS:<br /> She's been sick SO much this year, more so than last year<br /> I think she picks up some bad behavior from other kids<br /> She has crappy daycare naps which = cranky girl when I'm trying to cook dinner<br /> I don't love the "treats" they get with birthdays, etc. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-have-the-pros-amp-cons-of-daycare-been-for-you#post-2061053 Mon, 09 Feb 2015 14:08:09 +0000 Smurfette 2061053@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Pros:<br /> She hit milestones early<br /> Socialization<br /> She loves it<br /> She gets more variety in activities and toys then she would ever would at home with us all day every day.</p> <p>Cons:<br /> Expense (I just hate how much it costs)<br /> Feel bad she has long days away from us </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-have-the-pros-amp-cons-of-daycare-been-for-you#post-2061018 Mon, 09 Feb 2015 13:58:42 +0000 ShootingStar 2061018@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Pros - Most of what was listed above</p> <p>Cons<br /> - Items get lost/Teachers aren't as careful with our belongings as I would like. D's stuff ends up in other kids' bins all the time and it drives me nutty.<br /> - Naps are rough. In the infant room it craziness all the time and hard for DS to sleep, in the toddler room there's no flexibility. At home he can sleep in the quiet/dark any time he needs a nap.<br /> - Communication is terrible. IDK if this is just my daycare, but it pretty much sucks. DS might deal with 6+ teachers during the course of his day. I told the director something last week and she told ONE teacher. So who knows what's getting passed along.<br /> - Cost of daycares around here is astronomical. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-have-the-pros-amp-cons-of-daycare-been-for-you#post-2061005 Mon, 09 Feb 2015 13:53:45 +0000 lamariniere 2061005@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Pros: socialization, trusting caregivers other than DH and I, learning a 3rd language (!), it's a 2 min walk from home, it is very inexpensive</p> <p>Cons: the nap situation is not ideal, the language barrier (for me), food is not up to my picky standards, the free-flowing juice </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-have-the-pros-amp-cons-of-daycare-been-for-you#post-2060991 Mon, 09 Feb 2015 13:47:35 +0000 avivoca 2060991@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Pros: Socialization, her learning, independence, the variety of activities<br /> Cons: $$$, the sicknesses, feeling like I miss out on a lot of her life, especially the days where I only see her in the morning. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-have-the-pros-amp-cons-of-daycare-been-for-you#post-2060972 Mon, 09 Feb 2015 13:42:33 +0000 MK0180 2060972@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Pros - socialization, DS 7 mos being comfortable with people other than relatives. It's also convenient for me as it's literally on the way to work. Very nice people work there, too :) Also, our daycare provides everything - blankets, crib sheets (all new when a baby starts), diapers/wipes, food, and formula so it's pretty nice that we don't have to worry about making sure that we have enough formula or food for him. </p> <p>Cons - cost (Colorado is the 2nd highest for childcare- argh) and sickness (but I think it helps build his immunity). </p> <p>If I could afford a nanny for the first few months I would have but eventually I would have opted for daycare for the socialization skills. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-have-the-pros-amp-cons-of-daycare-been-for-you#post-2060967 Mon, 09 Feb 2015 13:40:56 +0000 lawbee11 2060967@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@swurlygurl: Yeah, I didn't say cost because we still have more money sending LO to daycare than we would if I were home! And a nanny would cost us more than daycare does. </p> <p>@mrsjazz: That's awesome! Sounds like a great program :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-have-the-pros-amp-cons-of-daycare-been-for-you#post-2060959 Mon, 09 Feb 2015 13:38:48 +0000 mrsjazz 2060959@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>So, I'm answering this as a person whose child is not yet in daycare/preschool but with the things I am looking forward to when LO starts preschool in September. She'll be going 8-6, M-F. Of course this list may change in September but I am SO EXCITED for preschool :)</p> <p>Pros:<br /> All meals provided!!!<br /> Activities &amp; learning, preschool is from 9-3:30 so she'll be learning with structured activities. Yoga, music, reading, and dance.<br /> Socialization with other kids in preparation for pre-k.<br /> Playing outside as long as it's 30 and above!<br /> Coincides with Dept. of Ed. calendar (so same days off as DH who is a teacher)</p> <p>Cons:<br /> Have to travel.<br /> No late pick-up or we get charged.<br /> She will probably bring home some germs/sickness.<br /> Have to pay extra for summer program </p> <p>Our cost will be about the same as we are paying now. Can you tell that I am so excited about this? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-have-the-pros-amp-cons-of-daycare-been-for-you#post-2060957 Mon, 09 Feb 2015 13:38:45 +0000 Corduroy 2060957@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Pros:<br /> Lots of social interaction which she has always had high needs for.<br /> Diverse group of people, exposure to other languages<br /> Improved naps<br /> Good manners/practices (cleaning up, clears table, etc)<br /> Learns to trust other adults for help</p> <p>Cons:<br /> Sickness<br /> $$ (Although I couldn't make money without daycare)</p> <p>@swurlygurl: Interesting point that daycare forces you to work not so much. This is true for us too and its a pretty big positive for our family life. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-have-the-pros-amp-cons-of-daycare-been-for-you#post-2060944 Mon, 09 Feb 2015 13:35:06 +0000 lawbee11 2060944@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@blackbird: Yeah, that's the thing...if I were home with her I'd want to enroll her in a couple of activities and I'm sure those aren't germ-free. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-have-the-pros-amp-cons-of-daycare-been-for-you#post-2060939 Mon, 09 Feb 2015 13:33:34 +0000 swurlygurl 2060939@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Pros:<br /> Friends (especially since our provider is our friend, so our kids are growing up being great friends with their kids!)<br /> Great food choices<br /> Top notch immune system<br /> Sanity break!!</p> <p>Cons:<br /> I hate to say $$ because I'm still making money by working/daycare vs SAHM... But it does suck to hand over so much money each week!<br /> Tight operating hours (but forces us to not work so much!)<br /> Not 100% in control of her behavior </p> <p>But mostly, I just love love love our daycare </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-have-the-pros-amp-cons-of-daycare-been-for-you#post-2060885 Mon, 09 Feb 2015 13:18:34 +0000 nana87 2060885@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>pros<br /> I can't think of anything specific, I LOVE our daycare. love love love. LO is learning so much and her teachers are wonderful. the other kids are fantastic too--lo is the youngest by about 6 motnhs (it's a mixed age class/6 mos-3 years) and they all dote on her since she's the baby. </p> <p>OH! I thought of something specific--they expose her to so many more activities than I could provide at home that spark her development and curiosity. like, every day there are different sensory activities that she has so much fun with--different kinds of paint/brushes, foam, water with bubbles, colored water, sand, cloud dough, etc.</p> <p>Cons<br /> I can't really think of any big ones...sometimes her diaper feels really heavy when I pick her up, but I also change her more often than I need to. And she usually has food on her face/clothes/hair--it's hard to clean up purees off a baby who hates being cleaned! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-have-the-pros-amp-cons-of-daycare-been-for-you#post-2060870 Mon, 09 Feb 2015 13:11:42 +0000 blackbird 2060870@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Pros:<br /> All the things mentioned above.<br /> She's learning manners! She says what sounds like "thank you" after you hand her stuff.<br /> Help with nap training and the like. T just gets shit done, man!<br /> Exposure to new foods. T cooks differently than us (but healthy, thankfully) so E gets a variety. </p> <p>Cons:<br /> $$$<br /> The hours of an in-home can be limiting but we're managing.<br /> The sickness, sure, but I feel like she gets a lot of stuff just from Dh and I bringing it home from work, too. Or the grocery store or Target...she rarely comes home with bugs that the other kids had! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-have-the-pros-amp-cons-of-daycare-been-for-you#post-2060868 Mon, 09 Feb 2015 13:10:29 +0000 Anagram 2060868@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Pros: I feel like LO has a lot to do, lots of activities, lots of friends to play with. My husband likes that there are multiple teachers--he has trouble trusting a nanny 1:1 scenario where no one else is around.</p> <p>Cons: The sickness. LO has been sick SO MUCH the past 1.5 years. Dh and I have both suffered in terms of time off work, her sleep sucks because she's always sick, etc. This year, her second year, she's still sick all the time, but it's more like a constant cold (hello nightly wakeups) rather than the constant fevers of last year. I also have to say our long commute is a major con, although I like her new daycare better than our old daycare, which was $800 more/month but 1 block from our house. Another con with my daycare being so far away is that I can't have a sick day of my own, because I'd have to drive LO an hour to daycare, then back home to rest, then an hour back to get her--4 hours in a day of driving = no sick days for mommy.</p> <p>The price for child care in general is just astronomical where I live (for me), so cost would suck no matter what child care method I picked.</p> <p>Sometimes I feel like our unique child care situation is giving me the worst of both worlds, haha. ugh. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-have-the-pros-amp-cons-of-daycare-been-for-you#post-2060854 Mon, 09 Feb 2015 13:06:39 +0000 Mrs. Bee 2060854@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@lawbee11: we had a nanny until 21 months for charlie, and i do like a nanny for the first year. once they're walking though, i totally agree - daycare is the way to go! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-have-the-pros-amp-cons-of-daycare-been-for-you#post-2060851 Mon, 09 Feb 2015 13:05:45 +0000 looch 2060851@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Pros: structure, learning that the world isn't revolving around just him.</p> <p>Cons: cost!</p> <p>My son didn't go to daycare until he was 2, though, so my experience a little skewed, I think. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-have-the-pros-amp-cons-of-daycare-been-for-you#post-2060847 Mon, 09 Feb 2015 13:02:46 +0000 lawbee11 2060847@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Bee: LO started daycare at 7 months and I would have loved to have a nanny until she was a year old, but I'm a big fan of daycare once they're talking and walking. </p> <p>@mediagirl: Yes to the cleaning up! LO loves cleaning up. Hopefully that's a phase that lasts awhile!</p> <p>@Espion: Sanity = definitely! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-have-the-pros-amp-cons-of-daycare-been-for-you#post-2060837 Mon, 09 Feb 2015 13:00:51 +0000 Espion 2060837@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Pros: Our sanity. Socialization. All the fun activities and outside time. The teachers are great and they don't follow the school district schedule. </p> <p>Cons: I miss my little goofball and I'm really going to have a tough time handing my two month old over to daycare. :( It can't be helped, because we both have to work. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-have-the-pros-amp-cons-of-daycare-been-for-you#post-2060834 Mon, 09 Feb 2015 13:00:04 +0000 autumnlove 2060834@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Pros- friendships, socialization and nice teachers.</p> <p>Cons- A lot of sickness for LO 1 her first year. (LO 2 only got sick a few times.) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-have-the-pros-amp-cons-of-daycare-been-for-you#post-2060825 Mon, 09 Feb 2015 12:57:51 +0000 mediagirl 2060825@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Pro:<br /> Socialization skills<br /> Understanding and enjoying structure and routine<br /> Good habits like being a good helper and cleaning up.</p> <p>Con:<br /> Illnesses (mostly in her first 2 years, though)<br /> Food and drink we may not really want her to have.<br /> Related to above: Parties - always with the parties and the crap food. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-have-the-pros-amp-cons-of-daycare-been-for-you#post-2060818 Mon, 09 Feb 2015 12:54:27 +0000 Mrs. Bee 2060818@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>the cons have been they take off so many days (vacations, holidays, etc)! and yes the kids do get sick more, but maybe better to be exposed to it early on and build up immunity. overall i'm a big fan of daycare over a nanny! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-have-the-pros-amp-cons-of-daycare-been-for-you#post-2060809 Mon, 09 Feb 2015 12:52:57 +0000 lawbee11 2060809@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Pros:<br /> LO is so social and independent. I credit daycare for a lot of this.<br /> She's comfortable being around others who aren't family.<br /> She has a little group of friends her age.</p> <p>Cons:<br /> Sickness (though it hasn't been as bad as I thought it would).<br /> Hitting (pretty sure she picked this up from another kid in her class).</p> <p>What have the pros and cons of daycare been for you? </p>