https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Wed, 06 May 2026 10:27:34 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/which-childcare-situation-would-you-prefer#post-94781 Thu, 15 Mar 2012 21:26:28 +0000 mrstilly 94781@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@daniellemybelle: DH is a teacher and he was off for the summer. We couldn't have timed it better if we tried. DS was 10 days late, which left us with exactly 1 week to cover childcare before DH was home for the next 2 months. </p> <p>Also, if you are going to work part time, it really might be worth it to make the drive, then switch to a center closer when you go back full time. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/which-childcare-situation-would-you-prefer#post-93958 Thu, 15 Mar 2012 11:39:48 +0000 plantains 93958@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>It is way too far IMO. I'd go with teh company daycare for sure. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/which-childcare-situation-would-you-prefer#post-93903 Thu, 15 Mar 2012 10:34:53 +0000 regberadaisy 93903@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I'd go with the company daycare.<br /> 1) Proximity, 45mins each way is a loong drive and that's not accounting traffic.<br /> 2) Either a licensed care center our a grandparent or sibling. I wouldn't trust any other individual to watch my child. Unless this friend of your mom is someone your so close to it's practically a aunt. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/which-childcare-situation-would-you-prefer#post-93880 Thu, 15 Mar 2012 09:49:26 +0000 Mrs. Bee 93880@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>we put charlie in daycare when he was 21 months old. i loved having a nanny at least until they're 1 because i loved the personal attention charlie got. but when we enrolled him in daycare, he was definitely ready. i have no regrets about our childcare decisions!</p> <p>with olive, we're going to enroll her in charlie's daycare as soon as she drops to one nap. they only have one nap a day at his daycare and most of the kids are older. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/which-childcare-situation-would-you-prefer#post-93875 Thu, 15 Mar 2012 09:36:54 +0000 Andrea 93875@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrsbells: i agree. i've tried 2 nannies and they just try to run your house like it is their own so i got rid of them and enrolled my LO in daycare. i've spoken to my friends with nannies and this seems quite typical of the profession and i am not a fan. </p> <p>@daniellemybelle: however, since you're considering a close family friend, hopefully you won't have that issue but it is something to consider. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/which-childcare-situation-would-you-prefer#post-93871 Thu, 15 Mar 2012 09:29:34 +0000 Mrsbells 93871@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@daniellemybelle: I just prefer a day care setting, I definitely dont want someone in my house when I'm not there and cant make rules about how they run their home either, but with a daycare there are strict rules about health n safety regulations. I aso like the fact that the baby can interact with other kids at a daycare and I get a written down report of everything that the baby ate and did each day. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/which-childcare-situation-would-you-prefer#post-93850 Thu, 15 Mar 2012 09:03:40 +0000 daniellemybelle 93850@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrsbells: Why aren't you a big fan of nannies?</p> <p>@Lozza: Glad to hear you had such a great experience!</p> <p>@Mrs. Bee: Yeah, I know you're right. If we did end up going that way, we'd probably pay the family friend extra to drive out to us... but that is too much to ask, honestly. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/which-childcare-situation-would-you-prefer#post-93845 Thu, 15 Mar 2012 08:59:47 +0000 Mrsbells 93845@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I'm not a big fan of nannies so I would prefer a daycare </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/which-childcare-situation-would-you-prefer#post-93839 Thu, 15 Mar 2012 08:49:32 +0000 Mrs. Bee 93839@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>i agree with the others that it's way too far esp. if there's an emergency. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/which-childcare-situation-would-you-prefer#post-93838 Thu, 15 Mar 2012 08:48:23 +0000 Lozza 93838@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We started sending LO to daycare at 12 weeks and have had a great experience with it. He has always bonded well with his teachers, and he is SOOOO interested in other kids that I love that he's surrounded by kids all day long. Plus, they do stuff with him at daycare that I doubt I'd think to do with him at this age, so that's neat. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/which-childcare-situation-would-you-prefer#post-93835 Thu, 15 Mar 2012 08:36:36 +0000 daniellemybelle 93835@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@mrstilly: I totally hear you about not sending your LO to a stranger at 12 weeks... that's what I would want to avoid. Luckily the state we'll be living in gives 16 weeks maternity leave (although unpaid) and I was thinking I could take 12 weeks and then work part time for 10 weeks when I return. So it wouldn't be full time daycare until our LO is nearly 6 months old, which makes me feel better. On the other hand, that's when they start getting fun! Man, thinking about all this stuff is hard, and we're not even TTC yet.</p> <p>Anyway, what did you do for the 2 months? You said you didn't send your LO to a stranger at 12 weeks when you went back to work? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/which-childcare-situation-would-you-prefer#post-93693 Wed, 14 Mar 2012 20:19:59 +0000 mrstilly 93693@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Meeting in the middle could be a good option. I drive an hour each way for work and DH drives 30 mins. Daycare is 25 minutes from our house, 35 minutes from my work, and 45 mins from DH's work. The daycare is right on my route, but we are both a long way from DS in an emergency. But our day care is awesome, she's pretty cheap as far as day care goes, and so far there has never been an emergency. </p> <p>If you had a family member or close family friend who wanted to watch your LO I think it could be worth it, especially if they'd meet you halfway. Maybe at least for the first few months after you go back. It was sooo much easier sending DS to a "stranger" at 5 months than it would have been at 12 weeks when I went back to work. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/which-childcare-situation-would-you-prefer#post-93669 Wed, 14 Mar 2012 20:00:22 +0000 skibobrown 93669@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I would love to have a nanny for LO until she is at least 12 months and then put her in daycare afterwards. However, that drive sounds like way too much. Plus it sounds like you'll have a great daycare option, and your LO would be so close to you while you work. So for me that option would win out in the end. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/which-childcare-situation-would-you-prefer#post-93664 Wed, 14 Mar 2012 19:58:22 +0000 daniellemybelle 93664@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Yeah, you all are totally right. Especially the part about emergencies - that is such a good point! I guess I just want to avoid putting an infant in daycare without the astronomical cost of a typical nanny. :( We'll see how it all plays out! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/which-childcare-situation-would-you-prefer#post-93596 Wed, 14 Mar 2012 17:43:55 +0000 Andrea 93596@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>45 minutes is waaaaay too out of the way in my opinion. What if there is a bad accident? It would be longer? I would not consider that option just based on that! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/which-childcare-situation-would-you-prefer#post-93579 Wed, 14 Mar 2012 16:53:10 +0000 cupcakemama 93579@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>45 mins is too long! It's hard in the morning, getting out of the house with LO and all the cr@p you bith need for the day. LO's day care is 5 mins down the road from work and it still adds soooo long to the trip in the morning!</p> <p>I would also be reluctant to go the family friend-nanny path. Really easy for them to disregard your instructions because they know you and easy for you to take advantage (and have them feel used) because you know them. Could get messy. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/which-childcare-situation-would-you-prefer#post-93576 Wed, 14 Mar 2012 16:49:40 +0000 LuLu Mom 93576@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I think that is too far, in my mind all I can think of is if there is an emergency with your child &amp; you are 45 minutes away from her peditrician (if you use one close to your house) or she/he gets rushed to hospital. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/which-childcare-situation-would-you-prefer#post-93575 Wed, 14 Mar 2012 16:49:38 +0000 daniellemybelle 93575@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@chopsuey119: Yeah, it is one way. I drive that far each way for my current job and it's not horrible, but it's a lot to ask of someone who is our nanny more out of the kindness of her heart than for the money. </p> <p>It's probably just not realistic. :( I just got excited thinking about it. One thing I am hoping to do is taking my maternity leave non-concurrently, so working part time for the last half of it to stretch it out twice as long, and maybe it wouldn't be too much to ask for her to drive 3 times a week rather than 5 times a week? That way we wouldn't have to put LO in daycare until they are 6 months old. I just feel like when they are so little, it's better for them to be at home! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/which-childcare-situation-would-you-prefer#post-93572 Wed, 14 Mar 2012 16:45:55 +0000 venice4504 93572@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Um no. I used to do a 45 minute commute to work and there is no way that I would EVER do it for childcare. Way too far, way too many things could go wrong. Never. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/which-childcare-situation-would-you-prefer#post-93565 Wed, 14 Mar 2012 16:40:17 +0000 chopsuey 93565@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>45 mins is a loooong drive. That's one way, right? I would probably use your company's daycare if you end up working for them. Or.. you could always pay the nanny more money to have her drive to your house! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/which-childcare-situation-would-you-prefer#post-93543 Wed, 14 Mar 2012 16:07:30 +0000 daniellemybelle 93543@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>When DH &amp; I have our first baby, we will live in the city neighboring the town where I grew up. I have given more and more thought to being a working mom vs SAHM and I think I am leaning more and more towards working. </p> <p>If I work, we would probably send LO to a daycare center in our city. The company I would love to work for eventually actually has a very highly regarded daycare center for employees. Obviously that would be very convenient! </p> <p>However, I recently remembered a friend of my mom's who is retired who had said to me emphatically that she would be our nanny one day. At the time, I thought I would more likely be a SAHM, so I didn't think a lot about it. I know she would be a wonderful nanny. She's a total grandma type. Even if she wasn't able, I think it's likely that one of our family friends in my hometown would be happy to be our nanny for less pay than a typical nanny would require. Until LO is 18 mo. or so, I think this would be a better option and I have gotten excited thinking about it.</p> <p>The only thing of course is that they would have to drive 45 minutes to our house, or we would have to take LO equally as far to their home, or we'd have to somehow meet them halfway, each of us driving 20+ minutes twice a day. </p> <p>I know this is WAY in advance but I love planning for fun! I'm interested to see... would you try to make a great nanny situation work even if you were 45 minutes away? Or would you think that's too inconvenient and choose a great daycare? </p>