"I am a new mom to a very sweet 3-month-old boy. I am lucky to work somewhere with a very generous (for the U.S.) parental leave policy, and am preparing to go back to work when my baby will be 4 months old. I'm looking into childcare options, and feel torn. In our area, daycare is very expensive (everything is expensive), and hiring a nanny will be more affordable. This is very surprising to me, but that's how the numbers seem to be working out."
"Because of this, I'm feeling a lot of pressure to hire a nanny. Most of the moms on the local mom board I've joined seem to have nannies, and both of my friends that already have babies have nannies, too. When I told them I'm trying to decide what to do, they looked at me like I was insane and said that hiring a nanny was a no-brainer."
"But I am feeling strongly that I would rather have him in daycare. I am so stressed about the idea of finding and hiring the right person, and trusting them, and being their employer. Being able to trust that the daycare has hired and trained safe and competent people sounds so much better to me, and so does being able to drop my baby off and pick him up!"
Parents must weigh daycare and nanny tradeoffs including cost, trust, socialization, convenience, employer responsibilities, and personal comfort. Daycare typically offers vetted staff, established routines, recordable drop-off and pick-up, and peer interaction. Nannies can reduce cost locally, provide one-to-one care, and offer in-home convenience but require recruiting, vetting, and managing as an employer. Remote work, small living spaces, and ability to tolerate background noise influence suitability. Financial pressure from a partner can shape the decision. Practical options include trial days, part-time care, nanny-shares, careful budgeting, and clear communication to align values and logistics.
Read at Slate Magazine
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]