Nanny, Day Mom or Crèche (Part 1 - A Nanny)

Many moms tackle this question everyday, I have had the experience of all 3 and would like to share the pros and cons I have experienced from all of them in a 3 part blog:

In this Part 1 I will Discuss having a nanny:

When Loghan was born I was still in college and had to go back at 6 weeks so at 6 weeks we made the decision to make use of my mom in laws domestic as our nanny on a permanent basis, we had her with us for a year before we made the decision to put Loghan into a crèche.

Pros:

-          Your child is in their own environment surrounded by their own things and you never have to worry about forgetting something

-          Your child has singular undivided attention

-          Your child is less likely to get ill and develop what is known as crèche syndrome where he/she will pick up all the germs of their surrounding peers 

-          If your child is allergy prone there is no chance of them coming into contact with what they are allergic to by accident or by way of another child.

-          If your child is ill the nanny can stay with them at home no need to take off work and make other arrangements.

-          There is no need for crèche pick-ups and day moms can often be cheaper than a crèche not always but they can

-          You can delegate what your child to be taught etc

          

       In many cases a nanny and child can develop a wonderful relationship and so can you with her

Cons

-          If the nanny is ill or doesn’t show up you have a problem

-          Nannies are also entitled to sick leave and annual leave

-          Your child is not in a social environment

-          Not being in contact with germs can lead to a weakened immunity when your child does get ill

-          Nannies are not usually trained as teachers and therefore are great with childcare but not necessarily teaching your child so this may be a problem unless you provide them with options and guidance

-          You do not know what is going on at home unless you have a nanny cam (with all the videos going about at the moment showing nanny’s neglecting their charges it can be very stressful ensuring you have the right person looking after your child, it is less likely that this situation would arise in a crèche but is not unheard of, a crèche teacher once smacked Gabriel and it was only by chance that another parent saw and reported it.

-          If you are sick or on leave your child is at home which can make things complicated, its hard to be sick when your baby sees you and wants your attention =)

The lady who looked after Loghan was really great with him and he had a wonderful relationship with her, she would even wear him on her back which was a godsend when it came to his colic however at 15 months we decided he needed peer interaction and something more in lines of a school environment.