To wonder what is best for a child, nursery or childminder??

[Hotmad]

I had in my mind that when I begrudgingly go back to work I would find a childminder for my DD who will be around 1 yr old.
A friend then told me that a nursery would be better as they would get more social integration there.

ordinary = primary

Childminder and any one who works in child are knows childminders are more more suitable for babies as it's the closest form of childcare you can get to being at home

I would choose a nursery over a childminder always.

Set routine, more children their own age, more activities and space. No being taken along shopping, school runs in all weathers.

Plus if a childminder has their own child, they will always take priority so the others just have to fit in.

Both of mine have gone to nursery since being babies. They are both very happy and confident boys. Nursery fitted for us better as I didn't want to be let down, and the nursery has been fantastic.

Depends on the philosophy and quality of the nursery. DS went to an excellent nursery from one that specialised in under 2s, where they had a main carer philosophy ie one carer took care of all of his bottles, nappy changes, and putting him to bed etc, and he really bonded with her. It was also excellent quality for a nursery with a chef and only 20 children over two rooms. I'd be less inclined to send a child to a nursery that didn't have this sort of policy but more of a 'whoever's closest to the child changes the nappy' type arrangement. It's been really good for him to go there.

There are pros and cons and I know people that have had good and bad experiences with both. Bad experiences in nurseries can be down to poor attachment with carers and the child being ignored/stressed etc or the other horrible stories you see on here sometimes. Bad experiences with childminders which I know people who have experienced have included finding out the DCs are parked in front of TV for hours on end, being ignored in favour of CM's own children, being yelled at etc. I've also seen CMs at playgrounds and soft play ignoring the DCs while nattering with each other while the DCs run wild. But, if the CM is good, there are all the reasons other people have stated above that it could be good.

So I guess that's a long way of saying that a good nursery is great and a good child minder is great, but there are also bad ones of both!

My dd nursery is awesome. Its quite small and staffing is 1 worker to every 2 babies, and they are in a seperate large room, but sit with the other children at lunch.
She is so confident around other children and i know i can trust them.

I think it depends on the quality and nature of the nursery or CM alternatives and on the nature of the child. And also what you want from a setting.

My DD has been going to nursery from 6 months (only a couple of mornings a week then 4 days a week from 11 months). She is a very sociable, chatty and confident child. She is best served by an environment with lots of adults and children. So a nursery setting is ideal for her. She even strikes up relationships with the other parents. I concede that I didn't know at 6 months that she would turn out to be so outgoing.

In terms of the setting, my DD has been to two nurseries and her current one is brilliant. Her previous one was good, but her current one is streets ahead. There are some excellent nurseries and presumably some you would ever send a child to. Probably the most important factor is staff. Both of DD's nurseries have had low staff turnover, but her current one's staff are more qualified and experienced. They also have a significantly better staff ratio than the minimum required. That means that what they do can be really child led. Her old nursery was probably a bit too big.

In terms of what I wanted from a setting, I wasn't at all interested in a "home from home" environment. I wanted an environment specifically designed for children with a strong routine based around my DD's needs (some might think a CM would do this better). I didn't want her to go on school runs (which some CM do). I wanted a setting with multiple adults (which some CM do offer) so that any poor practice is deterred by mutual observation. I was also familiar with nurseries as my friends and family used them. My only experience of CM was at toddler groups where they seemed to sit on the side ignoring the children they had brought. I don't think they are typical of CM, but they didn't encourage me to pursue that route of investigation.

So that's why we chose a nursery rather than a CM.

It depends on the child and on the provider. The nursery I used was like Penelope's above - my DDs had the same key worker from when they started until they left, staff turnover was virtually nonexistent, they were cuddled and kissed and even now at 11 and 13 will give their former keyworkers a hug if we run into them in town.

But that kind of nursery care is worth its weight in gold, before I picked DD1's nursery I visited one that was a complete childcare factory - it was tidy mid-morning with no children playing and a small toddler sitting in the middle of the floor crying with no-one paying attention. I was straight out of there.

We used a CM for DD1 for after school care for a year and it was a pain - she kept taking term time holidays and dumping my DD on a colleague who frankly wasn't very good. The CM was lovely but just not reliable enough. I was glad when she gave up doing out of school childcare and we could put her and DD2 in a Montessori nursery that ran a brilliant before and after school care service.

Depends on the child and the situation. I had a horrid experience of a CM as a child so sent my dd to nursery from 9 months. She loved it and thrived. She was there for 4 years before she started school and enjoyed every moment.

My ds started at the same nursery and hated it. After 3 months he was still struggling so we moved him to a CM and he settled within a week. Two years on he is a confident little man who has now settled well into preschool with wrap around care with his CM.
Now we're in a new situation. DD now goes to same CM as wrap around care for school and hates it. DS is still as happy as always. DD would be much better off with breakfast club/after school activities but her school doesn't do it. So now what? New CM for dd?

Anyway not my thread - but definitely go with what is best for your child.

It's impossible and unfair to generalise. I saw some shite childminders I'd not leave my cat with. Doesn't mean I think they all are. Likewise DD goes to nursery and it's been far and away the best for us but we saw some crap ones too.

I agree. Depends on the child and what options you have available re CMs and nurseries.

I don't think (personally) a CM offers any more 'attachment' than a good key worker in a good nursery. I knew what a handful my twins were when we were about to start childcare at 2yrs old, I couldn't imagine 1 person dealing with them + a small baby, or the twins plus a couple of pre-schoolers, then doing a school run twice a day. Didnt like the idea of them being strapped in a car / in a buggy when they could have been playing / doing things at a nursery.

But like everyone has said, its down to personal choice, the baby and what works for the family as a whole.

In my view there is no general 'best'. It can only be 'best' for your child, with your circumstances, in light of the options you have.

Like everyone says depends on the child, depends on the CM, depends on the nursery.

For me I wanted a nursery because I never needed to worry about holidays, nursery is open every day except over Christmas. I have no family locally and so need to know I have childcare when I need it. I also preferred that there were several adults about all day, and that the nursery invested in the education and personal development of its staff (which is why they have low turnover of staff). I like that the staff have to 'just' look after the children, there's a cook that does the food and cleaners to do the cleaning. I don't particularly want to pay a CM a lot of money to stick my preschooler in a buggy so they can do the school run twice a day (which a few of the local CM do).

I'm lucky that the DC have all gone to a fantastic nursery with low turnover of staff and a lovely garden where the kids spend a lot of their time. My older kids now to go there for their wrap around care and love it because they are in a small group that do lots of nice activities. There is a nice family atmosphere because the staff have known my oldest kids for years, and a lot of the staff put their own children there, including the manager.

I have used both. I have to say, for me, reliability is key and after my cm announced last night she was taking this entire week off sick, i wish i was still using a nursery. I also miss the organised trips, Forest School, trips to museums etc, the big Christmas, Easter parties they used to throw, sure the cm takes them to groups but not on the same sort of scale nursery could. The stimulation they got from moving around totally different rooms with different play equipment on a scale a cm could never achieve. But, when ds started school I needed someone to do wrap around, and for that, the cm is brilliant.

Childminder is probably best for a young child, a nursery best for a 2.5/4 year old. A childminder set up replicates a family set up which is perfect for younger years

We had a great nursery that our 2 ds's went to. We didn't have a single problem in the nearly 4 years (combined) that they were there.

They started half days at school at 3 1/2 and so we swapped to a childminder as nursery didn't do any school runs. That's when the problems started! One decided with a months notice that she would no longer pick up from our school (ok, within the contracted timescales but it still very stressful), another with a weeks notice that she was going to retire (not in the terms of the contract but what choice did we have when she announced that she was not renewing her registration so therefore would not be insured), and another told us that she'd been inspected and was over her numbers so had to terminate caring for one of our ds's with immediate effect!

Afetr the last debarcle, we found a childminder who ironically was the best of the bunch and moved them both to be looked after by her. By then I'd asked work about flexible working and managed to change my role to accommodate this so that we now only need a small amount of holiday care.

If you want reliable and consistent care for your dc, I would definitely recommend finding a nursery that you like. It may cost a little more, but for me it is worth every penny.

Dc1 went to a nursery - it was fine and she enjoyed it most of the time.

Dc2 & 3 have been with childminders until they were 3. Much preferred childminder option for these reasons, among others:

1. Never had any tears from my dc when I left in the morning and they were always happy at collection time.
2. The childminder is a parent herself so very understanding of the children's needs.
3. My children went to soft play and playgroups with childminder and other mindees.
4. Dcs were cared for in a lovely home environment.

Mine went to nursery at 8 months and I will be heartbroken when he leaves there this summer after 4 yrs to start school. I wish he could stay there for another couple of years because it is such a caring and loving atmosphere and the staff really get him (and he's not the easiest going child!).

I didn't want a childminder because I wanted consistent care in one place. I didn't want him going in someone else's car to places I didn't know about. I liked the fact he was in one place all day with the same people and the nursery is in the most amazing woodland setting too.

If you can find a small nursery with low staff turnover and the right atmosphere for your child then I would go with that. But your child might prefer the more one to one care of a childminder.

My DS is at nursery and has been since I went back to work. He really enjoys it there.

Nursery works well for us as we both work in hospitals so need something that opens all the time (apart from Christmas Day), due to our shifts. A CM wouldn't be as reliable and I don't know what we would do about holidays and their sickness.

There isn't any wrong or right, just look into what would be better for you and your child.

Your 1 yr old will change a lot over the next year. I think you also need to consider what you want in the longer term. People have suggested that a CM is better until the toddler years but consider how many changes of setting you feel comfortable with (if any) before they start school. Consider whether you may want them to attend a school nursery when they turn 3.
I'm planning on keeping 2yr old DS at his current nursery until he starts school as I feel the continuity is important for him.

As babies they need warm loving relationships not social interaction/integration.

I would've chosen a CM should I have been forced to pay for childcare when mine were little. I'm now a CM and can honestly say my own children do not take precedence over other people's children. And I absolutely adore my mindees. And want the best for them.

Once they are older they can have both. Our childminder was happy to do drop-offs or pick-ups from the (rather short) pre-school sessions. Best of both worlds, I found.
Using a childminder when they were little also meant she could continue providing care after school and in the school holidays, whereas most childminders are reluctant to provide those hours for new children.
My son has being seeing his childminder 3 days a week for the last 8.5 years ( he is 10 now). She is like an honorary aunt! We're going to stop next year I think, but it will be very strange not to see her any more.
I liked the the one-to-one care and affection, the continuity, the 'big brother and sister', the home-cooked food, the outings, the walks, the domesticity of it all.
We used a nursery before we moved house, more for my older daughter, but in retrospect I wished we'd looked for a childminder from the start.

We've clearly been very lucky. I think she has had one day sick in 8.5 years. She doesn't take much holiday (probably 3-4 weeks a year) and always gives us plenty of notice so we can usually co-ordinate.

I feel much more comfortable with a nursery than a childminder because:

• it's difficult to trust a childminder fully. Whereas at nursery, there are always at least two carers in a room, and CCTV
• no TV at nursery, more like to participate in activities
• at childminders, there could be other members of family looking after the kids, who may not be CRB checked

Nursery, nursery, nursery!!!
A good cm would probably be better, but from what I've seen, there isn't many. As far as I can tell mums choose to be cms so that they can stay at home with their pfb and get a little extra cash on the side. They can't give 2 hoots about your child.. Of course, this isn't true of all cms, but it's a fair reflection of what I've seen.

This is making me appreciate our cherished cm even more :