Nursery or childminder for 1 year old?

[MacVities]

My son is only two months old but trying to arrange childcare for when I go back to work next July. He'll be one. Would people recommend nursery or childminders for that age? He is my first born so I'm a bit clueless

I’d say childminder unless it’s a very small nursery with a low turnover. At that age they need to be able to attach themselves to somebody and in a large nursery that’s very difficult.

I think it depends what you want out of it, as previous poster said childminders offer more of a small ratio of children vs adult so therefore they get more time to have a bond with one person. They are also a lot cheaper.
I think it depends whether you want them to bond solely with one person or a few at nursery.
Bare in mind that when your childminder is sick though that you will have no childcare, nurseries you don’t have that problem.

My DD will be going to nursery from 6 months, my eldest went there and the nursery is lovely. The staff are lovely and so is the manager. I really trust them.
Childminders are few and far between locally so it wasn’t really an option for us.

I've done both. DS1 went to nursery from 15 months and was fine, DS2 went to a childminder from 11 months because she also offered drop off and pick-up for DS1 who is at the local primary school.

There are pros & cons to both.

Nursery - doesn't take holidays or shut completely if ill. Less personal environment but more structure in terms of early years learning.

Childminder - possible mores flexibility with altering hours/days, cheaper, more homely.

I think you need to look at what you have available locally a good childminder, kind, engaged with the children, good mix of activities for all ages or a good nursery, low staff turnover, friendly warm staff will both be good. If you have lots of good options then it is what suits your life best hours / holidays / cost.

Childminder. They can be much more flexible to your needs, and better for young children to be in a setting with fewer adults caring for them.

CMs sometimes work together to cover for sickness, or make sure other members of their family are also registered CMs (eg our CM has her DSs living with her and they're registered as is her DH so they can usually cover any gaps).

When you're looking fir a CM ask how they deal with sickness.

Autocorrect changed DDs to DSs! (But now wants to change DSs to Dads!)

Annoying!

I think you need to see what's available in your area and what you need before deciding.
I originally wanted a childminder when dd started nursery aged 1 but there were none with availability and none with hours that suited me. You'll generally find nurseries will open earlier than childminders, well in my area they do anyway. DD loves her nursery, has done from the minute she started so I know I've been lucky with that. I don't need to worry about the nursery closing for a sick day either. She has a great bond with her key worker, and I'm very happy with the nursery. My DN goes to a childminder and he has a more homely environment experience, and is more like a part of his childminders family and that is lovely too. Sis has to provide nappies, wipes, foods etc each day whereas the nursery provides that for me, but I pay more. Realistically I think it comes down to what suits your lifestyle more.

I’ve done both and there are pros and cons. I prefer a childminder who has a lovely bond with your child. But the downside is Childminders can be sick, hey take holiday etc etc. Nurseries are almost always open. But they are more expensive.
Your baby will probably cry in either environment to start with but they do get used to it

I also think you should look what is available in your area, go and visit both childminders and nurseries and see how you feel. I was convinced I wanted a childminder for DD however I really didn’t warm to the ones we went to visit that had availability for her and I was surprised to absolutely love one of the nurseries we visited so we have gone with that.

Go visit a variety of each, childminders may ask for an initial out of hours visit so they can talk to you but if you like them go back when they are working. Ideally visit a couple of times so you can observe each setting and how staff relate to children are the staff the same people etc.
Research shows it's important for young children to bond with a main carer so I dont get a previous post about not wanting a child to be attached to one person that's better for them and it never takes away from mummy and daddy but makes a more confident settled child.
For a childminder Make a list of questions...how much holiday do they take, training and experience (many have the same qualifications as a nursery manager) do they employ assistants or work with another minder...plus all your other questions. Can you talk to other families to see how they find care and reliability.
Work out the benefits and disadvantages of each setting and annualise the costs including any extras you need to pay so you can compair them equally.
Then go by what feels right and will work for you.

You'll know when you view I reckon. I viewed an excellent nursery but wasn't happy with so many babies in the baby room. I went back to work when she was 10 months and we have the most fantastic childminder. I felt happy with her as soon as I met her and saw her home. All the best x

Visit a range of both types of childcare: one type isn’t better than the other, but their are lots of individual differences. If possible, I’d recommend a mixture of both. It can benefit the child developmentally and offer some practical advantages to parents too.