Childminder or nursery ?

[custard1]

I am trying to choose whether to send my ds to nursery or childminder? Any thoughts would be gratefully received? She will be 6 months when I return to work and will be returning PT (3/4 days a week).

Babies I feel should be in a home environment, thus a childminder is better than a nursery. They will be able to bond with one carer, rather than a variety, and experience other children.

I would say a childminder too (and not just because I am one!).
DD went to nursery from 9 months and although she got on well there, I would probably have sent her to a childminder if I had known more about it at the time.
I think a home from home setting is better for younger children and babies.

I chose a cm for DD when I went back at 9mo because I wanted her to have one person always there to bond with and a homely family atmosphere.
All the whizz bang stuff nurseries are sold on eg baby signing, gourmet dinners lots of activities and facilities seemed wasted on a little baby who just wants to be loved IMHO.

From a different viewpoint. I sent my ds to a nursery because he already had the homely atmosphere with us at home and I wanted him to have something different elsewhere. I wanted him to have lots of social contact with lots of children and adults purely because it was not what I could offer him here at home
Although, to be fair he was a lot older

I went back t work when DS was 6 months and he went to a childminder for 2 days a week. I felt I wanted him in a more 'homey' environment while he was still small. She was great with DS so no problems there, however she was quite unreliable sometimes, her DS was only 2.5 so each time he was ill we couldn't sent DS. I was getting quite stressed at work with the unreliability as we don't have a big family to fall back on.
Eventually we started to think about sending him to nursery instead, when he was 15 months. At the same time the childminder gabe us a months notice anyway as she was pregnant.
Now he goes to nursery 2 days a week and it's fab. We all love it. They never let us down and I've only ever had to pick DS up early once when he wasn't well. If I knew then what I know now I would have sent him at 6 months. I see the small babies there and they are really well cared for and stimulated. A friend's DS has been to nursery since 6 months old and he is really sociable and a bit more advanced than DS (not that we compare!!)
Then again another friend's 2 kids were looked after by childminders and they were really happy there too. So I think you should go and visit a few of both and go with whatever works and feels best for you.
Good luck!!