nannies v CM v nurseries, i don't know which sort of childcare to go for?

[bluegreysky]

Hi, I will be returning to work in start of next year.
dd will be 19 months old then.

thinking of what sort of childcare to go for, as we don't really get any family help.

would be really helpful if people could give me a few pros and cons of each type of childcare avalible.

i'm in northants btw.

would having a nanny be the most expensive option?
how do you get round it, if CM's are ill or on holiday?
will me dd be too young for a nursery setting?

any of you views on pros and cons will be very welcome.

yes nannies are the most exp option

think cm have a back up friend,as do most nannies I know if they are ill

no 19mth isnt too young for nursery, but I personally feel that nannies or cm are a nicer option if you can afford it - one to one

depends what kind of care you need - ie 8-6 5 days a week or what?

cm charge per child so depending on what their hourly fee is, so gen is the cheapest otion when one child

a nanny makes more finanical sense when 2 or more children

thanks for the reply.
how much do nannies charge?one to one appeals to me, as its what dd is used to.
do many cms do one to one care?

yeah hourswould be about 8-6 mon-fri.
although im hoping to be able to do 4 days only.

The price of nannies vary depending on what area you are in anything from between £6ph to £10 i would say. I don't no any childminders that only have one mindee but that doesnt mean that there isnt any, but i dont think it would be cost effective to only childmind one child. Also depends what else you want. If you had a childminder you would need to sorted everything out for the child and get them ready for the day, whereas a nanny can wash, dress, feed child and do more around the house i.e childs washing, ironing,bedroom, cleaning etc.

nannies very so much according to area, age and experience

I charge £10 but you can also get nannies for £7 in my area - just Im very good and exspensive

depending on how much a nanny charges, you are looking at minium of £70 a day (£7)- nett and then you have to pay tax and Ni on top of this

cm could be half of this

so nannies do some house stuff too?

CM's normally charge between £3-£6 per child depending where you live and usually have at least 3 children from my experience, but of course they can have more or less children - it's individual really. But it normally is a very homely feeling whereas nursery in my experience is less homely and more of a free for all!

A nanny charges from about £7 pr hour GROSS per family and if you got a nanny you would need to pay their PAYE and NI in addition to employers NI - you can either do this yourself or get a company to do it whicg costs from £100 or so a year.

Advantage with a nanny:
*That they can be flexible so if you need to work late etc they usually can stay on
*They also provide light housework (normally) related to children such as laundry
*One to one care so don't have to worry about demands/needs of other children in setting

Disadvantages with nanny:
*Sorting out Tax issues can be a nightmare for some families from what I have seen
*You will be an employer so will have to manage your nanny effectively although if they are a good nanny this shouldn't be hard
*No other children in setting for your child to interact with
*Possibly harder to find than a CM and don't get inspected by Ofsted (I don't think)
*Can be more expensive if you only have 1 LO

I can't really do the CM/nursery example as I do not have any experience in these settings (I am a nanny) but it's probably obvious stuff like: CM good because: are inspected, have other children for your little one to care for, don't have to worry about tax,

Bad because: no help with child related household work, other children in setting to "fit" your child around, can't "tell" a CM what to do in terms of take my LO here today there is something good I think he might like.

If I were you I'd try to meet some CM's and Nannies in an interview setting and see which people you get on with more!

You're not likely to get one to one care with a CM.

Nurseries will be at 1 to 3 for a 19 month old child.

Nanny is your best option for one to one.

thanks

yes i think a nanny or cm would be good

In the home I do: make children all meals (arrive at 8 and also do breakfast), tidy girls rooms making sure clothes are not on floor etc, wash and iron girls clothes, quick wipe around kitchen after cooking. The family I work for has a cleaner so the cleaner does the sort of "scrubbing" I just tidy after us all .

Some nannies are ok with a bit more cleaning though and others might not want to iron etc!

CM would typically be 1-3 - although could be more if they take after schoolers - although that is only for an hour or two.

Best thing to do is to go and visit as many CM and nurseries as you can, also talk to Nanny employers - we are all biased in one way or another so will want you to use our one lol

Agree with MrsFluffle. Also, don't leave your childcare choices to the last minute. Cms are limited with how many children they're allowed to take on. Also good nurserys can be full. Normally a cm can take on 2 or 3 under 5's (this is decided by Ofsted) but this varies. I'm a cm and had many last min calls from parents who are desperate to find childcare. This time of year is best to find a cm as they may be losing a full/part time child to school so will be looking to fill their space. I've just taken on a young toddler who is coming out of nursery as it wasn't working for mother or child. It's best to look around at all the choices.

i am a nanny in east midlands i charge £10 net an hr but am only available eve and weekends as am a childrens nurse hence why I charge that much.

Nannies in east midlands generally cost bewteen £6 and £8 net an hr for someone who has a qualification and some experience.

May get a newly qualified nanny or someone from a nursery wanted to get into nannying for £5 net an hr.

remember have to pay ni and tax on top these are live out prices.

for live in there is no min wage and you would be looking at £150-£200 net for a 50hr week live in, for east midlands.

A CM will normally be able to take 3 under 5s, only one under 1. My CM has 4 children including DS (started at 10 months, now 15 months), another slightly older toddler, and a 4 year old and an 8 year old before and after school. The other 3 mindees are siblings. She also has a 7 year old son of her own, and 4 older kids, I think they may be all in their teens and the oldest may even be about 20, certainly at least 17. Her DH is often around too, and her oldest daughter is registered as an assistant.

So although D doesn't get 1 to 1 all the time, there are plenty of people around to give him attention, and he seems to be very happy there. We're expecting a 2nd baby in January and I hope dc2 will be able to join big brother when I return to work next autumn.

A 19 month old can go to nursery but it's often harder to find an under 2 place there because of staff ratio requirements etc.

my cm was great for my ds but....she couldn't take my next child (despite promising she would but thats another story) as she took on someone elses instead who needed the place first...she needed the money, her personal circumstances had changed. fair enough.

i withdrew my ds and am looking for two places elsewhere....

i think, in retrospect, a nursery would have been better from the start to provide continuity for the whole family

there has been a lot of upset

just something to consider

Yes continuity of care is one benefit of nurseries, I cm and felt awful when I went on maternity leave and my parents were forced to find alternative care, is nurseriesz. Also with a cm there is always the risk they may be ill, or one of their dc may be ill, so they may not be able to work, which would not happen in a nursery. However, if you look for cms that operate as part of a group, or a network, they will always have back-up minders, who will be known to the child through groups/activities etc, so child would not be too unsettled.

Cms under eyfs will now bw doing exactly same as nurseries, just with less children, re, 'education' and learning.

Quieter children can easilt blend into background at a nursery, its the louder more demanding ones that get more attention from my experience.

Also, of you find a cm who is accredited, you can access the free grant-funded places through them, just as you can with a nursery.

Can't advise on nanny cos know nothing !

Ooh yes, also cms will take children out and about daily, we plan all sorts of fun and eduational trips, as well as the daily things like parks, library, school run, etc, all provide lots of learning opportunities !

Continuity of care is actually one of my selling points (as a childminder, not nursery).

I have minded for several families from when their children were babies, and have accommodated all nursery and primary school runs. Two of my current families have been with me for 13 years!!

Some people have mentioned continuity of care with nurseries, but I have always found nurseries to have a very high turnover of staff. Though you have got the continuity of same building/rooms I suppose.

We had a nanny but then we had three children under 4 at one point and then it is much much cheaper than 3 nursery places. I would pay the extra if I were you for a nanny. We had someone who came each day, one to one, no problems if child is ill, child in own home and under 3 I think it's a bit nicer for a child to be at home. Also you control more, you're the employer, you stipulate how things are done. That is not the case with child minders or nurseries. That personal power is a very big difference.

bluegreysky - have you decided what care to go for then?

agree nurseries do seem to have a high turnover of staff, prob as they are paid minium wage

you do have more flexibitly with a nanny if child is ill, ie nanny will come in,where many nurseries and childminders will refuse an ill child, also time keeping is a plus - you get to pick the hours you need, where some cms any nuserries only do 8-6 (but not all)

I use a cm for my 2 and it works great - I really wanted them to have a home type setting and continuity that a nursery can't provide. They get loving care, and become part of an extended family as such. I do get a say in what they do etc as she is a great lady. It is sometime tricky if she is ill (v.rare) but my employer offer ememergeny care days if I have to let them down at short notice.

I don't get nurseries at all? Very loud impersonal setting in which to place your child. There is plenty of time for that school type situation when in school imo.

People always quote continuity of care as a reason to use nurseries, but apart from the staff turnover issue, the children have to move rooms as they get older so I can't see how they can say that.
A lot of childminders have children from the same families for years.

Agree with you Moshie.

When I was a childminder I had 4 children from 2 families - all from 6 months old (had a 6 month old and 13 month old at one point) until the youngest of each family went to school. You can't really get better than that for continuity of care.

how about nbee having care from nb to they go to school - ie being a nanny and mb has another child while you are in that job

thats continuity of care