best childcare for a baby?

[avariceandlatinos]

I am going back to work for 3 days a week soon and am a little worried about childcare. My babies 3 months, but anyone who has put their baby into childcare under a year please tell me your experiences. What kind of childcare provider worked best for you?
She's already very attached to me and doesn't like being looked after by other people.
I have the option of Nursery (only about 4 or 5 babies as it's a small nursery and all the staff are qualified, 9 staff in total),
Or a childminder - i haven't contacted any yet though and i'm going back in two weeks, i didn't know my start date. I have a list of about 30! Quite a daunting task to ring them all but would you say it was well worth it?
Or a Nanny, but i am utterly daunted by the idea of being someone's employer and working out tax etc, and i don't know if i could find a nanny who was ofsted registered for 6 an hour because that's all i could possibly afford even with financial help.
or a dedicated Grandmother.

I would go and visit/look at each option and see how they feel. I am a big believer in that "gut instinct" you get on going into a childcare (or school) setting.

My DD went to a nursery from 5 months and we were very happy with it. DD never had any settling in issues and enjoyed it from day 1.

I didn't have any personal recommendations for a childminder (no friends with young children locally at time) and felt it wasn't right for us, at that time.

I didn't consider a nanny.

We have had very good expereinces with our nursery, DD started at 1 and DS at 6 months, both settled in well and are happy there. We didn't look at the childminder option as we know where we stand with holidays and that barring flood, fire or closure for disease it will always be open,

It is such a personal thing. I went with a childminder as I wanted some one-on-one care for ds1. I was lucky to find a fantastic cm quite quickly. I just didn't like the vibe of the nurseries I looked at.

If you really can get some help from a grandparent it has so many advantages, not just financial. It can be much more on your terms and even in your house. It is generally more flexible. However you need to be happy that the gm could cope as the baby gets bigger, heavier and more demanding. And that they would respect your choices.

Look at loads and loads of options, most people know when what feels right after having a look round.

I should add, that I was lucky that for most of the days ds was at the cm he was the only one - that isn't very common.

I was lucky and found a fantastic CM by just ringing round. Personally, i didn't want my DD's in a nursery situation as babies so worked best for us. My CM takes 2 weeks off in the summer and the Xmas break and no more, which is great

If i had a dedicated grandmother though, this is the route i would prefer

I prefer babies to be with a childminder rather than a nursery. A homely atmosphere with children of all ages is much more normal than a room full of babies.
JMI

Forgot to add that I DD went to her grandparents one day a week too (the other two in the nursery).

I am a childminer and used to be a nanny - have a psychology degree with emphasis on childhood attachment & childcare.

IMO the main consideration is that your baby is able to form a bond with one specific/key person. Obviously this is more likely to happen in smaller settings with low staff turnover.

Where abouts do you live - could you get a reccomendation from a friend?