Nursery or childminder

[WorthyOtter]

I'm super anxious about baby starting nursery next month, just hate the thought of being without him. I've had nursery lined up for a while now but I've been thinking that a childminders may be better? Can anyone give me some reassurance on nurseries or some pros and cons for both, and any personal experiences. First time mum and never been away from him :) not sure what my worries are about nursery, I suppose just that there's alot of people and it's all new for him

You really need to compare them. Bear in mind that not every nursery will be the same, and nor will every childminder.

Personally, I would prefer a childminder as there are usually less children there, meaning more 1:1 attention, particularly during the school day, as some do school pick-ups and drop-offs. I don't think that being one of an enormous group works for a lot of children (and I say that as someone who spent time working in a mixed nursery/Reception class). However, my sibling chose a nursery for their child as that's what worked for them.

One more thing I meant to say - definitely when it comes to childminders - is that personal recommendations can really help to eliminate some of the issues people have raised here eg nobody is likely to recommend a childminder who has been flakey or frequently not available for agreed hours.

If you’ve been to any toddler / baby groups can you ask there? Ours had a WhatsApp group and it’s something that was asked often (I’m still in the group and mine is now 4.5 haha, we just use it for things like this, recommendations, events etc) Search Facebook for any local mums/ parents groups and ask for recommendations in there. Our area actually has a ‘find a childminder in x2’ group which is where we initially found ours, although her name also came up when I asked in my toddler group. Still have to do all the same due diligence as just because someone else liked them doesn’t mean they’ll be what you need - but it’s a good starting point.