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Nursery or childminder?

6 replies

Cbell · 30/06/2012 06:30

My DD is 18 months and I am looking at childcare options.

My original plan had been to keep her at home with me until she was three and she began nursery. However, recently I have been thinking it might be good for me to have a little space to do some other activities so that my mind doesn't turn to mush.

She is very mummy focused. She's happy to explore but not keen on going to other adults. I am totally happy with her development and see this as totally normal. I have no desire to 'push' her towards independence.

I would like her to be looked after by people who will nurture her and respond to her needs. I'm not concerned about the educational aspect of nursery and am wondering what option might be the best option for my DD?

Any ideas about research, recommendations for childcare at this age?

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LeoTheLateBloomer · 30/06/2012 06:44

I'm at the same stage of looking at options although DD is a little older (2.2)
My thinking is that I'll go with the pre-school/nursery option for several reasons:

  1. It will only be for one day a week. Since the rest of the week she spends with me at home she won't need that 'home from home' environment that you get with a childminder.
  1. She spends other time at friends' houses without me so gets that time in other people's homes at other times.
  1. She's very shy and clingy in larger groups situations and always takes ages to warm up. We go to a toddler group at the pre-school I'm considering and it will take her the first hour to get used to being there and then she's fine for the second hour. I know that if she were there alone she'd be fine and get far more out of it.
  1. She is a sponge and I think the pre-school environment is one that she would just love to be able to explore in a way that isn't always the case with childminders.

This is a really personal decision though and completely dependent on your DD's personality and needs.

FWIW I never thought I'd go down this route at the age she is now, but it just feels right.

Sirzy · 30/06/2012 06:58

I would suggest going to visit a couple of each near you and then decide from there which is best for her. Every setting is so different so it is hard to generalise too much.

That said for me it would be a nursery especially as she is 'older'. I love the wide range of activites that are always available to DS at nursery (they have to have the different 'stations' set up meaning the children get plenty of choice in what they do) and the variety that I don't feel is as easy at a childminder although I dont doubt childminders try to offer a variety of activities to.

DS is in nursery and is comfy going too any of the staff which I find reassuring if his key worker is off and I like the fact that at nursery he doesn't rely on just one adult. For some people that's more of a negative though.

wfhmumoftwo · 02/07/2012 12:45

I can only speak from my experience. My 2 DC went to nursery full time from 6 months. I personally was not keen on childminder options (although i'm sure some are very good!) I liked the fact that not just one adult would be responsible for them but they would have several all watching out for them.

We visted about 4 or 5 nurserys and to be honest we just 'knew' which one we wanted as soon as we entered. Based on happy, cheerful kids running around and the enthusiasms and loving cuddles given which we witnessed from the staff.

At 18 months both my children found nursery environments to be very stimulating and lots of activities to keep them entertained, but also they felt very secure with their other little friends and their carers. They are now 5 and 4 and are little independent people!
Best advice i can give is to visit lots of nurseries, have a good look around, talk to other parents and use gut feel. You'll know if you have found the 'right' one.

mine settled in very easily as they were young and didn't really know any different - at 18 months i imagine it might be a little trickier with separation and might take a little longer. Give her time to settle in and make friends and i'm sure she will be fine.
Good luck

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tootiredtothinkofanickname · 02/07/2012 19:40

DS (16 months) has been with a CM since he was 11 months. He goes to her 4 days a week. If he was older when he started, I might have chosen a nursery, but at this stage I am very happy with my choice. The CM is lovely, he settled in quickly and loves going there. It really is a home from home and he is well looked after, they go out a lot, either for walks or to toddler groups, and he loves it. When he is 3 I will send him to pre-school as he will have more activities and will cope better with having so many children around (he is very sociable but I think at this age still easily overwhelmed).

I would also say it's best to visit both CMs and nurseries and then go with your gut instinct, you know your DC best and will know what is right for her.

RationalBrain · 02/07/2012 19:56

The best thing to do is to go and visit 2 or 3 of each type of setting. You might be surprised at your reaction (positive or negative!) to one kind or the other. The best setting for you depends on finding one that fits with your style of parenting - eg some CMs would have been awful for me, I'm lucky that the one I found is similar to me (likes to encourage a good long sleep for the younger ones, so almost always at home, in a proper bed upstairs, not in a pram or a 'quiet corner' etc etc - not important for me now, but other issues have cropped up that she's similar to me on).

Everyone has their own experiences, so I'm not sure they will be much help to you, as they won't be your own. You need to consider practicality, but as you're not fitting round working hours at the moment, then the potentially longer day of a nursery won't be important (although some CM do long days as well). Also issues like cost, do they take childcare vouchers (does your DH get these?).

Personally, we've had a CM since my youngest was 8mo, so about 4 years now (both DDs are there now). She hasn't had a day off sick in all that time (she is actually Superwoman!), and covering for sick days was my main worry before using a CM rather than nursery, needlessly. We work our holidays to fit with hers, where possible, but she only takes 2 weeks in the summer, and the week over Xmas when you'd probably have them at home anyway.

I think what swayed me for CM over nursery (and same with other friends who use CM), is that I actually wanted my DDs to form a bond with their childcarer, a sort of favourite aunt etc, and wanted their day to day lives to be a normal part of a wider family, so the occasional dentist trip, school runs etc, rather than in a more formal nursery setting. The school runs have been great in getting them used to the idea of pre-school and big school, they go out and about every day, and still do loads of craft back at the CMs house. I honestly have no idea how she fits it all in.

One of the other big plus points about CMs that no-one tells you about at this stage, is that when your DC starts school, you can just carry on the childcare arrangement for before/after school, to fit around your work and school, inset days, snow days and all that. Friends who use a nursery are now struggling to find a new network of support/after school clubs etc. It might seem like years away, but it crops up quicker than you might imagine!

Anyway, write down what is important to you in the care of your DC, have a search on here/online for other standard questions to ask, and then go and visit a few places. Good luck!

Suziskylark · 02/07/2012 22:37

I agree with other comments that viewing both options and see how your D reacts. My DD was 22 months when I viewed nurseries ( as I was expecting and wanted her to gain more independence ) one nursery she kept looking for me and the another she ran off to play without giving me a backward glance, needless to say I choose that one and when she started 2 months later just after her 2nd birthday she remembered visiting and couldn't wait to get back there, and ran in without saying goodbye!! Believe me you'll know what's right for her when you see her reactions.

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