Childminder or nursery?

[FoxAndTheBear]

Which one will be better?

Depends on the childminder, nursery and child.

I thought I wanted a childminder but I couldn’t find one. In retrospect nursery was the best option, never closed because of illness, lots of friends the same age and age appropriate activities. Lots of staff meant if my child was upset but it was lunch time there was always some one to give cuddles rather than a childminder who had to make lunch for other children. In the other hand with a child minder there would be one person for them to attach to unless they needed to change and more trips out and about.

Depends on the child and the settings.

DD 3 full days at nursery (4 now) from 11 months and she loves it and is really thriving.

DN struggled and was happier at with a childminder when younger, now does shorter days at nursery. Luckily SILs and BILs work commitments fit with this. Ours wouldn't.

We chose a nursery because we had no back up for childminder illness or holiday. Both children were happy there.

We chose a nursery. I felt the facilities were better and I liked that there wasn’t just one pair of hands or lap available. I wanted them to have more one on one care and a nursery definitely provided that better than a childminder who was just one person to meet the needs of several children.

Also a big factor was proximity and how easy it would be to collect them when we needed to. In case of illness or needing to collect early for lots of different reasons, I didn’t want to have to drive potentially 30-40 minutes to whatever activity the CM may have gone to. I like knowing where my dc are at any one time.

We used a small family run nursery and they’ve been wonderful. We’ve had 2 dc go through there now.

I thought I wanted a nursery (for lots of the reasons mentioned above eg holidays, illness etc) but ended up going for a CM. I’m a teacher so the CM holidays (which fall during school holidays) aren’t a problem for me. She was also willing to offer term time only which the nurseries didn’t. Her or her kids’ illness could still be a problem for us but my friend pointed out the flip side is that she will likely take my child if she’s a little under the weather and see how she goes whereas a nursery is likely to have a stricter policy on this, so it may balance out. The CM also offered an earlier start and a more reasonably priced half day than the nurseries.

The biggest thing for me though, was that I looked at 5 nurseries and just didn’t click with any of them. Met 2 CM and as soon as I met one I just knew she was who I wanted to look after my baby. I went with my gut!

That said, we haven’t actually started yet so can’t say if it was the right decision yet!

We chose nursery because it was open all year round and offered far more flexibility than a childminder. We also adored the place - it was amazing. Absolutely fantastic facilities and staff.

Nursery! Can't stand the thought of a childminder.

We chose a nursery because we had no back up for childminder illness or holiday

This ^
We luckily have a nursery down the road from home on our route to work that we loved and have been very happy with since she started. She loves it too, sometimes it's hard to get her to come home!

Chose childminder as more flexible hours including earlier start times, and most importantly wanted one person for DD to attach to due to being under one. DD is currently the only baby and is the only girl on 2 of her days she attends. Hopefully the former will change in September.

The nurseries I was looking at are actually closer to home but the childminder lives in a nicer location and takes the children out everyday if the weather isn't bad.

The childminder I use has been doing it for 20+ years. Some of the staff from the closest nursery hang out near my home on their breaks smoking. They seem to change regularly. The childminder has fitness hobbies and none of her family smoke.

She has back ups for her odd days off but to be honest we can take time off if necessary. Her holidays at Christmas and Easter tend to coincide with when I take time off anyway and the nurseries are closed, leaving the summer to work around.

We chose nursery for our DS. He started at 10 months old and is now 19 months old, he is in full time. He absolutely loves it, has a great relationship with his key worker and the other girls in the room he's in! Every child is different but for us nursery was definitely the right thing

My DH wanted to choose a Nursery so I agreed to have a look around a few. There were some positives but I just couldn't get past the rows of high chairs and the mats they slept on.... it just felt so impersonal. We both decided that a home setting was best for us and our DS- especially when he was a baby. It worked out really well and the continuity as he went to pre-school, primary school was great. He starts high school in a few weeks & is going to carry on after school for a few months. If you're going to choose a childminder I would advise looking at where he/she does school drop offs to try and future proof it. Good luck!

It depends. Personally, we chose a lovely nursery for the following reasons:
-only max 6 LO with 2 carers,
-room fully equipped for the age group with direct access to an age-appropriate-garden
-open52 weeks a year
-very varied, home cooked food included
-lovely staff + a professional setting so no phones out, no TV, strict on health and safety with procedures in place, daily written feedback, tracking and encouraging development (all written down + photos in a book).

Depends on the childminder, nursery and child.

This basically - and your budget. We’ve gone for a childminder but did look at nurseries too. The price difference was quite immense - I just would see what the nursery could offer that the childminder couldn’t that would be worth an extra grand and a half

Have a look at both. I thought I wanted a childminder and visited about 5 of them, but when I walked into DDs nursery I knew it was the right place for her. Lovely staff, great outdoor space, animals around (which DD loves), lots of activities and other kids to play with. It might not have suited a quieter/more sensitive child but DDs face lit up the first time we went in and she still loves it now.

Our nursery has a chef and a kitchen too which means the kids get nice, interesting, balanced food. A lot of the Childminders I saw (understandably!) didn’t have time to cook so used a lot of bung in the oven fish fingers and chips type meals, so that was a factor for us.

I chose childminder as I only needed one day care and this childminder only has one other child in the day (some others at school pick up and drop off) so I knew my child was having more one on one care and they would be more flexible with her nap times. I also liked the thought she would take my child to other activities rather than stuck in one place all day. Also suits as she's walking distance from my house and provides more flexible hours. Childminder setting seems more calm and more one on one care for smaller children in my opinion

It depends upon so many things.

We decided to go for a Nursery mainly due to the flexibility but also we didn’t want our DD to be strapped in a buggy for long periods 3 times a day on the preschool/school runs.

Have you made any decisions OP?

Hey I did want a nursery but we only need 4-6 days a month I’m not sure if a nursery will accommodate this as it won’t be set times but I’m unsure of the benefits of each. Thank you for all your replies x

Nurseries near me needed a min: 2 days or 4sessions a wk.
Personally I prefer a nursery as opposed to a cm because:
I didn’t want my LO to get used to 1 career, (likely my own issue) but that’s what mummy/ daddy are
I wanted my LO to get used to a school like environment a she is an August baby
The nursery can’t stick the tv on
Wider range of facilities at the nursery
Stricter rules on the food they offered

Good luck with whatever you choose OP x

I used a nanny for 6 months and thought one to one care would be so much better than nursery but my DD has come on leaps and bounds as a result of going to nursery. Her class if very small and there are 3 key workers, all of whom she really loves. The facilities are fantastic, they have their own park and if the weather is good they are taken outdoors. I also really love the menu they offer, it’s a 4 week menu and everything is very balanced.