CM vs Nursery

[geordiemacminx]

As a first timer who is thinking about going to work I'm starting to look at childcare options.

I would be grateful if you could give me some pro's and con's - really want to make the right decision for me and ds - who is 9 months and wild very active

ps despite the small number of other babies there, he's absolutely knackered at the end of the days he's there! And that was another thing - many of the CMs round here seem to do school runs and I just didn't fancy him being carted about all day long - I can do that myself on the days I have him

My DH wouldn't even consider a CM and the idea of them made me uneasy but no reason I could put my finger on, except the aspect of not being watched. My DD (10 months) is in a nursery and seems to have settled really well.

We visited as many nurseries as we could. Some we liked instantly- others we hated as soon as we walked in. I was put off by some that insisted we had to make an appointment for a repeat visit.

Ours has the babies separate from the bigger children. The door is always locked and everyone has to ring the bell to get in, so that has the added bonus that we are always greeted as we arrive, and all the bigger children say goodbye to us as we leave.

Like someone else said it just felt right.

My son is 15 months and goes to a childminder, who I chose over the brand new nursery 2 doors from my workplace. She has 3 children of her own, and from talking to her children I could tell she was someone I wanted in my son's life.

Her middle son is a year older than mine and I love watching them play together. I really like it that he gets to play with children of other ages; her other son is 6 and she has a baby girl, too. Her mother is at home with her so I am very happy about the care he gets.

Having said that, my friends use the nursery I passed over and they are very happy with it. I just feel instinctively happier with a home environment rather that a more institutionalised setting. It didn't help that the owner showed me round the nursery before it opened and showed me a very miserable and tiny staff room. He said he didn't want the staff to be too comfy on their breaks. I decided that this meant he wouldn't treat his staff well and thought that this might lead to high turnover. I also was a bit dubious about his caring side; it wasn't very apparent to me.

My ds has been at nursery since he was 6 months old and i can honestly say it's the best thing ever. I was let down by a CM a week before i was due to go back to work so he didn't have any settling in sessions as the only nursery we could find was opening the day i went back to work, but i can honestly say it's the best thing ever. They do as i ask, he is smothered with love by all the girls and is properly stimulated all day. He was the only baby for 3 weeks when he started so had 3 girls looking after