Childcare options

[Tresfren]

Baby only a month old but already looking into childcare as its hard to get in. We live in a small town in a more rural county in UK and have two nursery options for when Baby is 8 months old early next year:

Option A
Most expensive one in área. £8 more per day than option B (can still afford)
Large setting with places for 150 children
Have an app that let's you know what child has eaten/ done
Dedicated Baby área up to 18 months of age
Went on a tour and it looked very organised but tour felt a bit 'functional' and like reading from a script almost. I felt reassured that it was a good setup though
Sessions with children seem quite structured and planned out for week
Location is a bit out of the way - 10 min drive from house but out in country side and opposite direction to our work

Option B
Located in our town, not out of our way and could even walk there
Slightly cheaper option
Dedicated Baby and toddler área- our 8 month old would be with children up to two years old
No app that I'm aware of although I didn't ask
Child- led approach - children aren't forced to do set things or follow strict plan
Smaller setting with 50 spaces in total
Tour felt a bit more personal, nice stories about some of the children and questions about our baby. Advice to take our time in choosing etc
Setting felt a bit more messy and 'lived in' while option A was a bit more pristine

I can see merits of both but can't decide. Never done this before so no expertise.

As our baby will still be quite small I like the idea of an app that let's me know what she's eaten etc and option A seemed quite rigorous and detail oriented but I did like the vibe and convenience of option B.

Any thoughts?

My thoughts.... don't pick a nursery mainly because it has an app 🙄

Not having an app doesn’t mean they won’t keep records, you don’t need an app. And ‘pristine’ isn’t better than ‘lived in’ for a nursery. Kids play, they get messy! It probably depends on which one feels better to you, and also which one will their future school friends attend? What are their ofstead reports and parent reviews like?

A sounds like staff will spend time on the app and cleaning rather than baby. B sounds more homely.

Your baby is tiny now but you may want this setting until school - I can only imagine the 3+ room, it would.be huge and likely manic with that size of setting. I wouldn't want my dc in that tbh.

B definitely gets my vote

Good point, I've been obsessed about the app but probably focused on wrong thing. Want to know what baby gets up to though

I'd say B.

150 kids in a nursery sound absolutely dreadful! How do they split them up? What size groups are they in day to day?

Also, I'd really put the nursery having an app right down the bottom of your list of priorities!

B. We moved from a nursery with an app to one that doesn't and our hand overs are so much more detailed and personal. We get genuine information now rather than everything will be on the app later (which actually just means what time they ate if they ate all, some or none of their meal, what time they were changed if in nappies and if they slept or not).

Honestly option B sounds so much better, less chaotic and it would be daft to choose A just because it had an app.

Then just ask the staff. You aren’t attending, don’t choose for an app.

It's Welsh version of Ofsted and both have good ratings. Option A looks like it is slightly better in reports though

Option A has better links to school we like but it's not a big factor as school offers wrap around care from age 3 so we'd likely change at that age.

Option A looks like it is slightly better in reports though

Ofsted like apps too!

Am so glad I asked about the app, honestly thought it was a real plus point but I guess proper handovers are better.

Never mind apps - ask about staff to baby ratio.

What about outside space? I've seen nurseries with no outside space whatsoever, that was a straightaway no for me.

If you liked the vibe of B, go with B. Trust your gut feeling.

We moved from an option B style to an A although our kids were almost 2 and just turned 3 when they moved.

Our option B was the "fun" nursery, don't think anyone who worked there was over 21 but the kids (and us) loved the staff there.

Moved to the option A style and staff were all a fair bit older and had been there ages. There was structure, the learning was so much better. We noticed a big change in them the first month or so.

I also love the app and think the updates are more accurate than an end of day handover. We would push for a big handover at the old nursery since we never got any updates or photos and it was very generic "they had x and ate all, they've had a great day"

Also would be worthwhile looking at their menus. The option B style for us was £7 a day more and the food was pretty cheap, bean stew, rice & peas, beans on toast etc, at the option A style they get much more varied meals, they get meat, and they get an option of 2 mains (and get to serve themselves).

I'd maybe suggest another look around at both and see what you get the best gut feeling for.

Ours doesn't have an app but it's by far the best nursery around, the outside space is fantastic as well! We get a little handwritten form which says what they've eaten/done in a day.

Ratio at both is one staff member to three babies

Both have outside space. Option As is more aesthetically pleasing but option Bs looked more fun

B

Child led and smaller. 👍

Read back through all your posts. Honestly nothing you've said about A is that positive except that they have an app.

You've used words like - aesthetically pleasing, organised, pristine, functional and structured.

For nursery B you've used words like fun, child led and personal.

You've subconsciously already made up your mind.

I think I was expecting to go for A as it seemed to have all the mod cons and the helicopter parent in me likes the structure and app etc but when I walked into B it felt homely and more relaxed

My only reservation is that she'll just be 8 months old so one of the youngest and I'm so nervous about that. It's not like leaving a walking talking two year old to go off and play. Option A's things like the app and structure reassured me a bit more on that front but as people have said here an app isn't be all and end all.

When your baby is away from you do you want them to be somewhere pristine where the app is updated after each nappy change, or somewhere that is homely and relaxed?

What you need to do is think about what your baby needs rather than what you need (easier said than done I know!).

You need mod cons and an app.

She needs somewhere to feel relaxed and at home.

That would make me lean towards option 2 even more though as at option 1 it sounds like she will be just one more in the conveyer belt of children all doing focused activities and being expected to fit into the mould. I appreciate the ratios are the same no matter which one you choose but nursery B sounds much more homely and caring especially as it's child focused and the children actually look like they get to play and make a mess instead of the nursery worrying about how asthetic, Kathy and photogenic everything is.

Don't know what Kathy has to do with anything.

It should have said asthetic, matchy and photogenic.

This is very good point. I'm a bit of an anxious parent so far though!

Go for the one that you are the most comfortable with. If you felt more relaxed at option B then definitely go for that one.

one thing you haven’t mentioned though is whether they both have space for your LO on the days you need and when you need it. That might be a deciding factor!