Nursery or Nanny Care?

[BearClaire]

Hi Mums! Asking again for your help! I'm quite torn between sending my toddler to the nursery or having a nanny since I wasn't that feeling secure with them out of sight. Do you think nanny care would do them better?

A nanny is a lot more expensive and you have to trust one person absolutely. We looked into a nanny for DS1 as it was looking impossible to get a nursery place where we were in London, and I didn't meet anyone that I had any confidence in. I almost ended up taking a sabbatical but luckily a nursery place became available. DS2 has a health condition that means nursery isn't suitable, and we were really lucky in finding a fantastic nanny, who is great with him and makes our life a lot easier.

Personally I think it's easier to find a good nursery than a good nanny.

how old is you child? Where do you live and what hours do you need?

Having done both, I'd say a Nanny is preferable. My first went to nursery, but I got pregnant with twins when she was 18 months old!

Mine would rock up at 7.30 and take over the DC so I could just focus on getting me ready. She would do the DC laundry, cook home made meals and was extremely active with them, going to baby and toddler groups, lots of arts and crafts.

She would do little jobs like purge the wardrobes of clothes that were too small whilst they napped.

They'd be bathed and fed when I got in from work, I could just kick of my shoes and play with them, really enjoying quality time.

I had less time off with the twins, in terms of not being sent home for minor illnesses, unlike with my first who seemed to catch every bug under the sun!

When they started school we had Au pairs for a couple of years, to help with the wrap around care.

The down sides are you need someone reliable, as you are completely dependent on them, and you'll need to cover their annual leave etc

Yes cost is much much higher, but for 3 dc it was actually cheaper than 3 lots of nursery fees. You do have to factor in a kitty to cover activities, insurance etc And there are companies that calculate what tax and Insurence you need to pay, I used Nanny Pay.

I did nursery with my first and used a childminder with my second who was amazing. The best decision I made as she carried on doing after school care we used her for 9 years in the end. Such a Lovely lady. The CMs local to me often worked together to cover each other as well in holidays and socialise

Both of mine went to nursery. For me, it was the socialisation and the facilities that matter. Both are equally trained to safeguard your child (though a nursery will have more hands on deck, so for example, always well supervised even when lunch is being cooked or laundry being started).

I wanted my dc spending time with other children they could build long term bonds with (not just randoms at a playgroup once a week). My eldest who is in secondary now is still friends with a few from nursery! And I wanted them to have better facilities than we could provide at home - there was a mud kitchen, a messy play area, forest school where they had campfires with the older children, they did sports day and a nativity play and a leavers assembly before they left for school. It was so nice and such a lovely little community.

Thanks for the advice, @Merrow ! We already have a part-time nanny who comes a few days a week. But I have to go back to work, so I need to find someone full-time. You’re lucky to have a good one! I would hire our current nanny full-time as we adore her but unfortunately she cannot work full-time due to her studies, and we will have to lose her. Any recommendations on where to start my search?

I have two children. They're 8 mos old and 3 yrs old toddler. We are looking to hire someone fulltime, from 8 am - 6 pm. We're located in London.

This is really helpful. It sounds perfect, it’s the ideal scenario… someone taking my kids out for activities, their classes, doing some arts & crafts, DIY, etc. Since I also have two kids, I think it would be cheaper to have a full-time nanny than sending them to nursery. Any idea where I could find a reliable full-time nanny?

Thanks for your reply and the advice @JanuaryOSunshine! Childminding isn't really my thing, but I'm glad it works out great for you! :)

Thanks for your reply! I’m also drawn to nurseries because of the social interaction aspect and all the different activities they offer. However, my oldest is already taking part in some activities, so already pretty social. We also live in in a nice community where we’re friends with most of our neighbours and my oldest already has some close friends she plays with almost every day.