Nursery or nanny for 6 month old? Post Reply

[IndyB]

Hi there,

I'm looking to go back to work soon and am faced with the question of nursery or nanny for my 6 month old daughter.

The nursery I'd use is Riverside Nursery (by Battersea Reach).

Anyone have feedback on that nursery - or how to make the decision between nursery/nanny?

Thanks so much!

[supermummy]

I don't know that nursery so can't comment on that aspect.

For me, the decision to go for a nanny over nursery came down to

1. Convenience - the reality of having someone turn up at our house and be there at the end of the day made my life sooo much easier. No worrying that you will be charged by the minute for being late - obviously a nanny has set hours but those hours can be whatever you agree and if you have a good relationship, there can be give and take eg she leaves early if you are early but you don't pay overtime if you are 15 mins late. No rushing round to get your little one dressed, out the door and dropped off.

2. If your child is sick you still have childcare at home. Little ones often pickup bugs when they start at nursery. It would have been disastrous To have her sent home when I was settling in to a new job.

3. Routine - a nanny will follow the routine you want rather than you fitting into the nursery's schedule.

4. This is very subjective but personally I felt much happier/less guilty leaving her to be cared for one on one at home rather being left at nursery at such a young age. Home comforts around her and all that.

5. We started with a nanny share which was only slightly more than nursery so financially all the benefits for almost the same money.

Good luck!

[Strordle]

Agree with the previous post - It really depends as there are pros and cons to both options....

I went back to work when little one was 10mths old and chose a Nanny Share as our childcare option.

This had the benefit of:
- providing 1 (adult) to 2 (children) care
- less bugs to catch than in a nursery environment(!)
- was (much) better value than the cost of nursery (about £50 per day for our half of the share, plus taxes vs £70+ at nursery)
- for the month that the share was based in our home (one month on one month off), I could just get myself ready, knowing that our lovely nanny would get little one dressed etc when she arrived. Made things easier, rather than bundling her into pram, heading to nursery in all weathers and then tackling the commute in to work myself.
- our nanny was just brilliant (beginners luck maybe?), was Ofsted registered, CRB check etc (we got in touch with her and a local family to do the share with via http://www.nannysharers.co.uk)
- my only watch out would be in ensuring that the family you share with has similar values to you. In our case, the other family didn't always treat the nanny in a fair and reasonable way which was a big shame as the Nanny was just superb.

Having said all of the above, when our little one was 20 mths old our current nanny share came to an end and we opted to send her to a local nursery (Wimbledon Park area so can't comment on Riverside). She absolutely loves it there, gets stuck in to lots of 'messy play' that just wouldn't happen as frequently at home(!), playing with and learning from her little class mates, and all in an nurturing, friendly environment that encourages independence.

So, like I said, it does just all depend on what's important for you and what set up will make going back to work as easy as possible.

Good Luck!

[IndyB]

Thanks so much for your replies!

Those of you who have found great nannies, how did you do it? And how long should I give myself to find a good a nanny?

Thanks again for your help!

[mamabel]

i've done a bit of both - nursery when I only had one child and then nanny having had second quite quickly and not wanting to pay double nursery fees.
I definitely prefer nanny - for all the above reasons. Amazing how a nursery thats only a 10 min walk away can feel a real trek in the mornings - so much easier not to have to have children dressed and out by 7.45am! And you get a bit of help round the house - eg most nannies are ok about hanging out the odd load of washing etc
The obvious downside is if and when the nanny calls in sick...but this is hopefully rare.
Don't be daunted by becoming an employer as its worth it.
Word of mouth is obviously the best way to find a nanny but failing that I have had success on here, Childcare co uk & I also advertised on gumtree - (from gumtree there seemed to be one or two excellent candidates but the response was a little overwhelming so it was quite hard work to go through all the CVs that came in)
Going back when your baby is so young probably means you will have a really smooth transition with a nanny as by the time they get to the separation anxiety stage they have already bonded with the nanny!
good luck -its a daunting task 1st time round!