Childminder or nursery?

[Mumtobe20]

Hi I am due to go back to work in june and im absolutely dreading leaving lo with a childminder or in nursery. Unfortunately I dont have any family that would be able to take him the 2 days that I will be working ideally I would have prefered leaving him with someone I know and trust if you know what I mean. So my only option is a childminder or nursery. I have a friend whos lo goes to nursery so I viewed that one which was ok, however I went to view another one it had lots of steps and not alot of safety gates, the 0-2 were all in the same room and the babies only had the option of sleeping outside in buggys with raincovers on (no separate sleep room) so hes defo not going there. Because I work in a nursery its so hard not to pick faults and I am finding it difficult to find one I really like. Just wondering if you girls are sending your lo's to nursery or a childminder? x

 

[Janidog]

My LO goes to a nice nursery, but i did see some crappy ones. The one he goes to is lovely, they do so many activities and the pics get put in to a journal.

I may consider a childminder if i needed more flexibility or i felt that they weren't doing a good job.

 

[kiwimama]

I use a childminder, I felt she was too young to be in a nursery when I returned to work and wanted her to be in a more homley environment. Our childminder is absolutely lovely, she has become a part of the family and it couldn't have worked out better (apart from if I could be home with her of course!)

 

[RHR]

Hi hun, My dd has just started going to a childminder once a week for two hours, so that she can get used to being looked after by someone else. Which will increase once I get a job and go back to work.

I wanted her to be in a homely environment and not surrounded by loads of children, but enough so that she learns to socialise with them. I really like our childminder and am lucky to have found her. One of the huge big bonuses for me is that she lives round the corner from as well. but when I interviewed her, I really liked what she had to say and felt she would look after my dd how I would look after her if she were and currently is at home with me. She just felt right.

Isabelle also seems to be really happy with her as well which is fantastic.

 

[louisiana]

i have chose a nursery,im lucky that the nursery in my village is really good and the staff are lovely.
im not going with a childminder as the nearest one to me,has a son who is a nightmare!i bumped into her at soft play when i took my nephew.she had the children who she looks after and her 10yr old son who was off school sick,he ran around the play area pushing and shoving the smaller children and she said nothing!!
my mums cousin is a childminder and if she lived anywhere near me she would be looking after my LO.

its a personal decision that u have to be comfortable with

 

[Murphy98]

We are going with nursary because....I feel like at least there are several staff there to see if someone is being inappropriate whereas with a dayhome/childminder situation that person has nobody else to see what they are doing. Its a horrible choice - I hate the idea of either. I wish I could just stay home but its not fiscally possible

 

[A3my]

my son is going to nursery, he was going to go to the childminder I have used for 8 years but she has given up and opened a nursery so he is going there. I think there are pro's and cons to either choice and for me I'd rather not go back to work but I have to for financial reasons

 

[lolababes]

Im hoping to go with a childminder (provided I can find someone me and LO like) I had a very bad experience with DS#1 in a nursery so would rather not go down that route.

Im not sure if it cost more though??

 

[Lu28]

We chose a childminder because I wanted her to be in a more homely environment at this age and if she was going to spend that amount of time away from me, I wanted it to be with someone she could really form a bond with.

 

[Angelica]

Agree with u Murphy! My LO is with my parents for 2 days and in a nursery the other 2 days! I like u prefer her in a nursery as there are many members of staff there, cctv all around the nursery etc. I personally wouldnt feel comfortable with my lo being with a childminder all alone!

But everyones choices are different so as long as u & ur lo are happy with arrangement thats all that matters!

 

[RJsMum]

We're in the process of trying to find a childminder for DS. MIL looks after him 2 days a week (when I have work on those days) and because the days/hours vary, we need someone flexible. Also, it's a cost issue for us because a childminder is only £3-4/hr.

 

[Mumtobe20]

Agree with u Murphy! My LO is with my parents for 2 days and in a nursery the other 2 days! I like u prefer her in a nursery as there are many members of staff there, cctv all around the nursery etc. I personally wouldnt feel comfortable with my lo being with a childminder all alone!

But everyones choices are different so as long as u & ur lo are happy with arrangement thats all that matters!

I agree with you both. I had more or less set my mind on a nursery until I went to see the second one, the woman said to me 'we have a open changing area this is to ensure that all staff can be seen and if something was going on someone would see' and she ended the conversation by talking about that nursery in england where the woman was caught taken pics of the kids. I mean why why why would you say that to someone looking for a potential place in there nursery. Has put me off childminders and nurserys now. I wish I could stay at home with my boy or put him in my nursery as I trust everyone there. The thought of going back to work is making me feel sick with worry thank you for everyones opinions x x

 

[Szaffi]

I went back to work full-time and we went for a nursery for the following reasons:

- it was completely baby-proofed as opposed to our house and the house of childminders
- if the staff is sick, it doesn't affect the opening hours.
- it's only closed for a couple of days per week.
- it's cheaper
- more supervision
- staff trained in specialized schools
- French language environment (she'll probably have to go to a local French-speaking school at the age of 3 and we don't speak any French at home)

We chose however a small nursery with a very familial feeling to it, which has such facilities, as a separate sleeping room, home-made food, garden, terrace, some activites, flexible nannies.

It has worked out really well so far, LO hasn't really been sick much, she loves the nursery, and I have a peace of mind that she's safe.

 

[helen1234]

We chose a childminder because I wanted her to be in a more homely environment at this age and if she was going to spend that amount of time away from me, I wanted it to be with someone she could really form a bond with.

same here, i managed to keep my daughter with the same childminder for many yrs. i like the intimate settings of childminder and got friendly with her whole family and still am and my daughters 16 now

i used a nursery for a yr till she went to school nursery but if i had my choice again i'd go straight to childminder, i have my own reasons why i'm not keen on nurserys but wouldnt like to offend friends who use them by voicing them on here.

 

[Laura_M]

We're in the same position as you - I go back to work end of April and we're looking at both nurseries and childminders. My mum's having LO 1 day, MIL 1 day so need childcare for 3 days.

At the moment we're leaning more towards a childminder for a few reasons:
-LO will only be 6 months old when I go back to work so I think I'd prefer a more homely environment for him.
-in the nursery it's 1 staff member to 3 babies - I know the childminder would have more children but only allowed 1 under 1 so I feel he'd get more attention when he needed it.
-flexibility in hours as OH or MIL can pick him up between 2.30 and 3.30 each day so would be MUCH cheaper (£200 per month) as would need to pay for full day in nursery.
-the childminder we're looking at is from a personal recommendation from a good friend of my mum's plus she's had her latest OFSTED this week so will be very up to date.
-childminder lives round the corner from us.

We did visit a nursery that we LOVED, and would definitely consider putting him in there when he's 18 months or 2 years old, so he could have the interaction with the other children, but while he's still a baby we think we'd prefer a childminder to have him.

Obviously there's a few cons to having a childminder instead of nursery, ie what happens if she's ill, but my boss is very flexible so i know i could call her at very short notice to book a day off work or to arrange to work from home.

 

[chelle7]

Hi I am due to go back to work in june and im absolutely dreading leaving lo with a childminder or in nursery. Unfortunately I dont have any family that would be able to take him the 2 days that I will be working ideally I would have prefered leaving him with someone I know and trust if you know what I mean. So my only option is a childminder or nursery. I have a friend whos lo goes to nursery so I viewed that one which was ok, however I went to view another one it had lots of steps and not alot of safety gates, the 0-2 were all in the same room and the babies only had the option of sleeping outside in buggys with raincovers on (no separate sleep room) so hes defo not going there. Because I work in a nursery its so hard not to pick faults and I am finding it difficult to find one I really like. Just wondering if you girls are sending your lo's to nursery or a childminder? x

I feel exactly the same - I hate the thought of going back to work but will have to for 3 days as I earn more than OH. I am thinking more towards nursery as unless it was someone I knew I am not too sure about leaving her with one person. I have no family around to help either so have to find childcare. I am often in tears just thinking about it though

 

[Laura2919]

I chose a nursery for the twins. There are more children and more staff to help. Plus everything is included in my cost, food, wipes, nappies, everything they need. I just send them to nursery in their clothes lol.
For me it suited but I think childminders are ok, they have closer relationship to you as its one on one whereas a nursery has a fair few faces.

 

[Mumtobe20]

We're in the same position as you - I go back to work end of April and we're looking at both nurseries and childminders. My mum's having LO 1 day, MIL 1 day so need childcare for 3 days.

At the moment we're leaning more towards a childminder for a few reasons:
-LO will only be 6 months old when I go back to work so I think I'd prefer a more homely environment for him.
-in the nursery it's 1 staff member to 3 babies - I know the childminder would have more children but only allowed 1 under 1 so I feel he'd get more attention when he needed it.
-flexibility in hours as OH or MIL can pick him up between 2.30 and 3.30 each day so would be MUCH cheaper (£200 per month) as would need to pay for full day in nursery.
-the childminder we're looking at is from a personal recommendation from a good friend of my mum's plus she's had her latest OFSTED this week so will be very up to date.
-childminder lives round the corner from us.

We did visit a nursery that we LOVED, and would definitely consider putting him in there when he's 18 months or 2 years old, so he could have the interaction with the other children, but while he's still a baby we think we'd prefer a childminder to have him.

Obviously there's a few cons to having a childminder instead of nursery, ie what happens if she's ill, but my boss is very flexible so i know i could call her at very short notice to book a day off work or to arrange to work from home.

Your so lucky your mum and MIL can take lo the 2 days a week my mum lives in spain, and my MIL still works full time my aunty is the only one who may consider taking lo for the 2 days I am at work but its alot to ask. x

 

[lauren28]

I have got a childmonder for Leah when I go back to work.

I don't relly like the idea of a nursery as there will be so many children to look after and she would have to fit in with the routine of the nursery, whereas at a childminder, the childminder would be more able to adapt to her routine, and she would be the only under 1 and more likely to get more one on one attention. I also like the idea of being in a home environment.