Deciding on Daycare vs A Nanny

If you’re at the stage where you are thinking about child care arrangements for your child, then you will more than likely be looking into what type of setup you want to opt for. It’s often a big decision to be made and not one to be taken lightly when it comes to leaving your little one with strangers.

You are generally left facing the option of using a daycare provider or choosing a Nanny.

Advantages of Daycare

With this option, you know that there will be regular social interaction with other kids and adults, along with structured activities and schedules. It’s a great way to introduce your child to socializing and will give them a good foundation for starting kindergarten.

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The daycare manages everything, and you pay your bill at the end of the month, whereas a nanny is considered as your employee, and you will need to sort out how to pay them. Payroll services like GTM put together a nanny tax guide to make the process simple for you to use as you’re legally obligated to arrange appropriate taxes and payments.

Disadvantages of Daycare

It can be challenging to secure a place for your child in an oversubscribed center and you may have to consider areas that aren’t as local to you.

Although the staff are providing a structured day, it will mean that due to the numbers of children being cared for, the care won’t be individualized.

While it is excellent for children to be able to mix with their peers, it can also be a place where learned behaviors can be picked up and as children are often very much like sponges, they can adopt these less than ideal habits.

Illness is often a significant downside to these kinds of facilities, as children like to share around their germs.

You’re limited with their opening and closing times and will need to work around those with your work commitments.

Advantages of a Nanny

If you’re feeling very nervous about leaving your child in the care of others, then a nanny looking after your kid at home will help alleviate those concerns.

The nanny will form a strong attachment with your child and get to know their needs much better than daycare workers who will have several children to care for.

You will have more flexibility when it comes to leaving your child, as the nanny will be able to work around the hours that suit you at home.

Disadvantages of a Nanny

Having someone in your home will mean that you lose some of your privacy and you need to factor in how you will feel about this.

They are often more expensive to pay for and finding the right nanny can sometimes be hard to come by, so you may need to be prepared to pay a premium for this.

Your child will have less social interaction with other children unless you arrange for your nanny to attend classes or meet up with other nannies or moms throughout the day.