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It's an important question that every working parent must face: keep the children at home, or send them off to daycare? Unfortunately, it can often be a very difficult decision, since both options offer unique advantages - and disadvantages.
Parents are therefore advised to consider all the ups and downs of each option, paying special attention to their children's individual needs, and make the most comfortable, healthy and safe choice for their children.
The advantages of hiring a nanny are indisputably attractive, but will usually be more expensive. Children avoid homesickness and forego confronting crowds of unfamiliar faces at a daycare center. Instead, they enjoy the nurturing comfort of the home. Parents are provided with peace of mind. Their child is safe at home, without the risks of involved in transportation, and accidental meetings with strangers.
Parents who work at home benefit from hiring a nanny or babysitter by overseeing basic child care, since they can watch the nanny. When it's time for lunch, however, the children will usually be right there. It's the best of both worlds! Parents who work outside of the home will return, at the end of the day, to children who are comfortably adjusted to the home environment, without the stress and confusion of returning from an overly exciting, noisy and crowded daycare center.
If a child falls ill, parents won't have to scramble to find a babysitter at the last minute while the child would be barred from attending daycare. That means less missed work for parents.
The home environment is also much easier to control. A nanny or babysitter will be able to stick to methodical care routines that are important for the emotional, psychic stability of children, especially for infants and toddlers.
It's also common for nannies to take part in basic chores around the house, thus freeing up the limited time parents have to enjoy with their children. Note: if you wish for a nanny to do housework, it is strongly advised that you make this clear early on, ideally in the nanny interview, and clearly define your nanny's position as a nanny housekeeper.
Disadvantages of babysitters and nannies include the higher cost that they require for their individualized attention. While for many the difference is negligible, many families find the extra cost prohibitive. But when calculating the difference, remember to factor in the lost time scrambling for babysitters when your child falls ill and you must miss work. As such, the affordability of a nanny might then fall closer to that of daycare. But nannies fall sick too, and arranging a backup - whether through a temporary babysitter or last minute childcare center - can also drain your time and energy resources.
One of the advantages of sending your child to daycare is socialization. Exposure a wide variety of youngsters engenders a more dynamic and community based approach to learning. The nanny and parents cease to be the only people providing discipline, but rather the child learns by interacting with his or her peers. Also, children will not get sick as often as they would in a daycare center or preschool setting. Perhaps the most important benefit is the one-on-one bonding that takes place when the parents aren't home. This is a necessary ingredient in all young children's lives and this powerful need is filled best by a nanny, if the mother is not home and able to be there.
Daycare centers are subject to the scrutiny of state and federal laws designed to insure the safety of children. (Meanwhile, nannies must be checked individually with extensive interviews and criminal background checks). In addition, private daycare centers often take pride in accreditation from independent, non-governmental resources, giving parents the added assurance that their children will receive quality childcare.
Remember that finding daycare also requires shopping around and conducting in-depth interviews. This process can be just as demanding as the nanny search. Just as with nannies, there are scores of daycare centers with varying levels of quality, different child care philosophies and other considerations. Be sure to choose wisely.
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