[livegreeneasy]

Is childcare worth it? When my child turned one I thought she could attend daycare two days a week. I was wrong. My child ended up really sick and in the hospital. Not to mention, the job I took to put her there I was not able to go to so that resulted in lost wages. On top of that the daycare charged me for the days we were not there. So go figure...I'm paying a daycare for a child that is not there and I am not getting paid. Was it worth it NO. Just something to consider before deciding on a daycare. Link removed please read our TOU

[vanaden]

I really don't do a daycare setting , but we have a family member baby sit 3 days a week for 4 hours a day in our home.
That in itself is hard enough for me to deal with. I feel guilty that someone is home in my place doing what I wish I could be doing I would rather stay home with my kids. So no, I don't think it's worth it at all.

[altland]

I think it depends on each individual situation. When my first was born, I lived 5 minutes from my grandmother, who watched her anytime I needed it. I was able to go back to work and know she was being loved and taken care of. I never thought I would use daycare. I had heard tons of horror stories. When she turned 3, we moved to Indiana and I went back to school. So out of necessity, she had to go to daycare. I was the only one who took care of her. I found a wonderful daycare that was attached to the university and hospital. They were wonderful with her. She got field trips and a classroom setting. In fact, the were able to potty train her when my grandmother and myself could not. She was never sick. In fact, there was abig issue, while I was going through chemo if she should be around other kids, and bring home their germs, but it worked out great. I never got sick.

When I went back to work after my second, he was about a year old. It was a nightmare. He ended up with an eye infection and respitory infection the first week. The doctor said it would take about 6 months for his immune system to get on track with the daycare center. Which meant he would be sick all the time until his body developed an immuity to their germs. He was already a sick baby. I couldn't handle him being worse. So I took him out. Now he is turning three in a few months and I am considering it again. Even though I am a SAHM, I think he needs the socialization with other children. I take him on playdates and other adventures but its not the same as a classroom setting with other adults away from mommy. They always listen to other adults before they listen to parents. What do we know?

If daycare becomes a necessity, there are good centers out there that have workers that treat the children as their own. They use proper sanitation methods to get down on germs. They have education programs that give the kids a headstart. It takes a lot of research and looking around.

[mcmama]

Thank you Altland.

See my response to the op who has posted this same thing on three different threads here.

Quality child care is a business decision. The idea that you can work at home and not be bothered with child care, or not have the question of providing for how your children will spend their child time during your work time is really an illusion. Partnering with quality child care professionals is really essential for health, stability, and a good experience for all.

[jadis]

It's a shame that daycare didn't work out for you- we love our daycare provider. We are using a licensed home daycare which is a business and is run as such. They have security checks once a month, and suprise visits that we get written reports based on what they observed. Our provider has also been doing this for over ten years, and used to be a social worker with the Children's Aid Society (the equivalent of DCF in Canada).

Did Norah get sick when she started? Yep- she got a hell of a cold, and the doc is tentatively diagnosing her as asthmatic. However, that is really inevitable whether they are in daycare or not. Kids who start daycare or preschool usually spend about a year being sick on and off before their immune system is sufficiently strong enough to be better at fighting off illness. If they aren't in daycare or preschool, this usually shifts to kindergarten- anytime a child moves from being in relatively secluded household to an environment where they are coming into contact with a lot more children they will get sick more often. There are always exceptions to the rule, but typically that's how it goes.

[pattiewrites]

In my experience, kids that don't go to daycare or preschool get sick half the year in Kindergarten. Eventually, they will be exposed to other kids and bring home germs, it really is inevitable. However, with good sanitation practices, the number of illnesses can be greatly reduced.

I agree with Janet, working from home with no child care is extremely difficult, which is why I put my little guy in the toddler program at his sister's preschool about 4 months ago. He goes two mornings a week for three hours, which allows me to concentrate on work and spend time focusing on him when he gets home. He has only been sick once in the four months, so that hasn't been an issue. You just have to search for the best quality you can find. It is out there.