Weighing in the pros of daycare vs a nanny

As a working mom, you will face the choice of either enrolling your child in daycare or hiring a nanny come 2021. This can be a daunting task, so here are some guidelines to help you make an informed decision.

In order to ensure that your little one gets the best care while you’re away, educational psychologist Jenny Da Silva encourages you to consider these pros and cons.

6 Pros of Day Care

1. Children who attend daycare early usually adjust more easily to strangers and become more independent as they learn how to do things relatively early for themselves.
2. Your child will be exposed to children of various backgrounds, so she will learn how to socialize and adapt to different individuals and situations with others.
3. A good daycare will offer activities aimed at improving the interpersonal, intrapersonal, perceptual, coordination, and cognitive abilities of your child.
4. Daycare staff usually have some kind of first-aid and early childhood growth training.
5. The personnel is reliable and consistent.
6. Your little one will be exposed fairly early to the routine of a “school environment” and will generally have no problem later adjusting to nursery or primary school.

5 Cons of Day Care cons

1. Kids are usually exposed to all kinds of germs when starting daycare, so your child could get sick in the beginning quite easily.
2. You will not have as much control over the surroundings of your child.
3. When she gets home, your child will generally be tired.
4. In terms of pick-up and drop-off times, schedules are usually quite strict and the daycare can be closed during the holidays.
5. Your infant may not receive one-on-one attention.

3 Nanny pros

1. Your little one is in her own environment.
2. One-on-one attention is guaranteed.
3. You’ll have more control over your child’s environment, how much TV she can watch, what she eats, etc.

5 Nanny cons

1. Your child may not learn the social skills their peers may achieve at an early age.
2. Your child may not mature as fast as her peers.
3. She may suffer from separation anxiety when she goes to nursery or primary school later
4. A nanny may call in sick last minute leaving you with limited childcare options.
5. Children, especially only children, may have difficulty sharing and adapting to having other children sharing their space and socialising when they are older.