Congratulations by the way. You have a very exciting and joyous time ahead of you.
Now what? Are you going to be a stay-at-home Mom or Dad or are you going to stay at work and keep your career going? or maybe even a combination as many parents are able to work from home.
My advice is pretty obvious. Look at the pro’s and cons of each scenario but one of the difficulties, however, is some parents may not know the pros and cons. For example, is the financial situation an actual gain if you go back to work, comparing work income to expenditure of childcare costs. Yes the thought may cross your mind that if you pay childcare costs out of your work income you may as well be working for nothing. Unless of course you look forward 5 years and then all childcare costs are eliminated if you choose public schooling, and your career is now 5 years more mature.
Another thought might be to go back to work but put your baby in the hands of a cheap home daycare and not a Childcare Center. But bear in mind that the primary carer in a home daycare setting may suddenly go off sick or on vacation, what happens then? There is a probability no cameras are in force and your baby may be at risk of a tired and lonely carer who takes it out on your baby, especially if your baby is fussy, as most babies are. Ask yourself, who will have sight and sound over your baby when the one carer goes to the bathroom or starts cooking up lunch. The same goes if you plump for grandma to stay at your home and look after baby. Questions would be, can they cope, will your relationship with Grandma suffer because she is restricted to caring for a newborn and all the work that is involved with that, (diaper changing, food preparation, playing and nurturing and developing the baby in all the domains of development etc.). Lack of social interaction with other babies would be reduced.
It would be crass of me to suggest that staying home with your baby is the not best solution, of course it is. It may not have the best financial outcome, but you must have already discussed this with the family before deciding to have a baby. So, let’s move forward with the fact you have already decided you want to keep your career on track and want someone to look after your new family member while you continue to advance your career. Lake Mary Childcare has a waiting list for babies going 8 months out so NOW IS THE TIME to choose a place to get onto the waiting list and insure a place for your baby.
The two options I see are home daycare or Grandma or a Childcare Center such as ours, Lake Mary Childcare.
Pros For Home Day Care
Price
Cons for Home Daycare
Little oversight by State authorities
Inability to provide care when sick or on vacation
No assistance from other teachers
You may have to bring your own formula or food
Probably no professional developmental assessments
Risk of lack of care due to no Director oversight
Probably mixed ages of children that could range from 6 weeks to 5 years
Pros for Childcare Center
Camera oversight
Director and Assistant Director assistance for teacher
State approved curriculum
Dedicated baby room with NO risk of older children hurting your baby
More social interaction with other infants and adults
Formula and food provided
Ability to either breast feed on site or bring expressed milk that will be stored in fridge (this may be provided by Home Daycare)
12hr opening times such as 6.30am to 6.30pm
Cons for Childcare Center
Price
My advice is to choose a good Childcare Center that is clean, safe and trustworthy, supported by online reviews, state inspections and other parent references. Search online to see state inspections of your possible choice of center.
Lake Mary Childcare Center would be a good choice if you live in or near lake Mary, Florida but we are happy to share advice wherever you live. Just call us.