Childcare for toddler and baby

[littleleaf]

I have a 3.5 yo in preschool and expecting a LO in January. DS currently is in preschool full time and he seems to like it ok, though I get the feeling that he'd rather be home. I WOHM pretty much full time, regular hours.

We are debating what to do when the new baby comes along. I know it would probably be more economical to find a nanny to care for both (and thus DS would get his wish to stay home), but I'd have to be sure the nanny can provide enough of a structured day and socialization for him. Is preschool important enough to keep him in it part-time? I don't like to disrupt his schedule too much, and by the time the baby comes, DS will have been in the same school for 1.5 years. He has friends there that he looks forward to seeing.

Of course I'd prefer in-home care for an infant. I'm not a huge fan of the infant care facilities in my area, and I do feel it's better for a baby to spend more time at home. I also figure that you're paying through the nose and won't be able to send your baby there half the time because they'll be sick all the time.

Cost-wise (monthly):
FT Preschool for DS: $1000
Cost for nanny for 2 kids: ~$1700-2300
Cots of infant care: $1500

Help me, ladies.... wwyd?

[Shimpie]

Subbing because I don't have any answers either. I'm not pregnant yet, but we're planning for #2 someday. I don't know how we'll afford it.

I do know that once a 4 year old is used to friends at daycare, it's tough for a nanny to provide the same social interaction. My sister took my niece out of preschool a few months early before she starts kindergarten in July. It's been WORK keeping this girl from being bored. My niece misses the interaction with her friends and a once a week playdate just doesn't cut it. I think PT preschool would be worth it. Otherwise, the nanny will need to plan some playdates throughout the week. Oh, and if DS goes to preschool PT, he'll still bring back the germs for baby to get sick.

Sorry, I've got no answers.

[isaacsmum]

I would keep the 4 year old's routine the same and find a nice infant care facility (assuming the preschool doesn't have one there). We considered doing the nanny thing, but the price for 2 kids with a nanny was considerably higher than the cost of 2 kids in daycare. And we pay about 2K a month for 2 kids in daycare. Once you consider the complications of dealing with taxes and benefits and such to pay someone to care for kids in your own home (much more complex tax-wise than sending them to someone else's home for care) it really wasn't an option for us. For what it's worth, my daughter has been in daycare since she was six weeks old, and had her first illness (a fever for 2 days) 2 weeks ago. Newbies in daycare isn't a guarantee of sick days, just depends on the kiddo.

[doodah]

Have you considered a licensed in-home daycare provider with a small ratio for the baby? Baby may get more undivided attention there and less exposure to illness. Right now I have one child under 12 months at my daycare and only 6 other kids (3 of whom are mine).....that is a heck of a lot more attention and less exposure than a facility. Even if your child only has a small number in their class at a center, they are still exposed to more because the teachers come in and out, its not just one person....plus the attachment issue for babies. An established, professional provider may be the only one that takes care of your child for 3 or 4 years and is able to have that good bond with them.

[luvsviola]

I would personally put him in part time preschool, and have a nanny in your shoes. I think preschool is important, and would move heaven and earth for my child to have a regular classroom setting--not in someone's home.


My nanny takes DD to school, and DS as well before he entered developmental preschool. I have 3 kiddos, and next year, DD2 will go one day a week (17 months old), 3 year old goes 5 mornings to developmental, and DD2 will be in kindy full day.

[Shimpie]

Originally Posted by luvsviola I would personally put him in part time preschool, and have a nanny in your shoes. I think preschool is important, and would move heaven and earth for my child to have a regular classroom setting--not in someone's home. My nanny takes DD to school, and DS as well before he entered developmental preschool. I have 3 kiddos, and next year, DD2 will go one day a week (17 months old), 3 year old goes 5 mornings to developmental, and DD2 will be in kindy full day.

This would be ideal. However, I don't think I want to know how much it would cost to pay for preschool AND a nanny in Southern CA.

[luvsviola]

We pay $180 a month for 2 days a week at our church preschool. If you check local churches, I'll bet you can find a pretty decent deal.

[littleleaf]

Originally Posted by Shimpie Subbing because I don't have any answers either. I'm not pregnant yet, but we're planning for #2 someday. I don't know how we'll afford it. I do know that once a 4 year old is used to friends at daycare, it's tough for a nanny to provide the same social interaction. My sister took my niece out of preschool a few months early before she starts kindergarten in July. It's been WORK keeping this girl from being bored. My niece misses the interaction with her friends and a once a week playdate just doesn't cut it. I think PT preschool would be worth it. Otherwise, the nanny will need to plan some playdates throughout the week. Oh, and if DS goes to preschool PT, he'll still bring back the germs for baby to get sick. Sorry, I've got no answers.

Hey, we're both in SoCal! So yeah, you know how expensive stuff is here...

Well, there's a child-minding service at a local church that charges $20/4 hours, available 2x/week. It would mean taking DS out of his current preschool, but that would be another school-like environment that would be pretty cheap (so... $160/mo)