How to choose a good nanny or day care

As your baby grows and the time comes for you to return to work, the time has arrived when you have to find a care taker for your child. You may have to choose between a nanny and daycare depending on which option suits your life style. Both getting a nanny and sending the child to day care has its advantages and disadvantages, and it is up to you to decide on what suits your baby better.

For example sending your child to a daycare will give him/her the opportunity to learn to socialize and to learn the basic skills like sharing at an early age. Also if your child attends daycare there is a better chance of having a higher rate in vocabulary by fifth grade.

One disadvantage in sending to a day care is the possibility of behavior problems later in school. Few other reasons why nannies are preferred over day cares are because of health issues, personal attention and flexibility. There is the greater possibility of catching infections by attending a day care center.

If you have decided on hiring a nanny, start by advertising or going through advertisements and even better visit an agent specialized in nannies as then the background check would be done by them.

Before you go to the interview process, list down exactly what you are expecting from the nanny. Do you want a fulltime nanny, part-time nanny or on call nanny? What is the amount set aside? Do you need her to clean, cook or look into the traveling and other activities of the children. Listing your requirements down would make the interview process easier and make sure you don’t miss anything important.

During the interview process get the vital information’s like name, address, referrals, ID Number and/or driving license number, past history of accidents, employments and  education. Also have a friendly chat about with what kind of activities she would keep the children occupied. Also get her to speak about her least pleasant experience as a nanny. If it sounds like a situation in your family, then you know this is not the nanny for you. Before appointing a prospective nanny, get her to meet the children and observe how they get along. This will help you in making your final decision.

If you have decided on a day care centre, you will have to make your choice by looking into the various factors like cost, location, experience, activities and caretakers.

Start early in looking for a day care centre. Visit many day care centers and observe the environment which you think will mostly have a positive effect on your children. Observe how the children are being treated, the activities available and the staff. Take into consideration the distance to the day care center from your home and office and transport availabilities.

Having a checklist of what you expect from a day care center will assist you in making your decision.