nursery or childminder?

tooldle

My daughter went to nursery. Two babies to one key worker, daughter did form a bond with her key worker. Nappy changes as and when, same with feeding. The babyroom was only for children under one, once above that age they moed to the tweenies room and then onto toddler room at 2.5 years. Fantastic care provide all round. Terms of contract strictly adhered to at all times. The range of activities offered each week was very wide. Different menu every day, all freshly cooked. Opening times from 6.30am through to 6.30pm, gave great flexibility for those unplanned late finishes, or early starts. Nursery also offered a drop of and collection service to the local schools. My daughter is still firm friends with a number of children who attended nursery with her from the start.
There is no right or wrong, go wth whichever offers the services you require and that you are comfortable with.

clw1

My LO started nursery at 11months and loved it as there was so much going on and lots of new friends for him so for him a childminder or small nursery would not have suited. That said if he was quieter then a childminder may be better so it is all down to what suits your child's personality.

From a purely financial perspective most nurseries have set times / rates for full and half days and at my nursery if you pay for a half day it is only 8am-1pm or 1pm - 6pm so for your times you would have pay for 2 full days rather than just for the number of hours you would use it for. So a childminder may be more flexible and let you just pay for the hours you use (or some nurseries may be flexible too but if they are full they might not be).

Also have you also thought about if you will need childcare to allow you to study / revise / write essays / go to the libary - it might be worth paying for a few extra hours on the days you are in uni to do this rather than trying to do all the extra stuff after your LO is in bed.

maryjane01

Don't get too hung up on either getting a childminder or a nursery. All childminders are different and all nurseries are different. Find out what is available local to you that covers the hours you need and is accessible, and choose the best available that suits and has a free place. In my area, there are a lot of nurseries and childminders, but not really a lot of choice due to waiting lists etc. My lo and my friend's los ended up going where there was a vacancy and where they were offered a place. Luckily we are all happy with the outcomes. My ds nursery is a little bit like a production line with loads of forms and box ticking etc. but there are some really lovely ladies working there who genuinely care about the kids. Also, how much time they spend there may effect your decision. My ds is only in nursery 2 days a week, I know I can give him experiences on the other 5 days he will not get in nursery, and nursery give him 2 days of structured time which he really loves.

Also, with regards to childminder illness and not having a back up, some nurseries will exclude children for minor illnesses eg. a small rash or conjunctivitis, whereas a childminder would often still take a child with minor ailments. Swings and roundabouts.

jackyann

Having worked professionally with children, I would say that the issue is not which is the best out of childminder / nursery, but which is the one that you most feel at home with when you go to look round? Try to call when a meal or snack is being given & watch the attention paid to the child (easier to observe at nursery than an individual childminder who can't concentrate on you & the children!)
I would always look at the nursery that is part of your local children's centre as they often have more going on around them (special activities for families) and (very broad generalisation here!) are better than "chains".
I think good childminders are wonderful and give a family experience to "onlies". Their inspection reports are available at the local Childminding Network (usually part of the Children's Centre).
All local authorities should have a Children's Information service to talk to you about options. IMO inspection reports are broadly accurate, but some settings (especially commercial nurseries) know how to play the system.

onlyroz

I use both. My daughter goes to nursery full time, and my son is collected from school by a childminder three days a week.

My opinion is that a nursery offers a more structured environment and can often offer better facilities (for example, my daughter's nursery has a swimming pool).

However, you might find that a childminder is more flexible - for example I have to pick up my daughter by 6pm on the dot, because the nursery is not insured to look after children for a minute longer than this. My childminder, on the other hand, is more flexible than this and if there is ever a time when I need extra cover I can arrange and pay for this as needed.

It's a personal decision, and I would suggest that you visit a number of nurseries and childminders before you make up your mind.

CL

I'm returning to work from maternity leave this summer and have been considering both a childminder and a nursery and have decided on a nursery. She will be 8 months old. My sister was looking for a childminder for her daughter and met with one and asked her why she decided to be a childminder and she replied "because I want to stay at home with my children". Looking after other people's children was just a way to finance this.

I was worried about my baby being plonked in front of a TV all day while the childminder did her laundry, cleaned the house, did her ironing, etc. My SIL had a childminder who had my niece in the car nearly all day - leaving her own children to school, doing her shopping, visiting her mother, collecting the children from school.

The nursery I went to see was clean, bright and the babies looked very happy. There is CCTV in every room including the changing room and cot room and the monitors in the managers office show all the rooms constantly and there is no TV for the children.

I also want my baby to socialise with other children. When she starts pre-school I may change to a childminder as she will be socialising there and there will obviously be no TV there and then she would be spending fewer hours with a childminder.

None of this is because of cost, because the nursery is much more expensive than a childminder.

DevilsAdvocate1

My son went to a childminder when I went back to work when he was 7 months old. I just couldn't get my head around the fact that if he went to nursery he would essentially be in the same room / small outdoor area all day every day. Having said that, I went back to work full time.

I wanted my son to go to the park, beach, post office, shops etc. Its all part of life. I preferred him to actually do these things rather than role play them in a corner of a nursery room.

olibrofiz

DD (now 16) went to a childminder at 9 months (mornings only) as she couldn't start at the nursery I wanted her to go to until she was 18 months. IMO the downsides with a childminder was having to find alternative care when she was ill (at short notice) and took holidays - had to pay her sick & holiday pay AND find & pay someone else to look after DD during those times.

I think 18 months was a good age for DD to start nursery as she needed more stimulation by that time. She loved it and it was sad when she left. DD went back to do a school placement there when she was 15 and there were a lot of the same staff so it was really nice :cool:

I seem to remember that once DD started nursery she caught everything going for about 6 months because of the wide variety of kids there. By the time she started school she had a great immune system

I think I'd do the childminder then nursery route again tho.

onlyroz

DevilsAdvocate1 wrote: »

wanted my son to go to the park, beach, post office, shops etc. Its all part of life. I preferred him to actually do these things rather than role play them in a corner of a nursery room.

Some nurseries will do this - in the summer months my daughter's nursery will take the children out in groups to the park, library etc.

DaisyFlower

Its personal preference. For me, nursery would win every time.

With a nursery, you know where your child is all the time. There are very few visitors and certainly no friends. No having to be taken out on school runs in all weathers or going to activities not suited to the age. Plenty of other adults around and lots of similar aged children to play with. There would always be cover in the event of staff holidays and sickness and little chance of being given notice if a better financial offer comes along.

CM's often have their own children who they will naturally favvour and whose schedule they may have to work around.