Daycare or not?

Question

My 15 month daughter is watched by my neighbor lady about 20 hrs/week while I'm working at our buiness with my husband. She has watched her since 6 weeks and she is awesome. She is one house away, so I walk her down. My daughter absolutely loves her and gets so excited to see her. Is it ok for her to not be around other children yet? I have thought about a daycare center, but I'm so happy with the way things are. She gets to see and play with cousins quite a bit. Just looking for some advice.

Answer 1

You are doing fine. Before age 3-4, kids don't really play with other kids. They will parallel play, play near or next to other kids before then, but they don't truly interact that much as people. You have made sure she plays with cousins, so she isn't socially isolated, so good job. Daycare can wait. At about 3 yrs, she will benefit more from it and will want other kids to play with.

Answer 2

If you are happy with how the neighbor lady cares for you daughter, and your daughter seems to be excited to go there, there is no reason to put her into daycare. Putting her into daycare is going to open her up to more sickness and run into higher costs for you..

You said that she gets to see and play with cousins quite a bit so she has the opportunity to socialize and learn how to share etc.

In daycare, you really do not know how well she would be cared for. Even the best facilities can not offer the one on one that your child is accustom to.

I had my older children in child care with a neighbor lady for a long time. I knew that they were being 'raised' by this other lady in the same way that I would have raised them had I been able to be home with them all the time. My youngest however, was in a daycare facility. I was very disappointed in how he was cared for. because the supervision was not as well as it was with the neighbor lady, he was being taught things that I would never have wanted him to learn.

Answer 3

I would Put her in a daycare at about 2yrs old so that way when she is 3 and you want her to go to preschool she will have some Idea of what its like to play with strange children. My daughter was 2 when I introduced her to daycare and it was great she is now 3 and gets to go to preschool and she is very excited. Plus montitor how she plays with her cousins and see if she is the one doing the playing or if they are. she may just be watching them.

thats another thing her going to daycare helps strieghthen her imune system. I know its sounds strange but ask your pediatrician.

Answer 4

Funny you ask, my nanny just gave notice .. : ( so I pondered it over and over, and we decided to take her to a lincensed daycare, ( my friend has been taken her son for 2 years now) My daughter is 22 months, and if she was younger I would not think about a daycare I would find another nanny, but my daughter does NOT have any other children to play with, so I decided " hey! things happen for a reason and it might be time" so I guess to answer your question, no, leave your daughter there, until shes older.

Answer 5

My oldest child didn't go to daycare until 4 years old. When I was little (I'm 37 now) kids didn't go to daycare, they started nursery school around 3 or 4 years. I think she is fine for now. When she gets closer to kindergarden age you might think of moving her to a daycare so she can become accustomed to other children and so she realizes that even though she is the center of your world, she isn't the center of everyone else's world.

Answer 6

If your daughter is happy there is no reason to change things, daycare is very good for "socializing"children but if your daughter gets to play with cousins etc a lot that is quite enough.

Answer 7

As long as you and your daughter are happy, that is all that matters. You said she plays with cousins a lot, that is important for when they start school. If you have concerns about her social interactions with other kids, check with your church or local headstart program and maybe set up some playdates. Both my daughters go to a home daycare center, and they love it. If they didn't I wouldn't be able to work.

Answer 8

As long as she is interacting with other children occasionally you shouldn't worry. You seem to have a nice set up. If you are really concerned about it, there are other places she can socialize with kids her own age. There is church, the park, Gymboree type places, etc. I have always thought of daycare centers as an option for people who have no other option. Once she gets older, preschool might be a nice alternative, but she is quite young for that still.

Best of luck to you.

Answer 9

I can only give you my experience. My sitter was a lady that my brother met while cutting grass. I called her grandmother (since she had grandkids that were pre-school age too) and she ended up being my grandmother in every sense of the word. Once in a while her other grandkids popped in to play but mostly it was just her and I. I think she took care of me even when I was sick.
When I began kindergarten... that's when I got to be around other children. It was no big whoop in my life to adjust.
I'll always cherish those days with my grandmother. She is so much a part of my heart to this day. I wouldn't have changed a thing.

Answer 10

Keep her there as long as she has SOME interaction with other kids. Ie: playgroup, goes to the park.. something.. Interaction with other kids at 15 months isn't that big of a deal, they don't play WITH other kids anyways.. I think that as long as you have a plan for her by the time she's 2 or 3.. for playdates, a few days a week at a child care center.. then you don't have anything to worry abotu.