is it worth it to pay for daycare?

Question

my son is seven weeks old and I had planned to take a year off work to be with him. But money is starting to get a little tight and my boss has already called offering me any shifts i wanted if I'd just go back. And honestly it'd be nice to get out of the house and see grown-ups a few days a week. But it seems silly to work if all the money is just going to go right back into paying for daycare where he might not even be well taken care of. What do you pay for daycare part-time? and what have some of your experiences benn with leaving your kids in daycare? (good and bad).

Answer 1

I worked part time at a day care centre. I would never leave my kid in a day care. Your son is worth your time and energy. There are many ways for you to get in touch with grown ups and include your son(play dates etc). Especially at such a young age. He needs you.
Unless you had a close friend or a family member-someone that he knows to care for him while you take one or 2 shifts a week.

Answer 2

I work at a home based daycare, which is very common in the area I live in. Its not one of the "daycare centers" that you send your kids to, its in someone's home, and she loves the kids like they're her own. I think if you need to put your child in daycare, you should realllly shop around - take the baby with you when your interviewing so that you can see how they interact with your baby and if your baby is comfortable with the person. I would avoid large daycare centers, I wouldn't do anything that could take more than 12 children, then I would make sure that the provider has an assistant too. Thats what I do, that way there's always someone with kids while lunch is being made or someone can be inside with the babies while the other is outside. If the money is the issue, try seeing if you can get help from the state with daycare. You can potentially make quite a bit of money and still qualify for assistance from the state. Just call your local FIA office and see if you can fill out the application to see if you'd be approved.

Being able to stay at home with your baby is the ideal situation, but working 2-3 times a week helps you keep your sanity too. Good luck!!

Answer 3

I would say he is a little too young. I'm sure you probably think that too. But if you are that desperate I would say you should be making atleast 2-3 times as much as you pay for daycare.

I say this because there are so many costs that go along with working and not being home - wardrobe, lunch, transportation, eating out because no time to cook, dry cleaning, and other stuff I can't think of. Even grocery shopping because you tend to buy already prepared stuff since there is no time for cooking from scratch and that even ends up being expensive.

Also, be prepared for almost never getting a full week of work in, the daycares constantly call telling you to pick him up for this or that, sometimes they get sick so much you end up having to quit because you are paying for daycare but not making it to work to pay for it. The daycares charge you no matter what, whether you took a day off from work and your kid's not there or whether you went on vacation or not.

Another thing, a lot of daycares do not take infant under 12 months for only part time.

Here in the northeast and maybe the west coast the cost of daycare full time for an infant is anywhere from $900-1300.

Answer 4

Well, if you make enough money to put your baby in daycare, it's worth the investment. Daycare can teach your baby a lot of things and spend a lot of time with your baby. Your baby will get used to a different environment and not be afraid of communication in the future. I would only trust using a licensed daycare that is not a home-based center. Home-based center are not as safe as a regular daycare centers because of the facilities. The service is cheaper if the nanny has no license and can't afford a regular facility. The bad thing about daycare is that if your baby is sick, you need to keep the baby at home. This prevents other kids to become sick.

My husband and I want to continue working since we both have a Bachelor's degree. We don't want to give up our income to stay home with the baby. On the other hand, I hate my mother-in-law and would rather spend more money on daycare than have her teach my baby what's right and what's wrong. She's very un-educated and I know she is not a good influence to my baby.

Answer 5

I'd never put my child in daycare--especially at that age. If I were you, I'd take the year off. It's worth it big time. These are the most important years of his life and you don't want some other person raising him during it. The money you'd be making is going toward daycare so really you're not making anything. I agree with the answer above of getting a stay at home job. Those can provide extra money and you wouldn't even have to leave home. Good luck and God bless.

Answer 6

Seven weeks old is very young. I don't think it is worth it. Time goes so fast. I have a 12 year old and a 7 year old. Seems like I have always worked at least part time, but now I regret it. But I have taken breaks. I am just not a stay at home mom and some people aren't. Maybe you could work from home. It is important to interact with other adults. Last year I started doing Passion Parties. I thought, shoot if I only do 1 party per month at least I could get out of the house once in a while. That way I am making money and not spending it. Now I do like 4 parties a month and make about $1,000. If my parties do not have good sales, then I do another one or two. But, I get to decide and since usually they are in the evening or weekends, my husband is home with my girls. No day care and we get to keep ALL of the money. Maybe you could try something like that. There are things like Pampered Chef, Party Lite, Mary Kay....Lots of things. Good Luck! You can check out my profile if you want some more info. Or, go to www.wahm.com (work at home moms) They may have some ideas you like.

Answer 7

Wow, I love how it's so easy for other people to be so judgemental about your situation. After I had my first daughter I continued to work. I found (with a lot of searching, which wasn't easy) a wonderful daycare provider close to my office and was affordable ($150.00 a week). It takes lots of work to find someone skilled enough to trust your children with so don't take it lightly. If you were to go back to work, you Would be doing strictly for yourself (which I know it's hard to put yourself first with a new baby), so weigh the pro's and con's carefully, but if you think it's worth it, then go right ahead. I've had a second daughter now, and I'm a stay at home mommy. Occasionally I watch neighbors' kids or my sisters' to pick up extra money. I also scrapbook in my spare time and go have scrap nights at a local store after my daughters' have gone to bed so I can have other adult interaction and my husband can have quiet time at home.
Good luck, I know it's a really hard decision, and don't feel bad if you need to do something for yourself. THERE ARE PLENTY OF WELL-ADJUSTED CHILDREN FROM DAYCARE ENVIRONMENTS!!! (That's for all the other "haters" out there.) Your love and affection is by far the best for your new baby, but you can find other options if you look hard enough.

Answer 8

I have a 2 yr old in daycare full time. I pay $105 a week for full time, but that includes breakfast, lunch, 2 snacks, and they have webcams in every room. He loves being with other kids his age, and I like being able to work. It's good for Mommy and baby, but you will miss your child a lot. I don;t know how much you are making at this job, but call around the daycares and get prices and see if it is worth it to do it. Any extra money is better than none.

Answer 9

Excellent question. I had my first baby and I was working full time. I knew that he would be in daycare and I got a list of registered providers in my area from social services. Although I didn't qualify for any assistance, the daycare that was on there list all had to be registered and meet strict guidelines. I interviewed a couple of them on the list and decided to go with a woman who happens to be my bestfriend now. She has raised three kids of her own and she was very reasonably priced. She charged me $90 a week for full time. That was about the lowest going rate 5 years ago. Now I think she charges $100.
When I was pregnant with my 2nd child I took a part time position. The rate was $75 a week.
My second child was born with cancer. I quit my job to take care of her and be with her 100% of the time she was in the hospital. My son had to stay with relatives off and on.
After being able to stay home with my two children due to circumstances beyond my control, I can tell you that there is no greater satifaction than being able to be there for your kids 100% of the time, even if there is someone you know that could watch your child for free.
I had my third child and money is extremely tight. I am now considering a part time job to help ends meet. My oldest is in kindergarten, so my younger two might stay with grandma. I really don't want to do it. I think my kids benefit from having mommy there. You don't miss any milestones and they are secure knowing that you are there for them all the time.
I know some moms who can afford to work full time with daycare and there kids are happy and adjusted...it's whatever you feel in your heart that you should do. I hope you will be able to make the choice without regards to money. Life is so hard right now for me, with the money, but end the end I think my kids will thank my husband and I for it. Best wishes to you and your family!

Answer 10

It depends on how much you make an hour. Call around to different daycares and see how much they charge in your area. Also you can call your local 4-C office or Dept. of Children and Families and they should have list of providers who are licensed and regulated so you can find out which companies are really good. If you don't mind taking your child to someone who works out of there house "you save a lot of money vs. the daycare" same thing with DCF. My son goes to a sitter who works from her home and she is great he loves her to death. He only goes a few days a week though b/c I'm on bedrest and money is tight for us also. However once I have the baby I'm not planning on going back to work instead I'm going to go back to college and get my teaching degree. It honestly all depends if your going to bring home a descent amount after you pay for the sitter and for gas to go to work.