I have a 5 month old and so far I have stayed at home with him. I have recently been thinking about going back to work part time. I am a dental hygienist. I am not too sure about daycare. My child cries all of the time, and I am not sure how he would be treated at day care. Any suggestions and is it even worth going back to work to have to pay for daycare?
2006-09-12 10:36:22 · 12 answers · asked by Bird79 2 in Pregnancy & Parenting ➔ Newborn & Baby
If it would take most of your check it really isn't worth it. That is one reason I stayed home. Another reason was because my son was a preemie, and too many parents try to sneak sick kids into daycare so they don't have to take the day off work. They don't care if they spread the sickness to other kids. Also, I would have missed so many milestones with my son if I had returned to work.
2006-09-12 10:40:24 · answer #1 · answered by Ryan's mom 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
I have an at-home daycare I started about a year ago in order to stay home with my own kids. I found that it just wasn't financially feasible to work outside the home and pay for child care for both my kids. I now watch other children and I love it.
There are pro's and con's to putting your child in daycare - this is something you and your husband need to review.
If you go back to work you will be contributing more to the family budget and your child will have the advantage of interaction with other children. The downside would be the colds (as mentioned above) and whether or not your part time wages would benefit your family after childcare is paid.
If you can, I would recommend staying at home for at least the first year of his life. This is such a great time, and you will make memories that will last a lifetime.
Best of luck to you.
2006-09-12 10:48:25 · answer #2 · answered by peachiegirl 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Daycares are really nasty. No matter how it may look or what they tell you! My sister works for a daycare, and even she will tell you how nasty it is! Her kids have had a constant runny nose for the past 2 years! I found a lady in the local newspaper that was looking to babysit in her home. I interviewed her decided to let my angel stay there. She kept her for almost 3 years. Best decision I ever made. She only had maybe 2 kids at a time. Her and my daughter are so close. It was very comforting knowing she was really being taken care of. Unlike daycare! I had to go back to work, so this was a good thing for me, but if you don't have to go.....stay home!
2006-09-12 11:48:54 · answer #3 · answered by Stephanie 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Daycare can be expensive, but it is a good alternative. If you are a single mom, you may have to consider this as an option, esp with pay. If you are going to work part time you can put your child into daycare partime too. The cost will not be as much as full time. Ask friends, coworkers, family what daycares they have used and liked. Make a list and start calling around. Check licensing and how YOU feel about leaving your child there. Ask questions about feeding, playtime, naptime, if outside people come in. When you find two or three that you like, ask for a trial period to see how you, baby and the staff work together.
I have to go back to work after three months, and finding a daycare that will care for a special needs child is difficult and as I have found more expensive. Luckily I can place my child into normal daycare since her need is feeding. (has to feed via tube since a suck/swallow problem). I am working with the staff to ensure everyone is comfortable. Hopefully soon, our little feeding problem will take care of itself.
2006-09-12 10:49:43 · answer #4 · answered by sescja 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I am really skeptical about who watches my children too and I say if you stay home with the baby, that is work! I waited until my son was old enough to talk so if there was any neglect or abuse going on, he would be able to tell me. I don't want to scare you but abusers are more scarier. The cost of childcare is really expensive now and sometimes parents are paying mostly for daycare and putting a strain in their pockets for their children's necessities. Why not write out a sample budget of your income and expenses as if you were working? If after budgeting, you see that there would be some major financial difficulties and strain by working more than staying home with the baby, STAY HOME. Good luck and take care.
2006-09-12 10:47:31 · answer #5 · answered by sam 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Daycare...oh boy.
My best advice is do a test run. Ask the director to have an in class experience.
I worked at a daycare, and it's hard to find one that is going to be diverse in it's teachings. I got fired for playing Tejano and Carribbean music ( Selena and Harry Belafonte) during Dance time.
The Goddard School was nice, but not too diverse. And kind of expensive.
If at all possible, do a "sneak attack" and catch the daycare you've been eyeing without them knowing. Just pop in and see how the teachers interact with the children there. See the diversity in the staff and students. In today's world, our children need that as well as learning materials. It's a place that you should feel comfortable in knowing, they have similar values and are assisting in making my child a open minded and educated person, not letting him color or nap all day.
2006-09-12 10:58:10 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
i used to work at a daycare in the infant room, i absolutely loved it and loved those babies like they were mine. unfortunately that is very rarely the case. i saw workers who had been there longer than me leave babies unattended on the changing table, snap at fussy babies, and give more attention to ones they liked best. some of the poor things sat in those bouncy seats for the majority of the time they were there. I don't work there anymore and now have 4 mth old. my husband and i worked out our schedules so one of us is always home with the baby. I would never put my baby in a daycare. if he ever goes it will be when he is old enough to tell me what is going on. but i do have friends who use the in home daycares rather than the larger centers and they are quite happy. if you do decide to use daycare make sure you know the people taking care of your baby, sit in the room for a while, visit as often as possible and unnannounced. in this day and age we can never be too careful about our precious children.
2006-09-12 17:20:57 · answer #7 · answered by Mad 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you can afford it, staying home is the best. The next best is an in home family day care, not as many children as in a center, and there is usually a loving mom staying home with her kids doing it. Maybe you could do that instead of Dental hygienist.
2006-09-12 10:50:44 · answer #8 · answered by MOMMYBEST 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You would have to get paid pretty well for it to be worth it. Daycares are expensive and your baby will prob stay sick a lot causing you to miss more work. The average daycare rate in Ga is about $120 a week for an infant. They also do not get the same amount of attention he is prob use to. I do not think it is worth it, but it is up to you
2006-09-12 10:40:09 · answer #9 · answered by housewives5 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you can afford it, stay home. It is best for a child to be home.
Can your child's be met in a setting with other children? What if the care taker gets frustrated and shakes the baby? What if they give up and ignore the baby?
I always say stay home if you can....it isn't forever and you don't get this time back.
2006-09-12 10:40:08 · answer #10 · answered by jm1970 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋