Location of daycare... close to home or work?

Question

My wife is going back to work part time, and our little girl is almost 3 months old. She will have a 30 to 45 minute commute.

Is it better to get a daycare closer to her work, or closer to the house?

Additional info: with the work location, she can take the HOV lane and ease the commute.

Thanks for the tips!

By the way... a few stars will get me back to level 3!! ;)

Answer 1

I'd look around her work. That way, she can spend some more time with her in the am and pm on the way in. Car time can be a great time to catch up, work on alphabet, colors, sing songs, etc. Plus, the added bonus of being in the HOV can't be beat. One other plus for being close to work is if, (actually When) she gets sick, she'll be able to get to her quickly. Our daughter needed some tylenol and orajel when she was teething, and it's easy to run over and give it to her. My kids pediatrician is near my job also, so I can get them to the doctor quickly if necessary.

Also, if there are daycare events (believe it or not it starts right away) then you can get over there to enjoy it and be a part of it all. And if daycare is close to work, your wife can sneak away and have lunch with your daughter when she's having a particularly bad day back in the daily grind.


Finally, it might save a little bit on gas if she drops her off on the way into work. Every little bit helps when you start paying those incredible daycare expenses.

Hope that helps.

Answer 2

After doing it both ways, I decided that the easiest route was to skip the commute with my second child and find a new job! :) I just have two more things to say about your current situation. First, if your wife is nursing, she should find out if it would be okay for her to nurse your little girl at the daycare before she starts home. There's nothing worse than a screaming baby, feelings of discomfort, and traffic! Second, consider calling around and checking out some centers. I was on waiting lists for infant care at every center in our area (granted, it's a fairly small town) and had to settle for a home daycare situation 20 minutes out of my way. (This was after I switched jobs. The irony doesn't escape me.) The point is, the main consideration might be where you find a good center that has an infant opening and will deal with you for part time care. If this turns out to be easy to do at either end of the commute, count your blessings, for you are truly lucky!

Answer 3

Close to work.

I work about 30 minutes from home. I take the baby to a learning center daycare in my work town. She is only 14 months, but we get to enjoy that time together in the car, I get to run and get her the minute I get out of work. If I get caught in traffic, she is already with me. If I get stuck at work a little late, it does not affect her as much. If she gets sick, I can get there in no time. And she spends an hour less in day care and an hour more with mom (even if it is in the car) each day. Plus I can grab her early and bring her to work every great once in a while so she can see where mommy works.....something I read is good for toddlers.

Answer 4

I have a 25-30 minute commute, but I live in a rural area. I chose a daycare close to home because it is in the school district that my kids will go to and therefore, can still attend when school comes around (which will be next year already for my oldest). Also, friends and family are closer to home if one of my kids gets sick, I can normally find someone to get them (if it's not serious) without having to leave work.

Answer 5

My dacare provider is closer to work, for many reasons. One being that my children are at daycare less, since I spend most of the time driving with them in the car with me, and not at daycare while I drive to work alone. Another is for doctor's appointments, I can drop by and pick them up on the way to the dr.'s office (which is out of the way for both our house and my work). And another is for emergencies - I can be there at the drop of a hat, if needed.

Answer 6

It's actually better in my opinion if the daycare was closer to her work so if an emergency arises she can get there quickly. I didn't have any daycares close to my work or home that had openings, so I chose a daycare that was halfway between work and home, but on my way to work.

Answer 7

Id go with closer to work. Ya it will be a long commute for he/she but if an emergency happens at DC or they get sick would you rather be an hour away or 15 minutes. And like you said it will give the option to go see them during the day which can help to alleviate your anxiety over having to put them into care. Closer to home makes it easier in the morning but not overall imo.

Answer 8

I too vote for close to work - if that is possible - for the emergency call reason cited by many. From my experience, that did matter. But there can be other considerations too.

Btw - (hopefully this is not considered spam) - my website www.doodledays.com helps parents locate daycares close to home / work / parking, etc.
-Lira

Answer 9

Where ever your wife will be more. If it was full time i would say close to work but since its part time, if wife isn't working one day would she want to run the little all the way out there, if she needed them to watch her.

Answer 10

I think it would be better to get one close to work, then if there would be a problem, she would have easier access to getting to her....and can pick her up sooner, and drop her off later.