What's best for 1 year old, childminder, nursery or nanny share?

[MollyE]

I'd be very interested in hearing some honest opinions please. Will really help with our decision making on what to do for childcare. Many thanks

[etta166]

I don't think there is a one-size-fits-all "best" approach to childcare for a 1 year old.

It depends a lot on the child and the parents, any other siblings, where you live (which will determine what nursey, nanny-share or childminder you can find) and so many other variables.

I've always liked the nanny(-share) option myself, but then my children were very attached to a very small number of adults (parents and nanny only!) and did not like crowds or playgroups until they were over 2. A nursery would have been too unsettling and busy for them. Other parents will tell you how their social little ones have thrived at nursery from day one.

Only you are going to be able to tell what is best for you.

[Salsie]

We went with a childminder which I am really happy with. We felt at 1 year she would get more attention than at a nursery and also she was a lot more flexible with pick up/drop off hours. My daughter has been with ours a year and is very happy. She gets to mix with a couple of children her own or close to her age and also with older children from her school run, so a good mix.

We did also look at nurseries which we liked but felt the personal attention and not so regimented routine was better for her at her age (just under 1) she is now just over 2 and I would put her in a nursery now though won't be as very happy where she is!

[BeccaL]

Think it also depends slightly on what you need for your work - if you have the flexibility to be able to manage if your childminder is ill (not that ours ever is, but you get my point), then I'd probably choose that, whereas if your work isn't flexible then a nursery or nanny gives you a bit more cover for illnesses. Kids do tend to get lots of illnesses when they start mixing with others which, while good for their immune systems long term, is a bit of a pain re your work!

[mumtoone]

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[Convex]

Id recommend explore all the options and then go with your gut feeling, you know your child best.

[Giacomelli]

Hello

I agree with above posts that all children are different and have different needs but also young children adapt very well to most situations you put them in.... Well this is what I have found. I will give you the nursery perspective.

I went down the childminder route but unfortunately she went awol 3weeks before I was meant to start back at work. I managed to get my son a place at a nursery last minute. He is thriving, he loves it. With the babies there is always at least one member of staff to 3. The staff are a mix of ages and I would say I know them all very well... And of course each child is assigned a key worker. Yes a couple of the staff are young, but I see this as a good thing. I always stay some time at the end of the day and discuss what he has done etc.

I will be honest and say the first two weeks were hell as he settled in (he was 11 months) but we have never looked back. He does all sorts of activities every day and lots of messy play. He mainly stays with his baby chums in the baby section but at times interacts with the older children which he loves. The older children adore the babes too.

I love the fact that I don't have to worry about one person's personal life(sickness/holidays/unexpected catastrophe!) I also love that he isn't in the buggy/car on school runs to pick up other people's children.

Many people worry that their baby won't sleep/eat well at nursery but they have managed to put him in a far better routine than I was able to.

Maybe it is more chaotic than with a childminder but hey our life is fairly chaotic anyway so he needs to get used to it.

With a nanny I am sure the major plus is not having to do the childcare commute and returning to a nice calm (not chaotic) household!

Whatever choice you make will be the right one for you and if your first choice falls through (like mine did) then it happened for a reason. Good luck!!! Xx

[monniemae]

In an ideal world, I would have preferred to put my 12month old in the care of a nanny / nannyshare with another child of similar age and perhaps an older sibling.

However we got a place at a montesori nursery, which we had to confirm a few months before starting and at that point, knowing I felt good about that particular nursery, we went for it rather than wait and try and find a comparably great childminder/nanny. The same week I was contacted about a nanny share by a friend and if we hadn't already paid our deposit we would have snapped her hand off.

Actually though, a lot of my anxieties about nursery have been soothed, ie chaos, noise etc. My daughter is in a baby room with a maximum of 9 babies and a minimum of 3 carers. It is incredibly calm. I would expect a room full of nine toddlers to be chaotic but it's lovely, very quiet, the kids are looked after very much how I would like to be at home, and it's structured (or left unstructured) much how a day might be at home.... some story time, some messy play, some free tottering, singing, lunch etc. The negatives are from a work perspective - yes it would be easier to have a nanny who might still take her if she was poorly, or not fine me if I get stuck on a train...

Oh and they can get her to sleep. MIRACLE WORKERS

[monniemae]

Ps I also love that should we choose, she can stay with the nursery till school at almost 5. If we had gone down nanny route and later had a baby we would be yanking her out of the nanny's care while I was on mat leave with no guarantee of returning her to the same nanny.

[MollyE]

Thanks everyone that's really helpful. Those of you who are happy with nurseries, would you mind telling me which nurseries your kids go to? Likewise with childminders, how are you getting hooked up with them? There are one or two ads on here not well located for me in Herne Hill, other than that, Lambeth and Southwark have great long lists of childminders but I haven't found a good way to find someone good, near me, with a space coming up. Starting to feel like I'm in a childminding vacuum! Thanks again

[Pickle]

I don't use a childminder, but have met lots of them over the years by going to local playgroups. I think it's a great way to get a feel for how they interact with the children, and other parents/kids. The group I see regularly are all absolutely lovely, and don't tend to advertise as get all of their children through word of mouth. They are all based near Goodrich School, so no good for you, but might be worth trying to meet some in your area?

[MollyE]

Thanks pickle, good tip

[ludoscotts]

Hi I'm a childminder( one of the ones pickle knows) and I will have a space coming up in June. Probably no good to you due to location ( im on overhill road in Dulwich ) but send me a pm if you get desperate. Leanne

[MollyE]

Thanks Leanne, really kind of you. Unfortunately we are too far away but yes I will contact you if I don't manage to sort anything out.

[katgod]

There is no right. I did nursery for 1, childminder and nursery combo for number 2, because I had increased my days. Nursery 3 days I was happy with, but wanted more of a home environment for the extra days. Elder one stayed at 3 nursery 1 childminder. Third was nanny all the way due to cost. Difference? Not much. Elder 2 eat better because they were not pandered to so much. Development, skills etc- same. Nursery easier in terms of holiday, reliability if that is important in your job. It all depends on you, your budget and which nursery or minder or nanny you choose. Some people are snobby about childminders. That really colours their view. Ours was great and doing childminder and nursery worked well.

[MollyE]

Thank you katgod, great insight from all permutations!

[Be.jones]

We had a nanny share for our first and it was the wonderful for her. She was so little a nursery didn't feel right. She was incredibly close to the boy in her nanny share and we had an excellent nanny who was really hard working, committed and loving. But now I'm going back ti work after our second and they are both going to nursery. I am finding the thought of leaving my baby difficult (some of the posts above have been really helpful, thanks!) but we have a place at a super nursery, which we didn't have first time round - we couldn't get in. Also a nanny now would be quite expensive and extremely complicated because we'd want our eldest to have some time at nursery too. What I'm trying to get at is there is no right answer, there are many right answers. It is up to you what feels right, what you can afford and what options you have. Good luck!

[robandem]

This is a really useful post thanks. Can anyone recommend a childminder in east dukeich? Thanks so much in advance.