How to Choose the Best Care Option
Choosing whom to entrust your baby with depends entirely on what will give you peace and keep your baby happy. For some lucky Kenyan mums, nurses and specialized caregivers are provided at work, leaving them to only worry about day offs and well, that day when you need to step out alone. Both the nanny and the daycare centre pride themselves in their advantages, and like all things, also have their disadvantages. Some options may be cheaper while others may seem more dependable. So what works for you?
When a Nanny Is the Better Option
A nanny might sound appealing to you for the following reasons:
- Familiar space – Your baby remains in the comfort of the home. It may be overwhelming to leave a child in a strange place with strange people. Your baby will take more time to adapt.
- Infections & Exposure – You can avoid the possibility of your baby getting contagious illnesses such as colds.
- Full attention – Your baby also gets to enjoy undivided attention.
- Convenience – For you, there is convenience in not having to drop and pick your child.
Cons
The downside of having a nanny, however, is that you have to accommodate a non-family member. It is also costly to get an experienced nanny and even more costly when you get an inexperienced one who risks your baby’s safety.
When hiring a nanny it is important that you do a thorough background check. This is considering our Kenyan cultural differences, for familiarity purposes and well, considering the horror stories about nannies mishandling children. To seal it off, it cannot hurt to install a nanny cam to be safe. You need to know what you want before hiring a nanny. Look for things like:-
- Has great referrals
- Experienced
- Patient with kids
- Dependable – this is important because your child needs stability
- A good education
You need to get the nanny before the end of your leave. This enables you to slowly warm your child up to her.
WHen Day Care Centers are Just the Place
Some of the good things that come with a day-care include:
Development – It will help your baby’s social development
Mistreatment chances – Though it’s possible for your child to get bullied, the chances of mistreatment especially from the caregivers are minimal
Cons
The only issue is the possibility of your baby catching a contagious illness such as a cold.
When choosing a daycare you will need to do your research by visiting the sites, checking for things like hygiene, child-friendliness, and experienced staff. Other factors you may need to consider when choosing a day-care are:
- Clean environment
- Ensure it has trained staff
- Check the interaction of the staff with the children – the staff should either have a child on their lap or playing with them
- Ensure that the staff is warm and responsive
- Find out how they discipline the children if they do
- Know what your baby will spend time doing (playing games, watching TV, sleeping)
- Ensure that they have a nurse or an emergency medical technician EMT on-call
- Drop by unexpectedly and see how things are fairing on
Disclaimers:
Be careful when using any products mentioned on this website. We hold no regulations for such products or their providers.
#Please note that development differs from one child to another
# Content intended for educational purposes only, and should not be substituted for medical advice from your doctor.
Last reviewed January 2019
Sources: whattoexpect, childcare, toddlertownchicago
