[NewMom0208]

I am grateful for the nanny I was able to find for my lo
She treats him so well and you can tell he loves her
But, sometimes she is a little looney

I have to remind her I don't want her to feed him his food hot. I ask almost everyday and every 2-3 days she says "oh, I forgot, I think hot food is more nutricious"

Or I have to remind her he needs his food and not only milk
I ask what did he eat every day and every few days 2 of the meals were milk.At which point we have to have that conversation again

I know she could lie to me, but she seems to be very naive...

Also, she keeps on asking him to drop him off or pick him off at odd hours and I have to keep on reminding her I have an 8-5 job, I can not just show up or take off as I wish.

This is my baby's second nanny, he is 9 1/2 months old
There is a very nice daycare literally across the street. While my nanny is cheap at $160 a week, the day care is even cheaper at $140 and everything is more controlled. My child is not vax so I would need to see if they accept the exemption.

Am I going crazy?

A co-op would be great, but I can only offer evening or weekend time of my own time and I don't know how to start one, any advise.

My plan is to be a WAHM mom by the time he is 3y or earlier, but in the mean time he needs to be somewhere else. I have to admit I have not work on my business since d-day 3 months ago tomorrow...

Insight please!!??

 

[donnaworkingmomto4]

Well, in a daycare your child is almost certainly going to be more stressed and have less one on one time and quite possibly spend time crying alone in a crib... not always the case, but in my experience(nearly 2 years of having my kids in daycare) this is what I know.

Honestly if whether my baby were getting an extra bottle of milk/formula or eating hot food were the only issues, I would be very happy. My babies don't really eat a lot of solids till age 1 so formula/breastmilk provides them with what they need. I look at it from the angle of having your baby in daycare, you are already sacrificing a lot and no one is going to take care of your child quite as well or the same way you would.

Also keep in mind if your kid ever gets sick(which will happen in a daycare with a lot of kids) or runs a temperature -- you will have to keep him home 24 to 48 hours and in many cases take a trip to his doctor to get a note clearing him to go back to daycare. A home provider will be more likely to care for your child when he has a cold or cough.

My kids have special needs issues, so my situation is more extreme than most... but I am well acquainted with daycare sick policies and the level of care they can offer.

Good luck on resolving your situation.

 

[grass67hopper]

DD has been in daycare since infancy and I think it's awesome!
She has always been excited to go and be with her friends (teachers and kids alike), go outside, share toys and music, and make art projects.
Sometimes I do think it must be overwhelming and busy, but my DD seems to really thrive in this environment. Since the hours are longer than with a sitter, it also gives me the opportunity to have appointments or get in some shopping with LO in tow. Also, the few times that I've been really sick, I've been able to drop her off and know that she's in good hands.
We have had a problem with vaxes... It's not the center, it's the state -- so do be careful.
There are always negatives: adjusting, kids acting out, a teacher having a rough time -- but I say that if you have a nice center near you, check it out and see how your DS fairs.
Good luck!

 

[LoveOhm]

I agree that most babies do not need to eat a significant amount of food at this age ---- really just samplings to be honest. Have you considered having her fill out a "what happened today sheet" or a baby tracker like this one: http://www.timetoo.com/dailypage/ If you are interested I made a simple excel spread sheet for myself when my daughter was an infant, it helped me stay accountable of what my daughter ate as well as how often het diaper was changed.

Overall nanny or daycare are a personal decision based on which is the best available option that suits your (and your child's) needs.

For what it is worth I have seen far more nanny's that I was unhappy with on the playgroud than I have seen of daycares I did not care for..... it just seems there are not the same checks and balances in place with a nanny.

Good Luck!

 

[ArtsyMomma]

I was really nervous about my ds going to daycare (started at 1 yr), but so far we've had a really positive experience. My girls had both gone to preschool, but they started at 3 and 4 yrs old. I love our daycare! I can stop by anytime (it's on campus) and my bf/dp can stop by to see him too (he's a prof). The room is totally geared towards babies, even with really low windows so the babies can look outside and watch the older kids on the playground. They do all sorts of stuff I just don't have time for - like letting the babies fingerpaint and make pudding.

I think if the center has a good reputation, and your nanny isn't really living up to your expectations, you should at least take a tour of the center and ask some questions. It can't hurt to be informed.

 

[NewMom0208]

I think I will wait until he is a year old in FEb and arrange for him to spend a couple of days that week on the daycare. I realize it can go both ways, maybe he will see it as a day long playground.

He loves it when I take him to places where there are other children and interacts with everybody even though most children are much older than him, he is always the baby. He loves other kids, babies and adults, (not to mention any animals.)

I am told he will get sick very often, I can try and I can always find another nanny again if I feel he is always sick. He is 9 1/2 and has only been sick once, very mild, he got some fever for two nights and then 2 extra days of little cough. And this is flue season down here in florida. Knock on wood. hmm maybe I can wait for next summer.

My first step is to get the exemption, with that at hand I can see if the daycare will take it.
In that daycare he will not be on the crib if he walks, and he is very close to walking...actually he walks as long as he can grap something with one hand.

Going back to the sickness, for those of you who have done the daycare. Are you doing the probiotics, Vitamin C and occasional boost with Echinacea? How about homeopathic remedies to heal or shorten the colds/flues?

Please let me know

I don't think he will be stressed since he seems to like people...and does well interacting with others, I become secondary when there are other children around!, but I do see the hassle of not been able to take the baby to the daycare if he is sick or running a fever. The nanny don't mind, even though she also cares for her granddaughter who is 3mo.

What a pain I want to win the lottery and be able to stay home with my ds!

Thank you everybody!

 

[grass67hopper]

Maybe we're just really lucky... but DD is rarely ill enough to warrant staying out of daycare (maybe a few days 2x/year). Not to say that there aren't sniffles and runny noses that we've muddled through, especially during teething she had a perpetual snotty nose that I mistook for a long cold.
Besides having bf'ed until almost 3 (I pumped for the first year), DD uses vitamin C, Thuja drops sometimes, Hylands homeopathics (for sniffles, colds, flu), Thieves oil on a rare occasion, lavender oil on the feet during a fever or feeling feverish and then cover with socks, massages with lavender lotion and trying to eat healthfully (although DD is a 'picky' eater). For your own comfort, you are wise to ease in and have a back-up in place. Most likely, your DS won't look back! However, don't be surprised if just when you think that everything is going really well, he has some seperation anxiety or a rough time during a growth spurt.
Honestly, I think the supermarket and restaurants have just as many bugs as daycare!
Hope it all works out.

 

[NewMom0208]

Hi

I am back, my lo is still with looney nanny.
He got a 7 day virus, even being with the nanny.

I've visited daycares and it can really go both ways. My baby is really good at staying with strangers (a good thing and a bad thing) As long as I don't go without saying goodbye, he is just fine. Loves to play with other kids and loves people in general.

I need to have him a try, I think now, at 1 year old he is ready. The only thing would be to wait until Summer so he gets less colds.

Love
NewMom

 

[village idiot]

That is a tough decision. I hope it works out for you and your lo.

 

[SunShineSally]

I wish I lived near you I would totally watch your little one

(for less than the loony nanny

) I only babysit certain children ones with parents that have my same Ideals. I found out the hard way when I sat for my friend who is mainstream and she wanted me to allow her Dd to CIO for naps

and got mad when I said she doesn't need to I can happily lay with her. she was so mad I even suggested it. I said fine I wont (I did lay with her anyways

I started to cry when she was bawling I couldn't handle it

)

Becareful with the germs I would boost your Dc's immune system early on so he is protected more so. My Ds is in pre-k and he has never been sick a day in his life until now

right now he has Strep

I boosted him up but I ran out of my one remedy and then he got the strep with in a week

 

[Momily]

Quote:

Originally Posted by elephantine Well, in a daycare your child is almost certainly going to be more stressed and have less one on one time and quite possibly spend time crying alone in a crib... not always the case, but in my experience(nearly 2 years of having my kids in daycare) this is what I know. .

This didn't match my experience of daycare at all. Well, I guess technically my son got less 1:1 time, in that often when he was sitting on a teacher's lap listening to a story someone else was too. Or if the teacher was feeding him in a high chair, making eye contact, etc. . . she was likely snuggling a littler baby at the same time. They got the same amount of attention they would get if they had siblings. Or more, given that the teachers had no other responsibilities during that time.

At all three daycares where I had my son under age 2, and at the daycare I used to work at, letting a baby cry without being held was strictly against the rules. I spent several full days observing in all 3 classrooms before I was comfortable sending him, and dropped by unnannounced many times, and I never saw this once, or at least for more than a moment (e.g. I'm changing Baby A, Baby B wakes and up and starts to cry, I'm calling out "I'm coming sweetheart, while I wash my hands -- very similar to what would happen at home if you left sleeping baby to go across the room to wash the dishes).

I'm not saying that all daycares are like that (I observed many daycares before I picked the ones I did), or that the daycares I chose were perfect, but I do think this is a stereotype that is not always true.

P.S. what's wrong with hot food?

 

[LoveOhm]

Quote:

Originally Posted by NewMom0208 Hi I am back, my lo is still with looney nanny. He got a 7 day virus, even being with the nanny. I've visited daycares and it can really go both ways. My baby is really good at staying with strangers (a good thing and a bad thing) As long as I don't go without saying goodbye, he is just fine. Loves to play with other kids and loves people in general. I need to have him a try, I think now, at 1 year old he is ready. The only thing would be to wait until Summer so he gets less colds. Love NewMom

"I think you may want to say UPDATE IN POST #___" so the mamas can respond to the right post.

 

[mamajama]

Quote:

Originally Posted by elephantine Well, in a daycare your child is almost certainly going to be more stressed and have less one on one time and quite possibly spend time crying alone in a crib... not always the case, but in my experience(nearly 2 years of having my kids in daycare) this is what I know.

I also didn't have this experience at all with my kids' daycare. Of course you'd want to check out the way the place is run before signing your kid up for it

I did find my kids were sick a lot more frequently for the first few months of being in daycare. It was the workers themselves who assured me this was normal though!

Anyway, we all adapted.

Good luck whatever you choose to do!

 

[LoveOhm]

Now for my thoughts....

It seems you are unhappy with your nanny so it does seem like a center would be better based on your post here on MDC. That said, I also think you should know all children get sick..... it is how they build a strong immune system but being exposed and their white blood cells working it out. Dr. Lauren Feder mentions this in her book Natural Baby. My daughter has been home with me for two years, eats only organic, is not exposed to sick kids (as much as I can control it), and still nurses BUT she still gets sick much more often than I would expect with her home.... and we also believe she has allergies. Each child is different. Just make sure they get the nutrition and supplements they need (based on their personal diet, again because each child is different and has different needs) and also make sure they lead an active lifestyle.

Good Luck.