Deciding on which type of childcare is best for your family can be challenging. There are many factors to consider when making this decision, and there are pros and cons for each option. Boston Baby Nurse & Nanny offers a variety of services to parents.

Professional Nanny

Many families choose to use a professional nanny to care for their children. These caregivers often develop a close bond with the children they care for, and can be a convenient option for parents since they come to your home. Some families choose to use a live-in nanny, while other families choose a live-out nanny. If you are looking for a nanny, BBN&N can help. We provide families with live-in and live-out nannies to care for their children.

There is a difference between live-in and live-out nannies that you should be familiar with.

Live Out

Pros:

  • No commute to the childcare center
  • The comfort of one’s own environment
  • One-on-one care
  • Can provide for a sick child
  • Trust
  • Flexibility
  • Longer hours than a childcare center

Cons:

  • Variation in quality
  • Vetting needed
  • Low socialization
  • Cost
  • Dependency

Live In

Pros:

  • No commute to the childcare center
  • The comfort of one’s own environment
  • One-on-one care
  • Can provide for a sick child
  • Trust
  • Flexibility
  • Longer hours than a childcare center
  • Lower salary because you are providing room and board
  • A wider range of availability
  • Usually, a lower salary
  • Live-in nannies can spend part of the week with you, or live with you full-time

Cons:

  • Lack of privacy
  • Provide a suitable room, food, and usually a private bathroom
  • Risk of children developing a closer bond with the nanny than parents

Nanny Share

In a nanny share, you and other families share the cost of a nanny who watches all the families’ kids at one house. It’s basically the same as the nanny option but potentially more affordable and without the one-on-one care you get with a nanny or au pair.

Pros:

  • Socialization
  • Lower Cost

Cons:

  • The ratio of caregivers to children
  • Commute
  • More vetting
  • Look for families

Au Pairs

Au pairs are young women between the ages of 18 and 26 who come from another country to learn or practice a new language. They almost always live in your home, and they can care for your children for up to 45 hours a week. They usually stay only one year, but can stay for up to two. Unlike nannies, au pairs don’t do housekeeping.

Pros:

  • No commute to the childcare center
  • The comfort of one’s own environment
  • One-on-one care
  • Can provide for a sick child
  • Second language exposure
  • Can go through an agency

Cons:

  • High turnover
  • The primary motivation may be to explore a new country
  • Provide essentials such as a living space, food, and transportation
  • Inability to properly meet and interview in person
  • Lack of training and skills
  • Weekly hour limitation by law

Childcare Centers

A childcare center is often thought of as the traditional form of early childhood education. The center is usually located in a specialized facility and offers part or full-day schedules of activities and education for infants as young as 6 weeks old. Centers are licensed and must meet government safety and staff regulations.

Pros:

  • Social interaction
  • Regulated by government standards
  • More than one caregiver at once
  • Reliability

Cons:

  • High staff turnover
  • Higher staff-to-child ratio
  • Risk of frequent illness
  • Less knowledge of daily activities
  • Commute

Family Day Care

This type of daycare typically has one caregiver who cares for six children or fewer, though the specific amount will be determined by state-defined ratios. These providers may limit themselves to a specific age range or care for children of all ages.

Pros:

  • More individualized attention than a childcare center
  • Affordability
  • Fewer germs
  • More relaxed curriculum
  • Siblings can remain together

Cons:

  • Limited backup plans if the owner is sick
  • Less regulation
  • Differences in education philosophies
  • The ratio of caregivers to children

Newborn Care Specialist

Some families decide to get specialized care for their newborns and infants. A Newborn Care Specialist has extensive experience and expertise working with newborns and infants. These specialists have completed a comprehensive infant development course and Infant CPR and First Aid Certifications. They also have training in how to educate parents about how to care for their babies and can help mothers navigate breastfeeding. They can be especially helpful for first time parents and with multiples. Boston Baby Nurse & Nanny offers daytime and overnight newborn care services to parents.

Overnight

Pros:

  • Learn newborn care tips when you get home from the hospital
  • Extra sleep for Mom and Dad
  • Postpartum support
  • Lactation support
  • Teach healthy sleep habits from day one
  • Help with baby chores: bottles, laundry

Cons:

  • Extra childcare cost
  • If breastfeeding, the Mom still has to wake up to at least pump

Daytime

Pros:

  • Learn newborn care tips when you get home from the hospital
  • Extra sleep for Mom and Dad
  • Postpartum support
  • Lactation support
  • Help with baby chores: bottles, laundry

Cons:

  • Less newborn bonding time
  • Extra childcare cost
  • If breastfeeding, the Mom still has to wake up to at least pump

Childcare Options

Families have to take many factors into account when they are considering which childcare option is best suited for their family. There is no right or wrong answer. Each family has their own unique needs and priorities when making these decisions.