Choosing a carer

I really don’t know where to begin to find a carer for my baby. Please can you give me some guidelines?

There are three main choices for you to consider: a nanny or au-pair, a day care facility or a crèche.

Many people consider that a nanny is the best option. Your baby will not have to adapt to new surroundings, and will have a dedicated and trained person with the baby’s best interests at heart. You will have complete control of choosing this person and also training her to care for your baby in the way that you prefer. A nanny could also do some housework for you and also perhaps shopping. The downside is mainly cost, but there is also the issue that you are completely dependant on one person, which leaves you vulnerable if they are ill or have some type of crisis. So you need to set up a backup system for this type of care.

A day care facility is generally run by a person who loves babies and so your baby will be in a happy, busy, sociable enviroment. If you choose carefully the enviroment will be structured in a gentle and caring way so that your baby gets the benefit of a good routine, a variety of trained carers and lots of stimulation. Since these centres have to be registered, there is also the reassurance that they are checked by the authorities. While the problem of not having to depend on one carer is solved, there are different problems to contend with. Babies do get sick more often in a group situation, since they are exposed to more germs and parents often send sick children to day care because they do not have a choice. So you will need to decide how you will handle a sick child, and this is the backup plan you have to make in this situation.

A crèche is usually quite large, so the advantages of trained carers and lots of socialising also apply here. Since the crèche will have a clear system of how they deal with the babies, sleep issues, feeding and so on, you will be easily able to choose a crèche that has a similar philosophy to your own one. The disadvantages are that since there will be many staff members, your baby may not bond as strongly and feel as secure as in a smaller premises, and of course the problem of picking up germs will be even more pronounced. However, for babies with secure and sociable personalities crèche may be the perfect solution, and the most affordable.