So... will your child be going to daycare, or is Mommy (or Daddy) going to stay home? Most families need two incomes to get by, it seems like most kids end up in day care. In a way I think that's good. This is their first opportunity to learn to interact with other children.

I would prefer a at home setter.

I would prefer a at home setter.

I'm sure that would be everybody's preference, but it is not always practical. If you call a service, they're going to charge you an arm and a leg. Most of your friends and family probably have jobs of their own. If you're lucky enough to have someone trustworthy who is willing to watch your child in your home, you should really jump on that opportunity. Not everyone is that fortunate. Even though it is still expensive, sometimes daycare is the most logical option.

I expect that I'll be going with daycare too. A home sitter would be wonderful but I can't really afford that right now. My wife will be a "stay at home mom" for the first few months (she quit her job about 6 months ago) and then re-enter the workplace, at which point we'll scout out daycare options.

My wife is retired so she will be taking care of my grandchild most of the time. I will also when I am retired.

We day care. It allows my son to play with other children, and assures me they are actually being cared for.

When I was younger, before I had children of my own, I was a sitter. Both the parents of the children that I watched were architects. They had the bucks. Everyone was on a rigid schedule. I saw this as being a good thing and I went along with the rules, but I also saw it as a very stress-filled, anxiety ridden household.

Heaven forbid if one of the children were sick. It just threw the whole schedule off. The mom was really a control freak and if the baby had a cold she just knew it was going to end up being pneumonia, then the older child would get sick, and then there was the Dr's appointments that had to be made and kept, the medicine that had to be given on time, measured out to the very gram and so on. She was a trip!

Calm was not a word in her vocabulary. She stressed to the max. Now, her hubby was more of a laid back person. He would quietly deal with the matter, steer everyone in the right direction, leave very simple instructions for me, grab his wife and put her in the car and off to work they would go. Thank god for him...lol

Looking at this from the other side of the coin, after I had kids, I knew that there was no way I could afford daycare and I knew that a schedule was important. Jean, (the stressed out Mom) was my example of what I did not want to be like! I stayed home for 3 months before I went back to work. I did have family that took care of my daughter, so finances was not too much of a issue.

My baby would get sick and that was because germs were a part of life. With Jean, she would do background checks on the germs...lol She always felt her world was coming apart because a germ had caused such havoc. If she'd had her way, everyone would have worn face masks.

In a nutshell, staying at home vs. daycare has its pros and cons. Is your child any safer in a group setting? Would they catch more colds, flus and so forth, than they would at home? Are you saving anymore money? What is your child losing or gaining by being in daycare or at home? All these questions are things that only you know the answer to. It can be simple as you want it to be or it can be something to stress over.

DCMerkle

Day care seems best to me, it helps the child learn to not depend on their parents and helps them interact with others. My 3 year old sister goes to day care, and my brothers kid will probably go to day care.(I know big age difference).

Day care seems best to me, it helps the child learn to not depend on their parents and helps them interact with others. My 3 year old sister goes to day care, and my brothers kid will probably go to day care.(I know big age difference).

Actually it does no such thing. I'd like to know where you got your facts for such a study? Children have all of their school years to learn to interact with others. It is exactly during their infancy that they need to depend on their parents.

Here's an article you might find interesting:
Child care is designed for the convenience of adults, not the development of children (http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/opinion/viewpoints/stories/DN-hoff_09edi.ART.State.Edition1.4422fc4.html)

If both parents work than day care is probably inevitable, but If one parent doesnt not work than they should probably stay with the child

Daycare may not be ideal, but if both parents have to work it may be the only option. I don't think it's harmful to the child. Especially once they're old enough to play with the other children. I think they would enjoy it.

I never did day care with any of my three. I preferred to have someone I knew and trusted (mostly a family member) watch them. I was a stay at home mother until my youngest was 10, I then went back to school and I now install fiber/etc for a living. I am happy that I stayed home as much as I did, otherwise I would have missed out on alot that only a parent can appreciate. :)

Depending on your situation daycare could be used, I guess I am still old fashion. :)

I never went to day care. I went to pre-school...unless that's day care? :confused:

We have a 2.5 years old toddler and now 2 month ago we have added a beautiful baby girl to our family. Since day one about when my son was born, my wife was taking care of our "other" baby - a unique baby gifts (http://www.spiffybaby.com) online site which was inspired by all the beautiful stuff around for kids. Now we think its time for him to be "day cared" but its hard for us to realize this emotionally as we got so used to him being around. Even though he is very smart for his age now, we still think he will benefit the day care environment much better then being home alone.

Preschool is not day care no. In some countries (such as where I grew up) it is the earliest form of real education. This is the same in the US-where as day care tends to simply be entertainment and stimulation, and keeping the child safe. There isn't such a focus on curriculum.

Some parents have no choice but to go with daycare. We may not like it, but if we are going to work we have to have someone caring for our children up until they go to school. I have been very lucky in this situation. My mother has always been there to care for my child at different times when I was working outside my home.

I have stayed home with all my kids. I really couldn't afford to put them in daycare if I wanted to. But, my husband and I have always felt that it was best to stay home with our young kids, at least until they got into school.

I think that sometimes people really don't put enough thought into how daycare can be good or bad depending the family situation. And even more so, checking out the places before hand.

I was lucky enough to be able to work from home while my kids were little. I did use daycare occasionally with my youngest. I don't think you can say for certain that daycare is bad or staying at home is best. It depends upon the child and the caregiver. My oldest never went to daycare, and she would have hated it. My youngest loved going to daycare and would tell me to go to work so she could go to daycare! Both turned out great!

When I have a baby I really want to stay at home with him or her. I used to work in a day care and I really don't want my kid to be in one of them. I might take in some kids to watch at home or otherwise try to find a work at home job. Are there any good ones out there?