Time flies by when you have a little one. From pregnancy to labour, followed by many sleepless nights.… and before I realised it, my maternity leave was coming to an end.
My three nieces were looked after by my parents but our families are over 8,000km away. Having worked in a pre-school prior to my University days, I had some understanding of what to expect in a nursery, but childminders were then, a relatively new concept for me.
I started looking for a nursery when Neo was about 3 months old as I have heard about a long waiting list for some of the nurseries around us. I reached out to seven nurseries, and there were a few that didn’t even got back to me. I visited about five in total, and my checklist was quite simple.
- Were the children happy?
- Were the staff happy?
- Was the environment safe and maintained a certain level of hygiene?
- What was the Ofsted rating (e.g: Did they maintain a ‘Good’ or ‘Outstanding’ or did they fall down the scales?)
- What did their meals look like?
- Proximity to our home
Neo loves his messy play time
Out of the five nurseries that I’ve visited, there was one that I fell in love with. However, I also wanted to try the childminder route as I thought that it might be good to explore a more intimate (smaller group) care arrangement for him. I reached out to over ten childminders, and met with three of them.
Long story short, we had Neo with our first childminder for 3 months, and while she was very experienced and he enjoyed going to hers, Neo would often come home over-tired or over-stimulated. There were also occasional bruises which she wasn’t aware of. We then withdrawn him from her services and went with an agency that specialised in nannies and childminders.
We were with the new childminder for less than a month, and it was not what we had in mind. We found out she failed her Ofsted shortly after starting with her, and there was hardly any outdoor activities or sufficient toys nor engaging activities for him. Neo would scream every time we took him there, and while she was really sweet, the arrangement simply wasn’t working out for us.
We finally went back to the nursery that I viewed several months back, and it was definitely the right decision for us. Neo looked forward to going to school everyday and he really bonded with the carers. The downside of him going to a nursery now is that he tends to fall sick a lot more frequently. However, I just had to remind myself that this is part and parcel of having a child in nursery and it’ll all get better.
Having tried both approaches, here’s my list of pros and cons between a nursery and a childminder:
Nursery:
-
Organised schedule
Routine is very important for any child, and I find that Neo thrives when he knows what to expect. The nursery will engage the little one with activities such as arts and crafts, outdoor or sensory play, and each of these activities are regulated and timed, allowing for each child to be fully engaged but not over-stimulated.
-
Out of school activities
Having worked in a nursery before, it was really nice whenever there is any out of school activities where the parent can be with the child in the school setting. The nursery regularly organised activities during key festivals and it is also nice to interact with other parents.
One of the few first artworks that Neo created at nursery
-
Structured curriculum
Neo is now in the baby room and the carers are professionals who know exactly what the development milestones are. While childminders are also equipped with that knowledge, nurseries tend to have dedicated apps or log books which can ensure that the child’s progress is monitored and if required, recommend early intervention.
-
Influence from other children of similar ages
We noticed how much Neo was advancing in terms of fine motor skills and cognitive abilities once he started in a nursery. I do believe that he must’ve been mimicking other children and it was a delight to watch him acquire new skills on a daily basis.
Childminder:
-
Typically smaller groups and more intimate setting (childminder’s home)
Childminders can look after up to six children up to the age of eight. There can be a maximum of three children who are under five years of age, and a single childminder can only have one child under one year old. This number includes the childminder’s own children if they are under the age of eight.
If the childminder has fewer children, he/she is likely to be more adaptable for your child and cater to their specific needs. I also felt Neo was less inclined to fall sick when he was with a childminder.
-
More flexibility with arrangements
When Neo was with the childminders, there were occasions when I had to go into the office for an emergency meeting, and we could be flexible with the days we dropped him off and timings to pick him up.
*That is not to say the nursery isn’t flexible. We are lucky that the current nursery is very flexible too, but I have heard that some nurseries are more stringent with their timings and spaces, and may not be able to accommodate your child if you have an urgent need.
-
Tend to be more affordable
The cost for childminders around us range between £40 to £85 for a full day (8am - 6pm). Some of them are also open to babysit over the weekends.
-
Consistent carer
Neo bonded with his first childminder and it was really sweet to see how they interacted. While most nurseries will also have a dedicated carer for your child, the carer (or teacher) may not always be there.
Both options come with pros and cons, and I have no regrets with trying out the childminder route first.
If you're looking at childcare options now, it may seem overwhelming but ultimately, your gut will tell you what's best for your little one.
