community

all boards


birth clubs



my blog

Sort:
12-19-2012 at 9:46 AM
malcivar
Not Ranked
Joined on 01-02-2008
Brooklyn, NY
4,094 Points
malcivar is not online. Last active: 06-14-2013, 3:00 PMBronze

Question to the working moms

What do you do for child care? 

I'm fortunate right now in that my parents (retired) watch both boys but the downside to that is when DH and I want to have a night out or go out on the weekend.  DH's parents live in another state so it's not like we have that option and it's really uncomfortable for me (and them) to ask my parents to watch them for longer on a weeknight or for some time on the weekend.  I feel like that's their "down time".  There's also the problem of having to stay home when one or both of them have doctor's appts.  

So what do you all do for child care?  Do you LOs go to a typical day care?  Is there such a thing as a special needs day care?  Special needs babysitting service?  

Thanks! 


Lilypie Kids Birthday tickers Lilypie First Birthday tickers 
12-19-2012 at 9:55 AM
finsup
Not Ranked
Joined on 06-23-2004
St. Somewhere
3,813 Points
finsup is not online. Last active: 06-18-2013, 11:31 AMNewbie
My ODS goes to the special needs preschool program in our town 5 days a week 9:30 - 1:45.  After, the bus brings him to a "typical" after school program where he is until I pick him up at 4:30.
 
12-19-2012 at 10:51 AM
DixieNormo...
Not Ranked
Joined on 06-26-2012
2,630 Points
DixieNormous330 is not online. Last active: 06-17-2013, 2:50 PMNewbie

DD used to go to a typical daycare. She got PT and Speech Feeding there (the therapists went there, the DC didn't provide them). We had a bad situation though. DD was in the infant room because she was too delayed to move up to the toddlers room. When she was 19 months old, they told us that she had aged out of infants at 18 months. Our options were to get her a one-on-one aide and move her to toddlers or find a new DC provider. They couldn't have told us this at 16 months so we could figure out a solution? They graced us to 21 months.

 

Now DD is in a 5-day a week, 2.5 hour a day EI program at a local children's hospital. She's bussed to and from. When she gets home she has a babysitter in our house. It's working out fantastically.

 
12-19-2012 at 11:02 AM
dcmetrobri...
Not Ranked
Joined on 06-21-2004
Stamford, CT
2,685 Points
dcmetrobride is not online. Last active: 06-18-2013, 3:53 PMBronze
We started out in typical daycare. DD really needs the one on one attention though. She barely eats during the day and they cannot meet her needs. We found a nanny via care.com and she starts transition next week. I think it will be easier in the long run to have the nanny, albeit much more expensive.

51FC6D2E-F208-42D7-B997-69BCCBDC709C.PNG 
12-19-2012 at 12:07 PM
KC_13
Top 500 Contributor
Joined on 01-15-2009
51,639 Points
KC_13 is not online. Last active: 06-18-2013, 4:54 PMPlatinum

I dont work days anymore, but I used to work 20 hours a week. I found this home daycare ran by a former special ed teacher turned SAHM. It was perfect--she would work on speech stuff with my son and her child was my son's age and also had SN. I sent DS there 2 days a week, then my mom watched the kids 2 days. She eventually ended up going back to work and I stopped working days but I really miss her. My son really thrived there. We still get together for playdates on occasion.

Are you a member of any local facebook groups that are specific to kids with SN? That might be a good place to ask around locally. A nice compromise is maybe doing part time care through a daycare/part time care through your parents.


 Baby Birthday Ticker Ticker  Baby Birthday Ticker Ticker 
12-19-2012 at 12:08 PM
lite-brigh...
Not Ranked
Joined on 09-21-2006
Denver, CO
6,099 Points
lite-bright is not online. Last active: 06-18-2013, 4:58 PMGold

I WAH about 20 hours a week, so my situation is a little different. We found a regular sitter/nanny through a local service called Mother's Helpers, who comes and watches the girls during that time. 

She's fantastic and although she didn't have specific experience with kids on the spectrum, she did work for another family with a child with medical SN. My girls adore her and I really feel like we lucked out. She's in her early 20s, and couldn't find a job in her chosen field after college, so she's doing childcare instead. 

I do drop-offs and she picks DD1 up from school, driving our car. I thought I'd have a very hard time with someone else driving my kids around, but when you find a trustworthy person it's easier than I thought. The other parents at preschool have asked if she's a relative and told me that she's very good with the girls, which is nice to hear -- I know she's just as good with them when I'm not around. 

We've also had our Floortime therapist come and do a couple of sessions with her to help her know more about autism and about DD1's habits/quirks in particular. 

The nice thing about the Mother's Helpers service is that although we have set hours, we can also call her or the service any time to ask for coverage if, say, we want a night out. We may even ask our sitter if she's willing to do a weekend day sometime so that we could go skiing -- which we'd be completely comfortable with, and wouldn't be an option otherwise b/c we have no family in the area.  




DD1, 2008 ~~~ DD2, 2010 
12-19-2012 at 12:31 PM
Justinlove
Not Ranked
Joined on 02-16-2008
In the South
12,475 Points
Justinlove is not online. Last active: 06-18-2013, 3:26 PMSilver
When LA went to a regular daycare up until this year when she started preschool.  Now we have a part time nanny that picks her up and watches her until I get home.  For evenings/weekends, we have her as well as another sitter (both college graduates--not teenagers) who are available.  We have not done a weekend/overnight yet, but if we do, my parents would be happy to watch her.  They just live a couple of hours away so we don't use them for date nights unless they start hinting about seeing their grandbaby :)

Crafts for Lily
My Valentine Bookends (2~13~13, 2~15~09)
 
12-19-2012 at 2:33 PM
MirandaHob...
Not Ranked
Joined on 07-30-2007
3,822 Points
MirandaHobbes is not online. Last active: 06-18-2013, 2:49 PMSilver
OP- there are SN daycares, and for occasional date nights, as PP mentioned, check out care.com. I've used them to find people who are a bit more responsible than your typical 12 year old. You can find occasional sitters who have specific backgrounds, i.e. people who have worked with specific special needs. For awhile DH and felt so trapped, never being able to do anything. Once we found a sitter we like (actually a former SN preschool teacher), our lives are much happier and DS loves when she comes over.
 
12-19-2012 at 8:28 PM
tarajayne
Not Ranked
Joined on 11-14-2003
Battle Creek, MI
6,929 Points
tarajayne is not online. Last active: 05-17-2013, 7:33 AMBronze
We have a nanny we found through care.com (and also is a friend-of a friend).  This was before A was diagnosed though.  I am keeping her on though because she has been amazing with the kids.  Starting next fall though I will have to find someone else though because we are moving. 

 Baby Birthday Ticker Ticker 
12-20-2012 at 8:50 AM
amajane
Not Ranked
Joined on 08-23-2007
801 Points
amajane is not online. Last active: 06-17-2013, 8:44 AMBronze

Another shout out for care.com. We have a full time nanny that cares both girls. She is young but has experience caring with special needs kids and wants to one day have a career as an OT or ABA therapist.

It's all about finding the right person which takes a little more effort when you have a kid with special needs. But they're out there. 


 
12-20-2012 at 11:17 AM
JenGK
Not Ranked
Joined on 01-28-2008
Northern Virginia
1,502 Points
JenGK is not online. Last active: 02-20-2013, 8:25 PMSilver
We have a nanny who watches the boys when they are not in public school, and takes them to all therapy appointments.  We pay her for 40 hours a week, even though she does not work that much.  She is awesome, and I don't want her to take another job now that we only need her part-time.

Zachary, 8.31.2007 * * * Adam, 3.24.2010
 
12-28-2012 at 9:58 AM
mopdop2000
Not Ranked
Joined on 11-12-2012
1,227 Points
mopdop2000 is not online. Last active: 02-26-2013, 3:46 PMNewbie
I work 32 hrs a week, so am mostly able to pick 7 yr old up from school. Iann, 4 yr old with SN, is picked up by a good friend from preschool and plays at her house until I am off work. When we realized that I needed to start working more, this friend was the first person I thought of to ask to babysit Iann. She is very routined and structured, whcih Iann needs, and he is doing great with her. Hubbys schedule is about to change however, so that will mess up the babyistting hours again! However now the Iann is happy at her house, we aren't worried about the changes this will mean for him.

 
Hot Topics

New dad or dad-to-be? Chat with other dads here!
Visit the Dads & Dads-to-be board

Need baby shower inspiration? Get ideas here!
Visit the Baby Showers board

Chat with other crafty moms here!
Visit the Crafty Moms board

search boards

choose another board