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12-05-2012 at 11:37 AM
Murraydog
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Child care options

I need opinions from other moms. We have been lucky enough to avoid having to use daycare or child care at all up until this point. We used to live in an area where my husband was able to watch Cadence and also make some money on the side. As many of you know, we moved over the summer and now live in an area where that isn't possible. Yesterday he got offered a job. It is for second shift so he would go to work from 2-10:30 Monday-Friday. I currently work 7:30-4. So we'd really only need someone to watch her from 1-4:30 or so everyday. We could probably find a daycare that could take her for that time, but then what do we do with nap time? She normally goes down for her nap between 2-3 and then sleeps until 5:30. I'm thinking that if she went to daycare for a half day, then nap time just wouldn't happen. There will be all these things to do and friends to play with that she just wouldn't get a nap. I don't think she's ready to eliminate the afternoon nap completely. So then I'm brought to the idea of trying to find a college student or someone that would want to come to our house and basically be there while she takes her nap. They'd come over and feed her lunch, play for a bit and then put her down to nap and basically just sit there and study or watch tv or whatever while Cadence took her nap. I don't even know how much to pay someone to do something like that. It would be EASY work. She's a super easy kid so I wouldn't want to pay very much....like $20/day. Is that lame? too low? What would you guys do if you were in this situation? Obviously this all changes after baby is born, but I'm not even thinking that far ahead at this point.

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12-05-2012 at 11:47 AM
Tricia879
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When DD was little we did in home daycare, they would do naptime after lunch so like 12:30-1pm ish till 4pm. The older kids even had quiet time so all the kids had to sleep and I know most daycares probably do a set naptime. Even if she naps from 1:30 to 4pm its still decent.. Or 2pm to 4pm right before you get her. I would look around and ask. Hope this helps. 

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12-05-2012 at 11:53 AM
tabaskoa
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It seems like having someone come to your house would work easiest for you for sure. Do you have a lot of college students around?  I think $10 an hour is a going rate for babysitting, but that might be different depending on where you live. $20 a day probably is a little low. My friend's kids go to a daycare during the school year and then she has a college student "nanny" them during the summer and that has worked out really well for her. I have no idea how much she pays her though.

Another thing to consider...if you did use a daycare center, they likely have a rough schedule for the kids and nap time is probably earlier (like 12:30 or 1pm is pretty common). 

12-05-2012 at 12:58 PM
TriciaandS...
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If you put her at a center naps for the kids are all at the same time.  At Kieran's school they go down at 1 and usually nap until 3.  Also you'd probably have a hard time have someone watch her for $20 a day.  Around here the rate is $10-$15 per hour.  You may be able to get a little lower if it's consistent M-F.  Good luck.

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12-05-2012 at 1:11 PM
blue33
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Congrats on your hubby's job offer!

To answer your question, I think that 20 a day is a little low also. Around here, baby sitters get between 10-20 an hour, and most of our day care drop in rates are 85 a week for 3 days on the low end. My sister used Mommy's Day Out which was based out of a church. They basically provide care for a few hours during the day, and you just pay the daily rate when you need them. As far as the nap situation, that is a tough one. I know that both of the daycare centers that DS went to had strict nap times. 11:30 or 12:00 until 2:00. So, basically, she would be going during the middle of nap time if you drop her off at 1:00 if the center follows the usual schedule. More than likely, when she first starts daycare, she will be so excited that she won't take a nap, and she will crash when she gets home if you do the day care option. Also, most daycares require that you drop her off by a certain time to attend. My son's school requires that he be there by 9:30 a.m. unless he has a doctor's note, so he can follow the daily routine. Personally, I would enroll my kid in daycare so that he could play with other kids if my budget allowed. I don't like strangers in my home, I am weird that way, though. So, a sitter may totally work for other people, but I just know that I would be comfortable with it.

 


 
12-05-2012 at 1:27 PM
Murraydog
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blue33:

Congrats on your hubby's job offer!

To answer your question, I think that 20 a day is a little low also. Around here, baby sitters get between 10-20 an hour, and most of our day care drop in rates are 85 a week for 3 days on the low end. My sister used Mommy's Day Out which was based out of a church. They basically provide care for a few hours during the day, and you just pay the daily rate when you need them. As far as the nap situation, that is a tough one. I know that both of the daycare centers that DS went to had strict nap times. 11:30 or 12:00 until 2:00. So, basically, she would be going during the middle of nap time if you drop her off at 1:00 if the center follows the usual schedule. More than likely, when she first starts daycare, she will be so excited that she won't take a nap, and she will crash when she gets home if you do the day care option. Also, most daycares require that you drop her off by a certain time to attend. My son's school requires that he be there by 9:30 a.m. unless he has a doctor's note, so he can follow the daily routine. Personally, I would enroll my kid in daycare so that he could play with other kids if my budget allowed. I don't like strangers in my home, I am weird that way, though. So, a sitter may totally work for other people, but I just know that I would be comfortable with it.

 

You bring up a lot of good points.  The YMCA by our house does part time option.  It's the time she'd be going and the excitement that makes me think that nap time would not work out.  We also feel really weird about having a stranger in our house......this is one of those times when I wish we lived closer to some family so they could just keep her for a few hours every day and it wouldn't be a big deal.  We are already having a hard time with the thought of giving up our family time together in the evenings, but then having to figure out what to do with the kids is equally as stressful. 

 I just wish I could put up a pack n play in the corner of my office at work and have her take her nap there. :) 


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12-05-2012 at 3:12 PM
TexasMom09...
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Do you have any Stay at home mom friends who might be interested in watching her for those hours to make extra money? 

Do you know anyone else who is facing or who have faced the same issue? Maybe ask for their advice.

Also, if you find a center or in home daycare you like, ask them when their nap time is and work it into what your LO does now. It may mean you drop her off earlier, but then she would go down when they do.

Also, no matter what you choose it would be great if you could start her right away before your husband stays if you can. That way she can be worked into the day such as going for two hours the first day, three hours the next etc...It usually takes kids about two weeks to adjust. Also, some kids never nap as well at school as they do at home. 

 
12-05-2012 at 3:25 PM
Xcrisscros...
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For $100 a week, I would have jumped all over the opportunity to babysit your kid while I was in college. Especially if most of that time I could spend doing homework. If you throw in some snacks, you'll probably find someone who is interested.

I would go find the education office in whatever college you're near and ask if you can put some signs in / near the classrooms they use (cause you know those students like kids). 


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12-05-2012 at 4:34 PM
Murraydog
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XcrisscrossX:

For $100 a week, I would have jumped all over the opportunity to babysit your kid while I was in college. Especially if most of that time I could spend doing homework. If you throw in some snacks, you'll probably find someone who is interested.

I would go find the education office in whatever college you're near and ask if you can put some signs in / near the classrooms they use (cause you know those students like kids). 

This kind of what I was thinking. I know it's not much to pay someone $20 per day, but it basically would be getting paid to do your homework at someone else's house.  I would have happily done that in my college days.  There is a community college in the town where we live and I'm hoping to find someone through there that would be interested.  I don't want to be a cheap-a$$, but it really is going to be such easy work that I can't bring myself to pay much more than that. 


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