As a working mom, you’ll be faced with the decision to either enrol your child at day care or hire a nanny. This can be a daunting task, so here are some guideline to help you make an informed decision.

Educational psychologist Jenny Da Silva encourages you to consider these factors to ensure that your little ones gets the best care while you’re away.

DAYCARE PROS

• Children who attend daycare early on usually adjust to strangers more easily and become more independent as they learn how to do things for themselves relatively early
• Your child will be exposed to children of different backgrounds, so he or she will learn to socialise with others and adapt to different people and situations.
• A good daycare will provide activities aimed at increasing your child’s interpersonal, intrapersonal, perceptual, coordination and cognitive skills
• The staff at daycare usually have some sort of first aid and early childhood development training
• There is constant supervision at a daycare centre
• The staff are reliable and consistent
• Healthy nutritious meals are prepared and served
• Your little one will be exposed to routine of a “school environment” fairly early and will usually have no problem adjusting to primary school later
• Your little one will be stimulated, milestones will be monitored and met
• When choosing your daycare check opening and closing times and school holidays
• Daycare always has a backup if someone is ill which ensures that your little one will always receive the best care. Which is less stressful when you have to take time off to look after your little one

NANNY PROS

• Your little one will be in its own environment
• You will be able to stipulate hours to suit your needs
• You’ll have more control over your child’s environment, how much TV is watched and what he or she eats

DAYCARE CONS

• You won’t have as much control over your child’s environment
• Schedules are usually quite strict in terms of pick up and drop off times
• It is said that children get ill when starting day care – Check what protocols the day care has got in place regarding sick children coming to school and what measures are taken to ensure the school practices proper hygiene and cleanliness routines

NANNY CONS

• Your child may not learn the social skills their peers may achieve at an early age
• Your child may not mature as fast as her peers
• She might suffer from separation anxiety when she goes to nursery or primary school later
• Nannies usually performs housework as well during which time your little one will not be stimulated
• A nanny might call in sick last minute leaving you with limited childcare options
• Children, especially only children, may have difficulty sharing and adapting to having other children sharing their space and toys and socialising when they are older
• When leaving your little one with a nanny you are entrusting a single person to care for your baby with no backup should a problem arise
• Hidden cameras are illegal and can’t be used as evidence