Creche or Childminder

Kintarō Hattori

Hi Folks,

My partner is heading back to work and we're trying to figure out whether to place our 9 month old in a creche or with a child minder.

Is it better to wait until she's older and more independent as currently her gross motor skills aren't well developed. Perhaps for the time being having a child minder in her home would be more comforting?

Do they need much socialising at this age and would she miss out on much being with a child minder? She has no siblings and niece/nephew contact is infrequent.

While I'm not 100% settled on a child minder how do you ensure that you find a good one and can trust them?

Cocobongo

Exact same situation here and we can’t work out the best way to deal with the situation ... let’s see what people advise..

Neyite

I chose a creche for a few reasons:

A good childminder is worth their weight in gold but the difficulty is finding a good one and not one who'll just take your kid and plonk them in front of whatever's on the telly. Problem was that I didnt know any in the area that came recommended by someone I knew. Plus, while you might know and trust the childminder, you don't know who's going into their home, interacting with your child.

A creche, I felt, had people who had a structured day planned for the children. Different activities, games, and educational modules. Plus it was great for our child to interact with other children, learn to play, learn from peers, learn to share, and the socialisation really came along leaps and bounds.

Then you get the fact that a creche is inspected, staff are vetted and trained. They work with colleagues so more likely to do things by the book than someone doing it on their own. Menus are planned and varied fresh meals. The environment of a creche was tailored entirely for children.

Now the downside was that it's more expensive. And if you got a great childminder who your child had a great bond with, it can be a brilliant set up for your child.

In the end, whatever you decide, I'll say this- go with your gut. I visited a couple of places and my stomach sank. I couldn't fathom how I'd leave my baby there 10 hrs a day but the creche we did go with, I loved from the moment I set foot in it. If you don't have a good vibe, keep looking.

There was no appointment, I turned up looking for one and they offered me a tour on the spot. If they had to schedule me at another time I'd wonder what they needed to sort before the tour, you know?

They also handed me a copy of the latest HSE inspection - highlighting the negatives and demonstrating where they had changed /were changing policies or procedures to fully take on board every observation of the inspection. Eg, the report suggested that snack time be healthier and more varied and they hired a chef to overhaul the whole menu plan.

Our child was in creche from 11mo - 5 years, and he thrived there.

Neyite

Sorry, dripping in a few more thoughts...

If work flexibility is a concern, then creche provides more seamless cover than a childminder. If a childminder is sick or has an appointment, they might not take your child that day. A creche will simply roster someone else on instead.

You'll be coming into teething time soon, and things like earaches and the usual coughs and colds that they pick up from daily interaction with new people will happen. It's grand for their immune system but a bit crap for parents to yet again get the call that junior is running a temperature and needs to go home and when you get there the calpol has kicked in and they are flying it

They will actually pick up skills from their peers. Our child couldn't crawl except backwards when he started but when I plonked him on the rug another baby thundered past him. I could swear I could see it dawn on him "ah...that's what I'm doing wrong"

appledrop

Well put Neyite. We also choose a creche for our little boy + best decision we have ever made. He was only 7.5 mths when he started + this was no problem he was well able for it. He is nearly 2 now + has only ever cried once when we dropped him to creche! He is a very active child + loves interacting with all his friends. The amount of activities they do everyday is unreal + he is very independent + good at tidying up, sharing etc. I work in education sector so fact creche is registered, inspected etc is very important to me.

Yes it is more expensive but I think it's worth every penny. I would never use a child minder unless you know them or recommended. I've heard too many stories of kids watching tv all day. As someone said to me when a child is in creche their job is to play with them etc but if child minder in own home they also want to clean their house, make dinner etc while minding your child.

Now I can see benefit of child minder later on if child in school + then only there for hour or 2 in evening.

Neyite

We've an after school childminder now - and again it works really well as it's a family member I've known and trust for decades and our boy gets to hang out with relatives the same age.

I hate to bash childminders - some are terrific but very often we only hear about the horror stories of childcare.

Moonbeam

I have been a childminder and used a creche.
Unfortunately as each option varies so much in price,it might be worth pricing all options 1st.

lazygal

We used a minder who came recommended and minded them in her home. It was a great setup, there were some small things I didn't like but I don't think any set up is perfect. Now we have a minder in our home and I like this setup too, but I think it works better because my two are close in age and play together. I'd imagine it would be very different with just one baby. She brings them out, if they're tired they nap in their beds and yes they watch TV sometimes which I don't mind at all.
There's no creche near enough to us that worked with the work hours we have so we never considered that option. I have heard more bad than good about creches, especially the big chains. I know a lot of people are happy with them though. I think no matter what the set up you choose there is some compromise involved.

mirrorwall14

We have had a childminder. Two so far. First didn’t work, second I love. It’s been a home away from home for him for the last two years and he is treated as one of the family. She had another little boy his age and they are the best of buddies and go to playschool together. We had an agreement for term time only which was invaluable for me as a teacher. We are going to try moving him to crèche with playschool in September (3.5years) as we have moved so her location isn’t ideal and now that my husband works from home it’s just harder to get him to her if I’m sick or something else is on. There’s a crèche in our estate and that would work brilliantly. We have all fingers and toes crossed right now

CheerLouth

We went with a creche for very similar reasons to Neyite. I liked the structured idea of the day, I know most days of the week what the kids are doing, I know what they've had for lunch etc. Our little girl started in creche at 10 months old and her brother at 6months old. Both are thriving.
Our little girl regularly comes home with nursery rhymes etc that I would have never thought to teach her. The social aspect for her has been so beneficial. Our creche is the only creche in the area which means that all of the children that she has been with since she was 10 months old, she will go to school with & we can see that they already have such a good bond!

shesty

Childminder here.Worth her weight in gold.She gives us a lot of flexibility and is totally reliable.She takes them out and about, on the bus and the like (which would normally never do) and to the shops etc.There is TV sometimes too...that's life.My elder would have gone crackers in the group environment of a creche (it's just how she is with too much input) so quieter childminder worked better.She teaches them old nursery rhymes and songs etc, so funny!Tells us everyday what they have eaten, what the humour has been like, how long they slept for, any nappies, and any bumps or bruises or things she has noticed.

There are two things I will say about a childminder search.....firstly you really need to go with your gut, and secondly (for me,our preference), I wanted someone who was a bit older and preferably was a mother too, of older kids.I just felt kids take so much work, and I wanted someone who had the depth of knowledge and understanding that went with having been through it themselves, or having done it for years.That was just my feeling on it, I know that mightn't be everyone's thoughts.I've learned a lot from her myself, all the little tricks of dealing with small people!

Digs

Was about to write a post but Shesty has covered my exact thoughts!
We didn’t even look at crèches, we knew they just weren’t the right choice for us, so childminder it was, she’s an absolute legend.

My eldest for example was in a childminder with 2 other kids, who are still her friends now at 5. She still visits her “nana”, she was made feel very much part of the family which is what we wanted for her. They had outings, favourite books, nursery rhymes, baking, painting, cuddles when she was sick. Her minder had so much patience to do these things with her. She then went to preschool at 3.5 and took to it like a fish to water and is now thriving in junior infants.

You do have to work out holidays, she would give us hers at the start of the year and we would just work them into our annual leave. I worked in an office with two other people who had kids in crèches and it was actually ridiculous at one stage the amount of annual leave they had to take to cover sick days for their kids. I never had an issue, much to their (good natured) annoyance! Bar the odd day for a funeral over the years etc her absences were few and far between.

Neyite is dead right though, go with your gut, you’ll have a fair idea what the right set up is for you. I would also only consider a highly recommended childminder in the local area. Ours had references coming out her ears she had been minding kids for years.

Neyite

If you both work ordinary office hours then a creche that shuts at 6pm (most of them do) might suit. If your jobs are shift work or if you work irregular hours you might find a childminder works better for you. Then have a think about your logistics first. Who would drop off, who would pick up that sort of thing.

A creche will go with part time or full time rates. Ours for example was a choice of full time or a 3 day week, and they had to be set days of attendence. A childminder may be more flexible with extra/less days as you need.

Then you need to figure out where is best to pick if they are being minded outside of the home - somewhere on your commute is handy, or somewhere near either work or home. I've found that when picking a creche one close to work for one of you works best, or if you have one near home you have to add your commute time onto your working time and ensure you get there before closing. Or, in the event of an emergency, you aren't too far from your child (or for the nice things, we were able to pop in when Santa visited the creche for example, without losing much time at work.

maxsmum

Creche is amazing for our lad. He went on at 8 months old. Not sure if it was just him but he never got the stage of separation anxiety as a result. They write down every day all the activities he does. I have collected him a few times when another parent has opened the door for me (ie they arent expecting me) and witnessed the childcare workers treating him and all the others with love and affection as I would. He is great at playing with other kids too. The main bonus for us is guaranteed opening hours for work. He also is just as affectionate with us and definitely no sense that he knows or loves us less. The downside was a solid month of sniffles and various illnesses when he started but that's settled now. We only had to miss one day of work each so far- they are actually very good at tolerating illness. If I had another I would definitely put them in the same creche and just put up with the expense of double fees for couple of years. I couldn't personally trust a childminder to know they are as full on caring and providing as much entertainment in my home. Also if they get sick or want holidays...too messy. There's also a requirement to pay prsi etc which I just couldnt be bothered with. I think if you find a good creche go for it. Two things..start them a few weeks before going back to work because of the illness. Also put name down ASAP for a baby place if in Dublin...They were all fully booked in my experience and we got lucky with a cancellation.

jaja321

I'm just after returning to work from maternity leave, after 8 months. Would have liked to take longer, but unfortunately we couldn't (but that's another story!). Someone at work said to me on my first day back - if you pick a childminder, you'll think you should have picked a creche and if you pick a creche you'll think you should have picked another creche etc etc. Its so hard. The decision is really hard. We made it before our baby arrived and booked her into a creche, but when the reality of actually putting her in someone's care hit, it was so tough! Make sure your partner looks after herself during the process as it really can be much harder than you anticipate.

Anyway.. to answer your question! We chose a creche. I had initially thought I would like a childminder when she is very young and then move her to creche when she was about 2ish (when she needed more social interaction etc), but we just didn't have any recommendations of good childminders nearby. My best friend is an amazing childminder (and didn't have any recommendations) and I would have loved to put my daughter in her care, but she had another baby and just can't take it on anymore. But I realised that that is the level of trust I would need in a childminder in order to leave my baby there. I would want to know and trust that person 100% as they are the only person with them all day (with no oversight). If you find a great childminder, then it could be great - but they are like gold dust. The other thing I considered was that a personal relationship develops with the childminder, so it can be a little harder to say things you're not happy with etc. Some of the relationships can go 'weird' over time.

So we chose a creche. One that we just got a very good gut feeling about (and had been recommended). Has an open door policy - parents and nominated collectors can walk in at any time unannounced and pick up their child. There is HUGE comfort in this. Creches are inspected, they are accountable, there is oversight, and to be fair to them - they do so much with the kids. Make sure there is an appropriate phasing in period before your partner goes back to work - we had 2 weeks. This helped our daughter to settle, but also helped me to settle into it too. She also got a cold and cough during this 2 weeks, but much better than my first week back at work! They have an online system too, where I can see throughout the day, what she's eaten, how she's slept, what playtime/activities she's had, and even photos of her smiling and happy. Not all creches are great though, and there are many that I would not send my child to, so definitely look around and make sure you are comfortable with your choice. A lot of it is about gut feeling at the end of the day. Our daughter is very social, so I think she was probably inclined to like creche anyway, but she really loves going in there now, which is great. Its easier on her than me! And despite all this, I still question my decision!

I think we have to remember that no-one will look after our child the way we will, so there has to be a bit of give and take, but you need to have your bottom lines too.

Best of luck with your choice. Its not easy either way x

Bacchus

It's a very individual decision really. I think mentally as the parent, a childminder is easier because you are getting more of a "home from home" service whereas a creche feels a bit like dropping your child off to an alien environment. Some parents deal better with creches than others... at times probably simply because they have to just get on with it. Another factor is the quality of the creche or childminder in question. They are not all the same.

With creches, you do have standards and reviews and processes but you can have 3-to-1 ratios for under 1 year and 5-to-1 for the 1+ year olds. What kind of quality time are they getting? I think this boils down to the creche. A friend of ours has their daughter in a fantastic creche full of activities and it's nice open space. On the other hand, our local creche felt, at a facilities level, to be "the bare minimum". The staff were brilliant but it was a small space for 8 babies/toddlers. As it happened, after 2 months in the creche of no sleeping, taking bottle or eating and her getting sick 3 times (having never been sick before) and coming home exhausted we found a brilliant childminder. Honestly, she's worth her weight in gold.

That might paint a very one-sided picture but I hope the point I'm making that "it depends on the creche and childerminder in question" is coming across. A different creche and it could have worked out great (though I do feel that the sickness side of thing will always be more of a factor in creches). Equally, we interviewed 2 other childminders and we wouldn't have been comfortable with either.

John Mason

I was a pre-school inspector in a previous life and we didn't even consider a childminder.

At the end of the day you need to go with your gut instinct. there are some horrendous creche out there, where I wouldn't send a dog never mind a child. the same with childminders. Some are amazing some or woeful.

You know what is best for your child.

Go and visit a few creches get a feel for them and speak to a few childminders.

Kintarō Hattori

Thanks for all the replies and advice folks. We had a creche recommended to us and we had thought of putting her into that. However she's getting physio as she's lacking in core strength at the moment and while she's getting stronger it's taking time. My partner is very lucky in that her job allows her to go back to work for 3 months after coming off of maternity and get paid your full hours but only work half of them. After the 3 months we think then that she should be a bit stronger and better able to cope with the creche.

We spoke with the childminder we had been thinking about, who seemed lovely and not the sort to just plonk her in front of a TV. The greater social aspect of the creche appeals to us though as we don't have family close by so she's lacking a little in that regard.

Mondo123

Is it pretty common that the child will get sick a number of times upon starting a creche or child minder due to mixing with other kids? I've had friends say the first 6 months is hard as they catch every bug going?

lazygal

Neither of ours got sick when they started with the minder, preschool or primary school. Maybe we're lucky, I can count on one hand the number of gp visits we've had outside of vaccines.
The chicken pox vaccine is a great one to get.

shesty

It's quite likely, yes.I'd say some times of the year might be better than others but generally they will catch a few things.As with lazygal, ours didn't when starting the minder but then the concentration of germs and bugs is probably a bit less in the minder's environment, and they are out and about with her a lot.

Put it this way-I'd assume they will, as your worse case scenario!!

rainbow kirby

Mondo123 wrote: »

Is it pretty common that the child will get sick a number of times upon starting a creche or child minder due to mixing with other kids? I've had friends say the first 6 months is hard as they catch every bug going?

My son had quite a few bugs in the first 6 months, he's prone to fevers though and our nursery had a strict sick policy so I ended up working from home a lot.

Neyite

Mondo123 wrote: »

Is it pretty common that the child will get sick a number of times upon starting a creche or child minder due to mixing with other kids? I've had friends say the first 6 months is hard as they catch every bug going?

I can only vouch for our experience - We had 20 days in the first year where the creche called us to pick up the baby or he was too sick to go in. It was mostly teething but once they've a temperature you'd usually get a call. Then they'd be bouncing around not a bother on them when you went to pick them up because the calpol had kicked in. Before that he was and is robustly healthy. It was just a run of it until his immune system caught up and was able to withstand them.

Bacchus

Kintarō Hattori wrote: »

We spoke with the childminder we had been thinking about, who seemed lovely and not the sort to just plonk her in front of a TV. The greater social aspect of the creche appeals to us though as we don't have family close by so she's lacking a little in that regard.

I'm going call BS on this myth because I believed it too and it was my biggest concern taking our daughter out of creche. Our girl has been with a childminder for about 4 months now and she is out in the community on a daily basis (childminder drops her own kids to school down the road, pops to shop, goes to bank etc.). She has thrived socially and we have zero concerns about how she is developing in that regard... in fact we reckon we have a bit of a handful to come as she gets older Now if the childminder wasn't the person that she is and our daughter was just in the house all day, it could be a completely different story... but this comes back to my point that you should judge each creche and childminder on their own merits.

Mondo123 wrote: »

Is it pretty common that the child will get sick a number of times upon starting a creche or child minder due to mixing with other kids? I've had friends say the first 6 months is hard as they catch every bug going?

Can only speak to our 2 months in the creche but our daughter, who had previously never been sick, was sick 3 times and we had to stay at home with her for the guts of 3 of those weeks during the 2 months. It makes sense though considering the closed quarters and so many kids. Sure we picked her up a few times and she had some other child's soother in her mouth. If there's something going, they'll pick it up. She started in there at the end of Oct though so it was probably a bad time for bugs going around.

BTW, I should add, she hasn't been sick again since switching to childminder. I think one small sniffle (she got from me) that lasted a day or two is about it.

shesty

I have to admit I agree.Socialisation of a baby (with other kids) wouldn't be all that necessary.Having them out and about and seeing the cars and shops and everyday life actually is a bit more important....which you realise when they get a bit older and see that they are really only able for having other kids in close contact for maybe an hour or so, when they are well over 2.I think I said before a creche environment would have been very counter-productive for our eldest who gets very overwhelmed very quickly in a group environment and goes a bit nuts...creche all day would have brought out the worst behaviour in her, especially in the toddler years.

However I appreciate that finding a good childminder is hard, and sometimes a creche suits people better.

Kintarō Hattori

Well folks, we had picked out a creche near us in North County Dublin but by the time we went to put her in they had no places. My partner went to see Giraffe in Northern Cross and liked it. It's close to her work place and more or less along the route I take to work. Has anyone heard any reviews- good or bad?

lazygal

Wouldn't touch any Giraffe creche with a barge pole.

Neyite

Weren't Giraffe the chain that was exposed in the Prime Time exposé?

If so, I'd be VERY thorough in your vetting of them.

lazygal

Neyite wrote: »

Weren't Giraffe the chain that was exposed in the Prime Time exposé?

If so, I'd be VERY thorough in your vetting of them.

Yes. Links is another chain which was exposed.
There's a good reason these type of services always have places and no waiting lists.

Kintarō Hattori

Ah sigh, really? I'm hoping she hasn't paid the deposit

fits

I had my twins at a busy Childminder for trial when they were aroun 9-11 months. My guy who wasn’t moving around then really don’t get on with it an is much happier with our Childminder now who just has the two of them. They both got on with her from the start.

PhoenixParker

The giraffe near here is good and always booked out. Haven’t visited others (& it’s not northern cross, so can’t comment on that one).

I think it’s a bit like schools, it depends a lot on the manager (principal). Everything flows from them. Talking to other parents using the crèche is the best gauge.

CheerLouth

Kintarō Hattori wrote: »

Well folks, we had picked out a creche near us in North County Dublin but by the time we went to put her in they had no places. My partner went to see Giraffe in Northern Cross and liked it. It's close to her work place and more or less along the route I take to work. Has anyone heard any reviews- good or bad?

I used to work in some of the office in Northern Cross & could see into one of the creche rooms from my table. Kids always looked like they were having fun. It seems like a very busy creche. Some of my colleagues had their children in there (there might have been a discount for staff working in the area) & they seemed happy with the service.

Neyite

Kintarō Hattori wrote: »

Ah sigh, really? I'm hoping she hasn't paid the deposit

It could be that as a result of their expose they overhauled the policies and management and have an entirely different crèche than the mess they used to run and be way better now. I'd contact them and ask what improved since then and see what kind of reports are available online about the investigation and recommendations and make sure they were implemented.

superman28

We tried creche for 9 months and ultimately just didn't work out. I wasn't happy with some of the staff there and our daughter just wasn't happy.

We have had a childminder that comes to our home since then for the last 13 months,, couldn't be happier.
How can you tell? Like knowing your child didn't like creche you can tell they like the childminder.
If you have a choice I would go for a childminder.

Since then she

Sleeps better
Gets sick less
If is sick still gets minded at home (unlike creche)
Still goes to playgroup to mix with other kids every second day
Her nap routine is not interrupted which really means she sleeps better at night
Light housework can be included (hanging out the washing, putting on a wash, keep kitchen tidy)
We can also have the option of extending hours (if you are late in work) or we want a weekend night off which is obviously really handy.

I don't want to knock creche too much,, I saw kids who seemed happy as larry there,, just didn't work out for us.

The main negative is it is alot more expensive than childcare and possibly the learning structure isn't as good, (doing artwork or dance or music etc)