Nursery or Nanny?
Bambino and Butler have a little look at the pro’s and con’s.
For whatever reason…. You now find yourself exploring the difficult world of childcare. Perhaps you are heading back to work, expecting another baby or could simply do with HELP!
Lets look at the pros and cons to Nursery’s and hiring a Nanny:
Nursery pro’s:
- They are generally open 51 weeks a year, everything – food, hygiene, learning! It is very regulated, the staff have lots of certificates which you pretend to know the meaning of when you look around….
- Generally an economical option. Obviously all childcare is extortionate unless you have fantastic grandparents close by. Nurseries are generally cheaper than a Nanny unless you have two or more children.
- The children get to “socialise” with other children on a daily basis. I however think that as long as children have regular playdates and go to drop in or arranged activities, they will be very sociable.
Nursery cons:
- If your child is sick, they won’t want them there. Young children will get sick, a lot, because they’re suddenly licking the same toys as 20 other small children. If both parents are back at work, this can be very tricky!
- Fixed hours! These are ok if you have got a 9 to 5 job however most people need to be at work by 8am – 8.45 which can mean a 7am drop off and incur further charges. You WILL be penalised if your train is delayed (or you went for a quick one after work).
- Long waiting lists. Some people go and look at nurseries before they have even had their first scan! Waiting list scare-mongering is rife. Don’t panic: places come up more often than you think. People move out of the area or put their names down for multiple nurseries. But it is a good idea to go and have a look while your baby’s quite little.
Nanny pros:
- You don’t have to worry about drop-offs, pick-ups or getting your little one fed and dressed before you go to work. A live in Nanny may start work at 7am and therefore get the child/ren up so that you can get yourself showered and presentable for work. Daily nannies usually arrive between 7.30am – 8am.
- Major bonding time. As your child will spend over 40 hours a week solely with this person, they will form a very strong bond.
- You have a lot of control over what your child eats, the activities they do, who they play with and manners.
- Your household will also benefit as a nanny will usually take on any duties related to the child. This can be laundry, batch cooking, doctors appointments, communicating with schools for older children and keeping their areas tidy.
- If your child is sick, they are able to stay at home with their Nanny and life can resume.
- You have the option of adding one or two babysits per week especially with a live in nanny. So go ahead for your after work drink ?
- The cost wont double if you have another child!
Nanny cons:
- More expensive than a Nursery for one child.
- More admin. Any decent nanny will need to be properly employed by you, meaning you pay their tax and NI on top of their wage (there are lots of companies who deal with the paperwork for you though; Nanny Tax are a market leader ).
- Less structured in comparison with a Nursery and they will deal with one person as opposed to 4-5 key workers.
- The Nanny will be entitled to annual leave which leaves you without childcare. This should be arranged in advance and you can try to take holiday at the same time.
Overall both are great options and depends on why you are looking for childcare. Your job may not offer you the option of a Nursery due to such structure hours or you may not be working and just simply want you child to spend a day making a mess at Nursery rather than your living room!
Here at Bambino and Butler (www.bambinoandbutler.com) we will help you make the right choice and are very happy to answer any queries regardless if you decide to proceed with us. Please feel free to have a look at our website and read our Blogs.
