Growing up in a homely daycare was like growing up with your second family with so many siblings that you eventually lose count of them. There are times you crave attention being one of many kids, sometimes you’re busy fighting with your sibling over a toy, and at times those same siblings are your chamber of secrets.

I always wondered what it would be like to be the only child of your secondary caregiver. What would it be like to have all or a lot of the attention? Would it be nice to be the only child with no one to fight with (unless you have an actual sibling of course)? Can your nanny be your secret keeper?

Choosing between sending your child(ren) to daycare and hiring a nanny is a crucial part of their growth. So it’s important to know the facts and get opinions to make sure you’re choosing the best option for your young ones.

The first thing to consider is your child, of course. Some questions to ask yourself are:

Do they get along well with others?

Do they make friends easily?

Are they introverted or extroverted?

Do they need special care or more attention?

And such.

Then move on to find the best fit for your child.

A daycare… or a nanny?

Some Pros and Cons of Daycare

Pros:

Social Interaction:

This would be great for an extroverted and active child since they would easily make friends, and soon. Whereas for an introverted child, it might be a bit difficult for them to make friends and/or socially connect but at the same it could help them be more socially active and could help boost their confidence.

Language and Skill Development:

Growing up in daycare ensures early learning. Many daycares adopt play and learn strategies. They create various games and activities involving letters, numbers and shapes. This engages the children and keeps them excited and active with an end result of educating them.

Toys & Books:

Every child loves to play and hear stories. A daycare provides both. I’m sure a house with a child will have toys and books, but a daycare surely has more to offer. Children who are encouraged to play with toys and hear stories often end up creating their own games and stories. Like a robot and dinosaur war? Or a new princess adventure maybe?

Easy Transition to School:

Daycares helps with a child interact with other children of the same age. It also helps in structuring and scheduling their day with various activities and has an environment similar to that of a school. This makes it easier for children to adapt to a school environment. Often, they end up at the same school, so seeing a familiar face eases the fear of going to school.

Cons:

Difficulty in Admission of Children with Special Needs:

More often than not, daycares don’t have caregivers experienced in or have knowledge of how to care for special needs children who require more or one-on-one attention and help to learn and understand concepts which other children easily understand. Although, there are daycares opening up especially with such children in mind.

Spreading Illness:

Sharing the same toys and playing together leads to close contact between children. This could be a factor in spreading germs and illnesses.

Accidents:

Children could get injured, fall and maybe even hit each other. It’s a common occurrence, so one shouldn’t be surprised. The caregivers would definitely do their best to take proper care of the children to avoid such incidents but they also can’t be everywhere at a time and at the end of the day, children are going to be children.

Behavioral Problems:

As we know, children pick up on things easily. Be it learning something good… or bad. Your child could pick up a bad habit or attitude or learn bad language from another child who must’ve learned it from someone else. This can definitely be corrected but certainly cannot be avoided.

Some Pros and Cons of Nannies

Pros:

One on One Interaction:

Individual attention could be more beneficial to your child’s growth since all the focus and concentration is on your child alone. Your child, being the sole priority, receives constant care which creates a stress free environment which is essential for their development.

Personal Attachment:

To children, a nanny is not just a care taker. They are like a secondary parental figure, a friend and teacher. Your child is bound to form a personal attachment with the nanny considering they would be spending most of their time together. This helps your child find comfort and security in the nanny.

Flexibility:

Unlike with a day care, having a nanny gives more flexibility. The nanny’s work timing can be adjusted according to your work timing. Many nannies also help out in household work giving more time for you to bond with your children.

Convenience:

Having a nanny would be easier if you’re busy with your work life as you don’t have to worry about travelling or scheduling your work timings to be able to pick and drop your children off to daycare or taking the day off if your child is sick.

Cons:

Lack of Social Interaction:

This may be a dream come true for introverted children. But the extroverted ones would probably be bored out of their mind with no one to play with but the nanny (or maybe other siblings). Lack of Social Interaction could prove to be negative for when your child starts meeting new and more people.

Disagreement on Parenting Styles:

Although you and the nanny share the same objective, which is to give the best care and to raise your child in the best way possible. You may have disagreements in parenting styles. This could cause conflicts between you and the nanny which in turn could create a stressful situation for your child.

Not regulated:

Screening nannies and doing a background check before hiring them would be required, especially in case of a special needs child, since there are no regulations and additional qualifications in child care development aren’t a requirement to be a nanny.

No Back up Care Options:

You would have to search for a back-up caregiver at the last minute or will have to stay at home if the nanny falls sick or needs to take an unexpected leave.

Tougher Transition to School:

Going to a school setting could be quite overwhelming if your child hasn’t had any exposure to other children or grown-ups. Unlike daycare going children, it would be more difficult to initiate and hold a conversation especially for a reserved child.

akomakoo.com is the leading website for users to find nannies and full-time day care services in the Kingdom of Bahrain and the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. Launched in 2020, by Abdul Hamid Al Asfoor (Managing Director of Albayan Media Group), akomakoo.com has become the most exclusive and leading platform connecting buyers and sellers from Saudi Arabia to Bahrain and vice versa.

An exclusive and trusted community where underused goods are redistributed to fill a new need, and become wanted again, where non-product assets such as space, skills, and money are exchanged and traded in new ways that don’t always require centralized institutions or ‘middlemen’.

Share

Tweet now!

Email

Sarah Illyas

I’m interested and focused on improving my writing and photography skills. Also learning more about business, e-Commerce and, digital marketing to someday start something of my own.