Hi Karina,

We are relatively new to FDC. DS has been going for about two months now. It was a real struggle in the beginning, for lots of reasons, but it?s much better now.

Fees ? It varies from carer to carer. We pay $56 for two days, but that?s with the government rebate which will vary depending on your income. I think the FDC v?s LDC fees vary so much you can?t really generalise.

LDC v?s FDC ? they are very different and I don?t think one is better than the other. With either it?s all about ?quality?. You need to find the right FDC or LCD for you and your child. I would like Angus to go to both FDC and LDC (and have a day with his Grandma) when he is over 2. This arrangement will not suit every child (Angus loves change, new people, new things, new experiences and gets bored quickly and easily). It?s also hard to assume how much attention they will get. Again, it depends on the carer/center. Some LDC centers have a ?floater?, an extra staff member in addition to the specified ratio that can help out where/when needed.

Settling in time ? I had three visit with Angus of about an hour each to get settled but I don?t think it really made that much difference.

Angus enjoys FDC now but I think he?ll be looking for more when he?s older, hence our plan to combine FDC/LDC/Grandma.

I visited three FDC carers before I found one that I was happy with.

It took a good four weeks for Angus to settle in. We actually gave written notice that we were going to withdraw him because it just didn?t seem to be working, but the week after I handed over the letter, he came good, so we?ve decided to continue.

I had cloth nappy issues (using cloth is really important to us but there was some resistance from our FDC carer). It?s all resolved now, he?s in cloth, and it?s all fine but it was a bit strained there for a little bit (I posted about it in the cloth nappy thread if you want more of the story).

Sleeping is an issue. Angus?s sleeping varies so much and he often needs a sleep aid (being rocked/patted, etc). Our carer is doing her best but I know it?s really hard for her when he?s tired and cranky and won?t sleep and she?s got 4 other kids to attend to.

Wearing a hat is another issue. They have to wear hats when they are outside and Angus hates it. That?s my fault. I should have made it non-negotiable when he was younger so it wouldn?t be such a battle now.

My best advice is have a contingency plan (my DH was going to take part-time long service leave when we were going to withdraw DS) so if it?s not working for you, you don?t feel trapped with no options. And, if you feel it?s not right and it not working, say so and do something. But, it can take time to settle in, give it at least four weeks.

HTH

ETA - for some reason my commas appear as questions marks in my posts. Even after I do a post preview and it all looks fine, when I submit it goes all funny????