I'm looking to put my DS in care for 1 day a week. At present I work 2 days a week and DS is looked after by DH one day and MIL the other day. But, I also do some bookkeeping for my DH's business in my "spare" time (ha!) and it's just too busy. So I wanna swap to using care for 1 day of work, and use MIL for bookkeeping.
DS has only been cared for by family and is a very happy cruisey little boy who is a good sleeper, but has struggled with food (hypersensitive gag reflex and took a while to get used to finger foods). Like any parent i suppose, I want him with someone who will be considerate of his needs and pace. I don't want to traumatise him unnecessarily and FDC seems to be more like a home situation which he's used to, so maybe I feel like that would be less adjustment, especially since it's only 1 day a week. When I visited a local CC place, I felt he'd really have to fit into their routine more (i.e. most of the bubs his age were on 1 nap, not 2, and their lunch was when he's usually sleeping). Plus i like the idea of the consistent carer at FDC. I don't like the idea of changing rooms and carer in a CC. I figure there's less back up with FDC, but with MIL & DH I've probably got enough back-up anyway.
Luckily for me, i've just been offered an FDC place, plus there's a CC nearby with places available too. I've got more CC centres to check out, and am hoping to meet with the FDC provider next week before we make our decision.
If you were in my shoes, what would you do? Or based on your experience, what do you prefer?
CC works well for DS 4y he is very social has no extra needs..
FDC is wonderful for DD 2y she is a "highneeds" child and would have a melt down everyday when coming home from cc as it was to overwhelming for her to much stimulation. So the move has been great for her. her FDCer only has her and her son but her son goes to kindy in the morning so she has a great connection with her..
So if i was in your position i would go FDC over CC
If you know that you've got backup, then FDC is a really good option. My DS is in FDC one day a week, and with my mum one and a half days. I know that he is getting consistent care in both - given that he has only just started to self settle to sleep since starting FDC I would not be comfortable putting him in long day care. The only downside to FDC is if you are wholly reliant on it, eg: my FDC carer is just about to go on maternity leave for a few months, or if her or her own child are sick then she can't work. But in your case (as in mine) this is not an issue as you have family on hand when needed.
I've found that with one day per week my DS has taken longer to adjust to being in day care than what children who are there more regularly usually do, another reason why FDC is a better option for him as the carer can devote more time to ensuring he is happy. He is also not particularly social and gets a bit overwhelmed by a large number of kids so the smaller group size is much more conducive to him developing social skills.
Suse - what you said really struck a chord. While DS is cruisey, he hasn't had really really regular exposure to bigger groups, so I think that is part of my pro-FDC feel. That and the fact it's only 1 day a week. Plus DH is self-employed (works from home mostly) and I have a job that I could swap a day or work from home at short notice if I really had to - so between us we have a lot of flexibility. It was interesting what you said about self-settling. DS has been a GREAT self-settler, and I really want to not wreck that IYKWIM.
i think the only other hesitation I had re FDC was that if DH is super busy, I can't help, as my days of work are reasonably long (7.15am to 6pm) so pick up & drop off are going to have to be all DH... whereas the CC's seem to open earlier & close later, which could potentially be useful.
Incidentally when we dropped into a CC he cruised around the room very happily with the other kids. I don't know if that has any bearing on how he'll be when we're not there, but it seemed a good start anyway.
I have a very active and very social 2 1/2 year old. For her, I really wanted CC, not FDC. My main reason for putting her into care was for her to have social interaction without mummy around. So I'm sending her for 2 short-ish days a week (I pick her up after their nap).
Having said that, she does have a level of continuity of carer. She has the same carers every time she goes and even once she moves up to the next room, she will still see those carers as the groups do interact quite a bit.
Your situation is completely different. Your son is much younger and seems to have more specific needs. I think in your case I would prefer the more personal attention you can get at FDC.
I do think it is not only a matter of which model you choose, though. You might find a CC centre that really sits right with you with great carers. Or you might find a FDC provider who you and your son just click with. It is so daunting putting your baby into a stranger's care, isn't it?
Good luck with finding the perfect solution for you!
FDC vs CC?
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