Blog Assignment #6: Preschool or day mother?

It is a big step when you go back to work or studies from being home with your baby. I am still home with my daughter during the days and try to study in the evenings. We will wait until she is one and a half years old and then put her in day care.

There are a lot of things you might want to know before you decide where you you’re your child in the days. We have already had several questions. Which kind of day care is most suitable for my child? For how many hours can she be away? Will she adapt to her new environment? How will the introduction go? (- please, let it go fast and not with any crying…) Our choice had to be made, primarily because of daughters well being. She has, ever since being a toddler been very happy and easygoing -but also a bit sensitive to high noises and too crowded places.

Now, some might think that this isn’t a big deal and that she will learn to be at a new place. We thought this too. There are both positive and negative things to take in consideration, being at a preschool or at a day mother.

First: In preschool there are bigger groups of children and she should find someone in her age to play with. At a day mother she might not find anyone in the same age as her but have someone older to play with.

Second: At a preschool, everything is suited for the children and there are often many things to play with. The outside environment is adapted for children to have the space to play and run around. A day mother might have a smaller space but also more like home, the step between the own home and the day care takers is not so unfamiliar.

Third: At a preschool there are many children, when someone is sick it can spread like an epidemic and everyone sooner or later will get the same illness. This might not happen quite so often at a day mother.

Surely everything will work out fine. I am just being a bit of a “chicken mother,” hovering over my baby. Our first choice was to have a day mother, mainly because of the smaller group of children. Our second choice was a preschool just beside where we live with a nice playground and a little forest. Our friends have their son in the preschool and they are very satisfied with their choice.

We finally decided to have her with a day mother. It was the best alternative for us and luckily we got a place with one who lives quite near us. Let us hope we made the right choice!