In Kenya, most households have live-in nannies (house-girls) to take care of the kids and other chores around the house. This would be the best option if it were not for the endless drama that comes with having a ‘stranger’ in your house. Talk to any random mom on the streets and chances are she’ll have a no-so-pleasant story on her experience with one or two of her former nannies.
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| Daycare vs. Live-in nanny |
More and more moms are going the daycare route these days. But before you decide whether to employ the services of a daycare or to just get a live-in nanny, here are the points that you have to keep in mind:
Day care Pros
A daycare has the best interactive environment that your baby can get. It is not only stimulating, the child also develops her social and people skills at an early age. The curriculum is designed to ensure that your baby is prepared for pre-school in the best way possible. Take a look at the Bullfrogs & Butterflies Childcare program to see what I am talking about.
- It is a learning environment giving a kid intellectual edge
- Reliability: You never have to worry that your nanny might get sick and not be able to work.
- Trained staff who know how to handle babies
- Potty training and self feeding becomes easy
- Cheaper: Daycare is a lot cheaper especially when you compare it to a live-in nanny
- Privacy: You do not have to worry about a stranger snooping through your house when you’re away.
Daycare Cons
- Having many kids in the same place means that germs spread faster and more easily. You might therefore have to prepare yourself for increased number of visits to the pediatrician
- Kids do not get specialized care
- Your baby stays in familiar sorrounding
- The baby is able to eat, play and nap on her/his own schedule
- One-on-one care all day every day
- Flexibility: There are days when you need to come home late for one reason or the other and having a live-in nanny is convinient
- If you have more kids, a live-in nanny is the cheaper option of the two
- They are generally more expensive
- Unreliable: She might wake up one morning and leave. Other times she might get sick and you have to look for an alternative
- You do not have the privacy you’d like in your house and you have to accommodate the nanny
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