Infant Care needed! – Spring 2010

[birdygirl]

Currently am due January 2010 and am having a hard time figuring out Infant Daycare for around April 2010…

I understand that openings are limited.

Any recommendations? Looking for any other options too if I’m not able to get a spot in daycare setting…

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[hollyplace]

There are a lot of moms that won’t be going back to work that have or are having babies too and would be willing to care for your child along with their own. You might join a group like peps or west seattle moms of babes to get to know some other moms during your leave and maybe make some good connections or get some information from other moms in the same situation.

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[kirida]

Check out Child Care Resources (http://childcare.org/) It’s an extremely thorough database that only costs $40 (some employers cover the cost) and lists many in-home daycares and daycare facilities that you won’t find on Craigslist. That’s how we found our current daycare and also where our baby (due in March) will be placed.

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[Diane]

if you want to get into a daycare setting, start calling everywhere today, get on wait lists; many require you are “expecting” (pregnant or adoption in process) to get on wait list, and wait lists at top rated centers can be VERY long; many parents also highly recommend Child Care Resources for their list of licensed settings, which I think includes family daycare

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if you’re interested in hiring a nanny or joining a nanny-share, which has been my specialty for infants (one-on-one care, and less exposure to germs), that’s a whole different arena

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I recommend starting with daycare research, get on wait lists; if you decide to hire a nanny, April is a long way off, that can wait longer

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do you know what option you prefer?

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[birdygirl]

Thanks everyone!

Diane,

I’m totally open to the idea of hiring a nanny or joining a nanny-share. I would actually prefer this route…Its just a matter of the cost. I’ve been thinking that nanny-share might be a good option.

I’ve visited a daycare this morning and was not necessarily impressed…but depending on the situation, that might be a short term solution.

Let me know if you have any input regarding nannies!

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[Diane]

sure, I’ve been full time nanny, and done several nanny-shares; my preference is ft nanny with one baby because I have more freedom to get out all over for outings with baby; it’s hard to do that with 2 babies/trying to coordinate time to get out between feed/poop/naps; nannyshare is lower cost and adds infant socialization for families, along with premiere 1 to 1 care, and few dollars more per hour for nanny, but much more work; can lead to burnout really fast

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I now do exclusively on-call/temp child care, mostly date nights, fill in for daycare closed or temp while searching for nanny or on wait list for daycare

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feel free to give me a call or email with any questions 206-949-7377 or divincent@aol.com

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there have also been some great threads on the forum about recommended family daycares in WS

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I’ve had babies graduate from my care into daycare, and I babysit date nights for others in family daycare; one is called Loving Hands Daycare; the other Loving Daycare; both highly rated by families

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[raindance42]

We tried a nanny-share kind of arrangement (one caregiver, 3 children including the caregiver’s daughter) and it did not work out well for us. The caregiver was very devoted, but if she was sick, or her daughter was sick, we had to find alternate care, which was very stressful for us. Ultimately, my daughter just didn’t take to her and we had to make a change.

We ended up taking our daughter to Kindercare in Burien, as it was one of a very few places that had an opening when we needed it. She LOVES it there, and we love it too. I love that I know that even if her regular teacher/caregiver is sick, there will be someone to take her place. I really like that there are enough employees that they can make sure everyone gets breaks during the day so they can stay patient and cheerful with the kids. My daughter likes playing with the other kids, and with the toys we don’t have at home, and sitting at the tiny toddler-sized table to eat her meals.

It is a bit out of our way, as it is way down in southern Burien (we live near Westwood Village), but other than that we are big fans. You can email me at raindance42@gmail.com if you want to find out more.

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[Diane]

thanks raindance42; I was going to add that to my last post; appreciate hearing from family perspective

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as the caregiver in a nannyshare, I was often exposed all day to colds/flu of 2 babies, so it was pretty much impossible for me to not get sick too; and with working 10 – 12 hr days, with no backup, it was exhausting at times; and I felt too guilty to ever call in sick, especially in the nannyshare since there were 4 adults whose ability to get to work would be affected if I didn’t show up

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I always encourage parents to get a list of backup caregivers, but rarely happens; so I am now the backup person for families to call

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[swimcat]

Hi Birdygirl, Congrats on your pregnancy! I found myself in the same boat as you- we wanted to do a nanny share but found that even that would be more than we could spend. I also stressed out about ‘what if the nanny was sick’ scenario so we decided to go the daycare center route. I have found the ones in WS are VERY expensive and have long wait lists. We found our daycare in Bellevue near my husband’s office. It’s not ideal for when he travels, which is infrequently thank goodness, but we pay $400 less than the rates I could find here, and we could not be happier with the care our daughter receives. So my only advice is to broaden your search area to include where you work because it will increase your chance of finding a place. Good luck!

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[birdygirl]

thanks for the input everyone! really appreciate it!

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[j]

m – What daycare in Bellevue does your daughter go to?

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[swimcat]

She went to the infant program at Newport High School (which is NOT filled with student’s babies BTW- it is geared towards employees of the district), and now she has ‘graduated’ to the toddler program at Woodridge Elementary. The Bellevue School District runs childcare at several of their schools- google ‘bsd405’ and in the quick links on the left, select ‘childcare/preschool’. The website is not set up very well, but you should be able to find a list of the schools that have childcare facilities and the age groups accomodated. The schedule can be wacky, but I’m very lucky to have a doting grandma to help out on the days the daycare isn’t open so it isn’t a problem for me. Also, you don’t have to be a Bellevue resident or employee of BSD to enroll your child.

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[j]

Thanks M. That’s exactly where I’m planning on sending my little one soon. I’m a Bellevue teacher and was just wondering where you went since you liked it so much. Newport is a great program and Factoria isn’t too far away for WS!

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[swimcat]

J- Newport’s program is fantastic! I never worried one minute about leaving my daughter there. The only problem was she got sick a lot that first year (nothing serious, just little bugs), but I think that would have happened at any facility she was at. It just comes with the territory unfortunately.

Woodridge is great too- just VERY different since it is for toddlers. My daughter is one of the youngest, so she kind of gets run over a bit by the bigger kids. The staff there is great though- I try to send a treat once a month since I could never do their job. I get exhausted just seeing all of those toddlers together!

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