Dear Mums and Dads,
Get real, you cant put your child in a bubble all their lives. Children need to get sick and need to be exposed. Its dog eats dog world out there and you will be sending your child out there soon. They need to be tough and exposed. I'm not saying that you must just put them into any money making, germ infested creche there is, just as you would interview and research nannies, so to, should you with the creche's and playgroups. There are lots of them around you and you need to research and interview them as well. Ask around, speak to other mums/dads, google search them. Go in and chat to the teachers, principals. Make an informed decision. You are a parent, once you walk in you will get the vibe. Have a look at the other kids. Are they happy, are they sick, what are they doing...playing? sleeping? sitting around unstimulated? Look everywhere, even the change areas? Ask lots of questions and assess they way the answers come out? Ask about hygiene, visit the kitchen, ask about cleanliness and what measures are being taken. You have a right to a tour of the entire premises.
I was so overwhelmed and overprotective when I gave birth to my son now 23 months. I was determined that not to put him in with all those snotty nosed kids in a creche. I had a wonderful and trusted nanny who had 30years of child care experience in my family. When I had to fly out of town/country for work, I flew my mum or mum-in-law up and down to give extra help to my nanny and hubby while I was away. My son was 10mnths, when my nanny started showing signs of not being able to cope with a now running toddler. She was aging and her eyesight was deteriorating and yes she did what she felt behind my back, even though I told her otherwise. She had her conventional way of doing things and was not prepared to change or rather found it difficult to change. She packed his toys and books away to keep the house tidy instead of using it to stimulate him. She took his crayons away because he scribbled on the wall, instead of guiding him to his coloring books. She lacked the skill to stimulate my son and yes it drove me crazy. She carried him around all day to avoid him running around and getting up to mischief. My son was bored and he needed to be stimulated. She was wonderful at taking care of a baby but now we needed a professional. And yes that meant the dreaded creche/playgroup.
My son started a half day for 3 months from Jan to March 2010, now he is in a fulltime playgroup. He absolutely loves it and is a friendly happy baby who is not bored anymore, he is not being couped up inside the house anymore and he is not being neglected or carried around all day to avoid him getting up to mischief. He is with other kids learning to interact and socialise and find his feet in the world out there. He counts to ten, knows his abc's, knows the color yellow, and fits a 6 piece puzzle with no hassle. He climbs up and down jungle gyms with no fear, all of these would have never happened with our nanny. He even knows his name and surname and his mummies phone number. All of this is just 2months at the playgroup. He has never been a scared shy boy and speaks and interacts with all children and adults. Yes, its his first winter in playgroup and he is getting sick. But he gets better and we move on. I have prepared myself for the sickness and supplement him with vitamins and immune boosters. Let me tell you nannies do as they please when you are not around. My friend put a camera in her home and found her nanny sitting around doing nothing or chatting on her phone while the baby cried. And smacked the baby when she didnt listen and ate the baby's food while she was feeding the baby, one mouthful to the baby and one to the nanny. You have no control of both situations. Goodluck either way.