Between looking after your baby and day-to-day house hold chores, being a mom is quite a challenge especially if you add working to the mix. This raises the need for some help.
Whether you’re aiming for part-time or full-time care, there comes a time in every working mom’s life that you have to ask yourself some important questions. What are the best childcare choices for my child? What is better between getting an in-house nanny and a day scholar one?
An in-house/ boarder nanny refers to a nanny who lives with you and is responsible for taking care of your household full time. On the other hand, a day scholar nanny works within an agreed time period during the day – this is mostly while the mom is at work or away from home.
It is common for many to think that the decision hinges on what’s best for the child. However, what’s truly most important is what is best for both baby and parents, especially for you as the mom. There are various factors to consider when making this decision including:
- Your schedule. Are you intending to be returning to work full time or part time? Are you expecting to have some sort of supplemental help from a relative or other resource? What are you work hours? You need to greatly assess how your schedule works of and how many hours of extra child care off yourself you therefore need in total.
- Your budget: Assess your finances to figure out what you are willing to spend in hiring a nanny and which option is within your budget. You should also put into consideration that you’ll need to provide the in-house nanny with accommodation, food, and other hosting costs while a day scholar nanny has commuting costs.
- Accommodation: Do you have the room for a boarder nanny? You may need to have an extra room to host someone else, and also to boost privacy and enhance some boundaries.
- Proximity of your home: If you want to consider the day scholar nanny, how close they live next to you matters. This is because the nanny will need to get to your home before you leave for work and leave after you get back from work in time since you baby(s) cannot be left alone.
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Remember, it is important that you do a proper background check on the nanny before hiring. Whether you opt for a day scholar or boarder, remember you will be entrusting the well-being of your children to them for an extended period of time.
The decision between having a boarder nanny or a day scholar nanny is dependent on individual cases. You therefore need to critically look at your home’s needs before making any decision. Whichever your choice, each has its pros and cons and it is up to you to decide which is best suited to work for your family.In Kenya, you can check through DPAK (Domestic Professionals Association of Kenya ) for their nanny coverage, recommendations and tips through their interactive social media platforms.