Daycare for Infant (San Antonio, Austin, Helotes: credit, day care, new home)

[hoddys2]

Hello,

I was wondering if anyone could reccommend a good daycare for infants. I'm looking for one located either in/around Helotes or near USAA.

I seem to be stuck between deciding if I want to put my 5 month old in daycare or hire a nanny. Daycares are cheap however I'm concerned about the 1 staff member per 4 infant ratio, it seems impossible for any of the children to receive any one-on-one attention - plus the high staff turn over that these places makes me nervous that my son will be in an unstable environment. On the otherhand with a nanny he would be more likely to receive a lot of attention however I'm not sure if I afford the $500+ per week salary.

Thanks!

[Paka]

I think I would try and find a daycare provider that had no other children.

You know, after raising 6 kids, I have often thought as a retired nurse (in a few years, not yet) I would like to have a single child to watch for a working parent. Since we adopted many of our children, it would be wonderful to have another little one to care for, but I am NOT interested in doing "childcare" business. Maybe someone else feels the same way and is looking for that child now.

I wish you good luck in finding the correct spot for your little one...I know how important it is. I was lucky to be able to stay home with ours when they were little.

[adtobias]

there is a good child care on kyle seal pkw

[MichelleSG]

You mean Primrose? My daughter went there this past year and for what you pay it's a rip off. It's really not all that. Plus I think there's a huge wait list, for infants especially, due to the fact that they are the only day care/preschool in an area totally inundated with new homes. I'd love to see another day care open up across the street when they build up the new development.

[Trainwreck20]

I just went throught the fun process of getting daycare for our infant, albeit in Austin, not San Antonio. Anyway, she went in @4 months and is now almost 6 months. The three main options that we had to look at:
1) Hire a nanny - expensive and not without some risk. How well do you really know this person or his/her thoughts on raising a child? There are great ones out there, but they are even more expensive.
2) Stay home - either me or my wife could stay home, but financially, that would be pretty drastic for our situation. This is a much more likely option when/if we have a second child.
3) Daycare - Less expensive than a nanny, put less personal, too. And not really cheap.

We ended up at option 3 (at a Bright Horizons), and so far we love it. The class is typically two providers and 6 or 7 children between 3 months and 15 months. Some of the advantages we have found:
1) Our daughter loves it. She 'talks' with the other babies, gets to 'fingerpaint' (with sugar free whip cream), watches the bubble machine, or one of a hundred different activities they do for the kids
2) She probably receives at least as much attention as she would get at home with a parent. The providers do not need to do laundry, dishes, clean the house, or go shopping while they are watchin her, and when she is not being attended to personally, there are so many other things to watch.
3) We (as first time parents) get to see her in relation to other kids. When we think she should be doing something, we can always see that there are kids that did it earlier and later. The providers also have so much experience with kids and can often give good advice on many topics that we never really considered until, ohhh, about 6 months ago.

On the downside, she has had several very minor colds (she didn't care at all - hardly noticed - but we were distraught the first time ) and one slightly more serious bout with fever. They say that it helps the immune system in the long run, so I hope 'they' are right.

[TXtrkgrl]

I personally am totally against daycares. I put my daughter in one at 5 months old and I get there to pick her up one day and she had 8 bites on her face from another kid. I could maybe see one, but not EIGHT. The girl who watched the babies was fired by the time I got there. It was a horrible experience and now I tell everyone if you can stay home then do. There is no money in the world worth it. They will never get the same care from someone else that you can give them.
I am fortunate and have my parents and my in-laws close to me so I started keeping my kids with them.

If you must go with a daycare I would look for the ones with the cameras and you can login to their website and watch your kids class room. That is pretty cool.

[firstclassflyer]

Wife and I are against daycare as well. We are buying in the SA area shortly and have decided to spend less on a home, in order to allow my wife to stay at home with our 3 month old. No amount of money can make up for the love that will be shared throughout our family. A lot of folks lose sight of this in this day and age.

[little_thirsty]

Hi there all!
I have a different perspective on this as before I had a baby (14 month old now) and during college, I worked in a daycare. There are pros and cons to both daycare and staying at home. You have to choose what is right for you and your family. If you are choosing daycare there are some great things to look for: See if they are NAEYC accrediated (this is above and beyond state regulations, its the National Association for the Education of Young Children). To be accreditated centers have to go above and beyond. Also you can check out the NAEYC website for centers in your area. I am new to San Antonio so I can't say off hand what centers are good. Also go to the State of Texas website and look up providers. You want to look for low ratios, look at staff turn over (there is usually a reason if teachers come and go), ask for parent references...
I hope this helps some. I know how hard this is. Go with your gut feelings as they are almost always right! And from working in the industry Bright Horizons has one of the best reputations Nation Wide. I am chosing to stay at home for now but when I do return to work I will be looking at Bright Horizons!