Childcare Guide for Pregnant and New Moms: How to Find What’s Right for You and Your Baby

Are you pregnant or a new mom thinking about childcare? Great! Now’s the perfect time to get started to find the best childcare situation for you, your baby and your family. Whether you go for the daycare or nanny route, you’ll be sure to find something perfect. Trust us.

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What are the care options?

• Nanny
• Nanny share
• Daycare
• Family member
• You

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What coverage do you need?

Some of us know when we need to return to work and others are more flexible. Do you need full time care or part time care? Do you need an option that is flexible? Heck, if this is your second child, maybe you even want to keep a month for you before you go back to work while you have full time care. Yes! You do you.

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What’s your space situation?

Think how you use your space. This could factor if you need an in home or out of home option. Some questions to think through:

• Do you have enough room for your baby and caretakers to have room to play, eat and nap? 
• Do you work from home and need a quiet space to be productive and meet clients? 

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Do you have a budget?

Make sure you talk about costs - childcare is so expensive. It’s easy to find the going rate of daycares, either by asking or going on their website. For the nanny route, ask a local moms group what the going rate is for a nanny. You’ll get a range that you can work from.

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Think about you and your mental health

Can you do it all? You might be tempted to work from home and take care of your infant, you’re a superhero, right!? A point of caution. This is really really hard. 

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If you are tempted to do it all, take a moment to think why. Are you trying to save money? Think you’ll miss your baby too much? Going for a root cause can help you make a better plan. 

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For example, breastfeeding is really important to you: Find a nanny who can watch your infant for a few hours a day so you know you can reliably take work calls but also be close to your baby.

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Daycare search tips

Within the daycare category there are a few options. Here you'll probably find local centers that feel more institutional and others that are home based. 

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Start with a list of what you need

Some things to think about for any daycare: 

• Is there a waitlist, and how do I get on it
• When can my baby start
• How many kids are there and how many caregivers
• Are there activities (like music and yoga)?
• Do they provide food or is that my responsibility (this is a HUGE one!)
• What time does it open / close? 
• Is it convenient for me to get to?
• Does it have a strong parent community?

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Tip: Take a moment to make a list and prioritize the items based on what you need for for your family.

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Make a list of all possibilities

If you decide to look for a daycare, check out Winnie, a woman-founded business that provides details, links, and reviews of local day care centers all over the country. Use this to start uncovering if the local options fit your needs.

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Visit some daycare centers 

You don’t need to visit everywhere, but based on a quick cross-reference between your list and what you can uncover about a daycare online, you’ll know where to start. Trust your gut! Do you like the people? Does it feel like a good fit?

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Ask around

Moms are eager to share what’s up! Consider posting on Nextdoor or in a local Facebook community to get feedback from other parents. That way you can dive in more specifically to their praise or concerns than you can with static reviews. Some daycares will also share references.

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Nanny search tips

Some think finding a nanny is easier. Depends! There seems to be lots of turn over in the fall when kids age out and head to school. Timing might be on your side! If you go this route, make sure you create a contract for your nanny, so everyone is on the same page about sick-leave, time off and core responsibilities.

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Some things to think about for any nanny

• Does she need a car or does local transportation work?
• Experience with multiples, infants or other special cases
• What hours do you need?
• What hours does she need? Ie: Does she need a guaranteed number of hours per month? Or can only work on some days of the week?
• Does she want to be paid ‘under the table’?
• Does she have experience with other families?
• Is there an educational background you want
• Are there passions you want her to share with your baby like reading or singing?
• Is she ok with light housework
• How about pets?
• Is she willing to travel with your family?

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Share-care or Nanny-share considerations:

In addition to the search tips above, here are some other considerations for share-cares:

• Do you have a nanny or another family to share the nanny with?
• Which family will do the hosting?
• Is there space? 
• Is the commute convenient?
• Are the children similar ages?
• Does the nanny have experience with two? 
• What happens if one family, or the nanny is sick?
• How do you handle vacations and time off?
• What do you do if one family has another child?

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Start looking for a nanny online

Join your local mom group and facebook groups. You’ll find that families take an interest to help their nanny find their next role when their own kid ages out.

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There is also care.com which can help you find local nannies. But the effort is on you to find what you need.

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Do you need more support?

Also, there are numerous babysitting sites that you can use to find a nanny. However, if you prefer a site that specializes in Nannies and focuses on quality and experience, consider NannyPod, NannyLane, NannyPoppinz.

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NannyPod provides personalized consultations to help you find a perfect match for your family. NannyLane appears to provide a more traditional online matching service, and offers “hiring assistance” for an increased fee. NannyLane also offers the option of looking for a “nanny share” which can help keep costs down and let your baby socialize early. NannyPoppinz offers the option of finding a nanny directly through them or connecting you to an agency near you if you prefer to have someone local help you find the ideal fit.

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When is the best time to start your search?

It’s never too early to start looking for childcare. Even if you are just monitoring so you get a feel for what’s out there. 

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Daycare

The best time to start is while pregnant - think second trimester. At least narrow down your options for centers you love to learn more about their waitlist. Some may not have space for you because they prioritize siblings. Plus, you can usually save a spot with a small deposit that could provide some peace of mind.

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In-home options

If you prefer in-home care, good news! You can relax as you have a bit more time. Generally, you want to start looking for your nanny about 4-6 weeks before your due date.

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What is an ideal childcare fit?

Just like Jane and Michael Banks, once you have your list of “musts” and “must nots” you’ll know when you found the right match. You want to be clear on your requirements for the person spending time with your little nugget. Clear communication is a must for any childcare option to succeed.

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And be honest with yourself. If there are habits that just annoy you, don’t hire someone with them. Even if it seems “nit-picky” to you at first, it’s important to building a healthy long-term relationship that you’re honest with yourself about your absolutes. A big one to watch for here is phone use! 

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You've got this!

Whatever option works for you, we hope you find your very own Mary Poppins. Good luck!