Tips for Transitioning Your Baby Into Child Care

Why You May Prefer Daycare Over A Private Babysitter

by Gene Jimenez

If you need to have someone watch your small child for you while you are going to school or working, then you may want to make sure you put the child in a daycare center instead of sending them to a private babysitter. While there are many fantastic babysitters out there, daycare centers do have some advantages that not all babysitters can match, and you can learn more about some of those advantages here.

Daycare centers will always have someone to watch your child

When you send your child to a private babysitter, you have to have a backup plan in case something happens at the last minute, such as a sudden illness or other issue,  that prevents your babysitter from watching your child. When you send your child to a daycare center, there will be more than one provider onsite, so even if one provider has to take an unexpected day off, the daycare center will still be open to take your child. 

Daycare centers tend to have more structure

While there are some babysitters who like to have a structured schedule for the children they babysit, the majority of them tend to maintain a more spontaneous environment. Most children tend to do better when they are in a structured environment where things are done on the same timeframe each day, and daycare centers have this type of structure. Things like lunch, reading time, playtime, and naptime will happen at the same time and in the same order each day, and this works well for most children. 

Daycare centers have a number of children in the same age group

A private babysitter may only babysit one child. If they do babysit more than just one child, the children can be from completely different age groups. When you send your child to a daycare center, they will be around other children who are close to their own age. This can really help them when it comes to developing good social skills.

Plus, your child will have a lot of fun at daycare when they are spending their time there playing and socializing with other children who are close to their age. They will also learn important lessons like how to share toys and how to take turns when they are playing a game with a number of other children.

For more information, contact a local daycare center in your area.

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