Parents what are your general thoughts on day care?

I am a parent of 5 all healthy and happy children who have never been in daycare a day in there wonderful life. I do not believe in daycare for parents should be doing the raising and find the way to do so even if it means living on little for the greater good of the child after all if you use daycare who is really the ones raising them? Not you, not your values being instilled in them and not you they are depending on for love and direction either. I have sacrificed a lot for being there for my children but all worth it. I stopped buying myself clothes which helped with the cost of raising them myself. I would work but only when there father was available to watch them instead of someone else. They learned from us hard work is indeed a reward for us. And everything they got was worth more then toys, clothes or anything just handed to them. They take care of there stuff more then these children not seeing anyone working hard to get it and what it truly means to have it. My children have more then I ever had and are truly blessed that it was at our own hands not someone else giving it to them. I would get up with them, feed them, fix them with there bumps and bruises, and I was there to kiss them good night. After all who wanted the children you or the day care?

I have used a daycare but it was under emergency situations. They are very expensive but if they offer very good childcare, parents are often times willing to pay for it. The one I used was a educational facility too. It was also monitored by a video camera at all times. If your child ever got a bruise or had an incident, you could request to see the tape.

not a parent either although we are working on having a baby. but we do think about this option. I don't know if it's better to both of us work and leave the child in daycare or one of us will be full time parent which is less money. I think it would depend on how much we earn if we work and how much is daycare bill. I heard some of them are affordable or flexible package.

I am so glad my kids are grown and this is not a problem for me any more. Safety? well, you never know. In these centers they hire people and you have to trust who it is they hire. Would not be an easy thing for me. When my kids were small, I became the daycare and I took in other kids and charged them very reasonably and based on the parents ability to pay. The cost almost makes it not worth going out and working unless you have a very good paying job. Then again, many do get help paying from the state. Even with my reasonable rates, I got ripped off because so many parents figured that I was the last bill they had to pay. I also went out and worked part time at night when my husband was home to take over. I never left my kids with anyone other than family or a very close friend. I know for some that is not possible and I feel for them. It is not an easy choice at all.

I have always had a private babysitter for my kids, and it has always been somebody that I know well and trust. Most day cares are safe, I would think, but all it takes is one irresponsible or mean person to make a day care a bad place. I think that overall, day care costs are way too high. If I would have had my kids in a day care, it would have taken most of the income I made just to pay for that. Fortunately, I have always been able to pay a fraction of the cost by having a close friend or family member watch my kids.

I would prefer to be at home - I think when they go to school at four or five its young enough still to start the social aspect of things, and dealing with other children. Actually my child would be spending a lot of time with other kids anyway due to my church activities, the nursery there, etc. I think if I did choose daycare I would, as others have said, try and find one that a friend had sent her children to, and recommended, as I would then have more trust. It would not be an option to have family look after the child, such as its grandparents as they live in another country to me!

I'm not a parent either, but as someone who grew up in both day care and being baby sat by relatives, if I was a kid again, I would want to go back to day care. As fun as being with relatives was, day care was awesome to go to because of the other kids. There are often day care programs that do it in joint with an elementary school and I know a lot of friends who met their peers in day care before ever going to school.

I was lucky enough to be able to stay at home and care for my kids myself. I do not think that i would have been able to trust someone else with my children because you never know what could happen to them.

Day care has had bad thing said as they have only now discovered a few things that had gone on to do with a few carars being pedos.I try to find a person that has taken their children or wait to speak to a parent who takes their child to the day care to see what they have to say about how well their children like it as well as the helpers that work there.Go and take a look to see how it is run,they do understand a mothers concern.

I think that day care helps children build their social skills. They get to play and socialize with kids their age. I would recommend researching the day care center before sending a child there because some are not as good as they may appear to be. I sent my daughter to day care when she was 2 years old and one day I picked her up and she had a swollen, bloody lip. The day care denied that it happened under their care and they told me that it must've happened at home. I would know if my daughter had a swollen, bloody lip before I sent her to day care. Especialy since I give her a kiss every day. I called child services on the day care and took my daughter out. Shortly after that incident, I found a wonderful day care center. They let you come in whenever you want to unexpectedly. They have cameras in every room too. That made me feel good about my decision. She is 4 years old now and its her last year there. They have taught her a lot too. I think day care is worth it as long as you can find a good one.