Daycare or a Nanny???

Well, it is official,my sister that watches Ava got a "real" job and she starts March 29th. We are really happy for her, but sad at the same time as we will lose the comfort of her watching Ava. We have had many long discussions on what to do with Ava, daycare or a nanny in our home?? We decided to look at both and decide what feels right. This weekend we joined a website called care.com and searched for nannies. We sent out many requests, but didn't get a lot of bites. We got one, so we set up an interview at the Paradise Bakery right by our house. Earlier in the day we decided to check out the Goddard school which is a daycare that just opened last June that is in the same parking lot as my office (well at least it was as we are moving offices again!) We spent an hour and a half talking to Todd, the owner, that likes to use his hands for air quotes. We got to take a tour and meet ava's potential teacher. It is very secure there which is what Mike likes most. His biggest fear is someone running off with Ava.There are pros and cons. First, because Ava would be in the Toddler room, they are down to 1 nap because most babies drop to 1 nap shortly after turning 1. Ava isn't quite there yet and we would have to start getting her ready for it.They also sleep on a mat on the floor. Good luck to that teacher! How do you keep them there?!? The ratio is 1:6 because they are full and newer and had a bigger request at the infant level. It is much cheaper than a nanny,but she wouldn't get as much 1 on 1. I just really have a hard time with that piece. She will inevitably get sick a lot in the beginning too. On the positive side, there is structure and constant learning, but who is to say she will get as much attention.
We met with the nanny on Monday night and after a small mix up on the location,we got to meet her. I really liked her. Call it womans intution if you will. She is 33 years old and his a home maker that doesn't have to work because her husband is a lawyer, but she just has a way with kids and loves to be around them. She seems very patient and caring. I think she would be a great teacher and comforter to ava. She is way more expensive then we are currently paying jaclyn and daycare, but might be worth it. I just had a good feeling about her. Mike still can't get over the feeling that with a nanny what is to stop them from taking your child. We are having her over at our house tonight to meet Ava and see their interactions and in the meantime we are calling references. She has passed the background check that we got on the website and might do one more background check as well. If she passes all the background checks then we might go this route until Ava is 2 and then put her in daycare. We did get a call last night from the Goddard school and they do have an immediate opening,but can't guarantee it if we don't pay the holding fee so we are in a time crunch. Keep your fingers crossed that we figure out what to do.