I worked in a daycare for eight years, but I will never send my baby to a daycare. Here are the pros and cons

A former daycare worker has revealed why she would never send her own baby to daycare.

Heather, who shares videos on TikTok under the name Mummy and Me, has quit her job of eight years to become a stay-at-home mum to her baby Esme.

And the British mum has now revealed the reasons why she would never personally send her daughter to nursery.

“Because of my experience, I think this is why I feel like I don't want to send my child to daycare in her younger years,” Heather said in a recent video.

She then shared a follow-up video outlining the pros and cons of sending them to daycare when they're young. She said her biggest red flag for the daycare is the staff-to-baby ratio.

Heather said: 'I'm in favor of all the different childcare providers for different reasons, but there are pros and cons to both. Whether you have to work or can be at home, you are all amazing.”

But for Heather, the cons of the nursery outweigh the pros for her.

Her first concern when it comes to child care is that you don't know the people who will care for your children. She said although they will be qualified and DBS checked, they do not know their character.

Next on the list of negatives was that you don't know how other children will behave or treat your child, and thirdly she said that daycare opening hours can be difficult for some parents as they operate on weekends or until late are not open in the evening. 'at night.

A “big problem” for Heather is the late fees associated with daycare centers and general costs.

She says: 'We had this when I worked at a daycare center. If people arrive just a little late, they will be charged very quickly, every five minutes.

“And also if you come in early and didn't make it to that early session, you'll be charged again, so there's a lot of hidden costs if you're late.

“For example, if you're stuck in traffic and you stay stuck for a long time, this can cause prices to rise.”

She added: 'The price of nurseries is absolutely excessive and that simply shouldn't be the case. People need to send their children to daycare and it needs to be made more affordable.”

Another big reason Heather doesn't want to send her daughter to daycare is that parents can miss out on milestones.

She said it “breaks my heart” when parents see their children walk or crawl for the first time.

“Ratios are one of the bigger ones for me,” Heather continued. 'The proportions change for different ages. So babies are one to three, with one person taking care of three babies. When you have a baby, we know it's hard to care for just one.”

The final downside of daycare for Heather is that going to daycare makes it harder for your baby to have a routine.

“I'm such a routine mom,” she said. “Like the thought of my little girl not taking a nap at a certain time and everything blowing out of proportion, I'm a little too scared of it.”

It's not all doom and gloom, though, as Heather started by discussing the benefits of sending your child to daycare.

Heather shared a follow-up video outlining the pros and cons of sending them to daycare when they are young. She says her biggest red flag for the daycare is the staff-to-baby ratio

These include the artwork they will create and the souvenirs they will send home with, as well as the time given to parents to go to work or run errands.

She also said that one of the great benefits of daycare is how much children learn from being around other children, the independence it gives them and the socialization.

'It helps them learn to socialize and learn new words. Getting those relationships and building those bonds with other kids their age is obviously so important for their overall development as well.”

Finally, another benefit of sending your kids to daycare is that it helps build their immune systems, Heather said.

'They pick up everything when they first start the nursery, but then it peaks and it just becomes normal and their immune system builds up. It's quite amazing to see.'