I'm 13 weeks along with triplets, and am trying to figure out my child care options. I found a daycare that I really like with reasonable prices, but I talked to a triplet mom who said putting preemie babies in daycare is near deadly. Just wondering if anyone here has put babies - like 3 months - into daycare? Or if I'm crazy to even consider it?

I did not put mine in day care because when I had to go back to work mine were 38 weeks gestation. I could not do it. My husband stayed home with them for the first 3 months and then I became a stay at home mom. I do know another triplet mom that put her babies in daycare and they are doing fine. She delivered at 33 weeks and was able to spend time with them at home before she went back to work. I delivered mine at 30 weeks and I was able to spend 1 day with 2 of them before I had to go back to work. My third one was still in the hospital for the first 3 weeks that I worked. I thought that I would put mine in day care while I was pregnant but decided later that it was not an option for us.

Daycare wasn't an option for us because of the risks of infections from other kids, I did interview a number of full-time nannies but didn't find a good fit. My girls would have been 4 months when I returned back to work (after spending 2 in the NICU) but it was too risky. If you could find a nanny to come into your home that may be a better option because you won't have outside kiddie germs. Just a thought.

I don't think it is realistic to expect you will be able to put 3 month old preemies in daycare. Other little kids are just germ factories. The best case scenerio is you go 36 weeks. Forgive me if my math is a little off, but that would be giving birth in July (as I did at 36 weeks). Three months after that and you are running right in to RSV season. RSV is a very serious and sometimes deadly illness for premature babies. The more premature your babies are the greater risk if they catch this. Most of us here go in to some level of quarantine at home for the first and sometimes the second RSV season. At 36 weeks I took less precautions than those with earlier born preemies but we were told to avoid crowds and sick people. The other little kids in daycare WILL be sick and pass things along to your tiny babies.

I would look in to home childcare options.

Lori

http://yesidohavemyhandsfull.blogspot.com/

The germs would be the number 1 reason I wouldn't place the babies in a daycare...

But also consider how difficult it is to get yourself and 3 babies ready and out the door on time each day. At that age, they will need to eat every 3 hours (minimum) and you are likely to have AT LEAST one spitter who will need to have frequent clothing changes. Also, at that age they are usually having messy diapers, so someone is usually needing a clothing change in the morning post-feed.

Then you have to pack a bag with extra clothes/diapers/pacifiers, etc... and the properly labeled breast milk/formula in the bottles.

Then you have to load every one in the car... this takes a minimum of 3 trips to the car (likely more to also cart out the diaper and bottle bags and whatever you need for yourself for work).
Then how are you going to unload them once you GET to the daycare? Unload the stroller EVERY morning, or leave some unattended in the car while you bring them in 1 at a time? (it is hard to carry 2 at a time while recovering from a C-section)

If you need to return to work right away, you would likely have a calmer morning if you found one or two nannies to come to your home instead (and it usually costs about the same as daycare).

Sheila
GGB 10/29/06 (33 weeks)

Out of curiosity, for the folks who said they have nannies, can I ask what area you live in? I live in a small rural area, the "big" town has 30 thousand, and there are no nanny agencies within 100 miles. All the local options I have looked at are mainly 19 and 20 year olds, who it doesn't seem like would be a good option. Has anyone had luck simply putting an add in the paper? It seems kind of dangerous to do that. Also, the daycare I've looked at would be $420/week for all three. That means I'd be looking for a nanny, who inclusive of taxes, would take $10 an hour. Is that a reasonable rate? Also, just in case anyone is curious, I make almost 70% of our income because my husband is a teacher, so staying home is absolutely not an option. And if he were to try to stay home for a year, he would probably not be able to find a job again because of the current state of education and funding cuts.

Also, I spoke with a NICU nurse yesterday that said simply being premature is not a reason to keep children out of daycare. Yes, they may get sick, but on the other side of the coin, if they never get exposed to anything, they won't ever be able to build their immune systems. There has to be a balance of course, and a child who has some kind of specific problem is different, but in and of itself being premature does not mean no immunity.

I also don't live in the city proper, but in a suburb. I would start putting the word out with everyone you know that you are looking for a nanny. I found help through friends, and felt much better about that than going off Craiglist/want ads (although that is an option).

Usually someone knows someone who is available. You might even want to print some cards with your name, when you think you might need help, and a contact detail (like email). That way you will be prepared when you find someone who may have a lead for you. You never know, it could be your MFM nurse, your neighbor, your favorite server at your local resatraunt, etc.

Sheila
GGB 10/29/06 (33 weeks)

Ditto PP. Put the word out that you are looking. Usually in a small town (ours is 25K) you will find a friend of a friend or a daughter of a co-worker..etc. Our nanny was 21 when she started, and I stayed home with her for about a month (due to the reflux/colic issues) and then my mom and others stayed with her for part of the day too. By the time she had them on her own, I was SURE she was a wonder worker with them...some people are so gifted.

Our nanny started at just over 10 per hour...just look at the local wages (our town is highly industrial so as long as I was the same or better than the prevailing wage for those jobs, I was good)

Ours were 31.6 weekers, and due to the colic/spitup/reflux issue...no daycare here would take them.

Susan

Parent to GGG born 31 weeks 4 days 4/26/07




http://www.thedivinemercy.org/message

  

care.com

Gary, Father to Piper, Henry and Rosemary, June 25, 2008 (30 weeks, 0 days)

http://baldguyinplaidpants.blogspot.com

I live in a small town similar to you...I found someone at church and just called and asked her.

Christina

Sophia June
Emma Grace
Annabelle Kate

1/29/09



http://threelittleseminoles.blogspot.com

Our trio is now almost 7 months old. they were born at 32w6d. they have been home until now with a nanny who we were so lucky to find. they will be starting daycare in a week due to her being offered an awesome job opportunity. I will say that i also make a larger part of our income so I don't have the option of staying home. i was home for about 10 weeks. after talking to the pediatrician, we decided to let them stay home through the cold months and then send them to daycare in the summer. it is coming a little sooner than i expected but i think it will be great. in my opinion, this is the best thing for them and us. i do beleive that $10 an hour is reasonable for someone to come to your house for temporary help. we guaranteed through a certain month and were always very up front about the money. we found ours through an agency but there are also nanny sites on the internet that i received lots of messages on. these days with jobs so short, you may be surprised! Our nanny was an LPN who was laid off and needed something short term. good luck to you!! try not to stress during the pregnancy. you will be shocked how things work out!!

crystal
GGB 8/28/09
brianandcrystalplustriples.blogspot.com

Since your husband is a teacher, maybe you could find a nanny that can work "mother's hours" (i.e. during the school day) A local mom whose kids are in school during the day would be a great nanny for your kids, and since your husband is a teacher you could give her school holidays and vacations off. Depending on how far your husbands commute is, the mother might have to bring her kids with her and have the school bus pick them up and then drop them back off at your home, but the kids shouldn't be there for long (i.e. if your dh needs to leave at 7:30 and the bus comes at 8, and on the other end if the bus drops kids off at 3 and your dh can't make it home to 3:30. Maybe check with local parents group (or if there aren't any local churches). I don't know if you are planning to nurse, but La Leche League has parents groups in a lot of areas and if you go to a meeting (pregnant women frequently go to get information about breastfeeding) you could ask around there as well if anyone knows anyone.

$10/hr is low for our area, for triplets it'd be more like $18/hour but I live in a major city and everything is really expensive here!

Edited to add: is there any way you can adjust your work hours slightly so you need childcare for less hours. i.e. if you can work 10:30-6:30 and your husband can get home from teaching by 4, you'd only need 6 hours (10-4) of childcare a day ($450 dollars for week if you paid nanny $15/hr)

The cheapest daycare I could find in our area was approximately what you described pricewise and the nanny we found comes to our house for the same price basically. Mine were born at 32w5d and were home relatively quickly. We were on lockdown for our second and third RSV seasons as we didn't qualify for Synagis. We had our first bout of stomach virus last week and they are 2yo. Because I have a nanny, I have never missed work due to a cold on the part of my children. If my kids were in daycare, the first time one ran a fever (I have one that spikes quick) I would have to be home (or DH would). This potentially runs into a lot of missed time from work, so give that some consideration as well.

My GGB triplets were born at 30 weeks. I spent SO much time on bedrest (3 months) that when they were born, I had to go back to work. They were about 42 weeks when I had to go back. My husband switched to 2nd shift to watch the babies, but that proved to hard for him right now. We tried to have a friend nanny, but she could not accomodate the hours. After much thought, we decided on daycare for 3 -4 days a week. I was so nervous. The babies were about 3 months old at the time. It turns out to be a good choice so far. With many teachers at the daycare, my babies get a lot of attention. Their needs are met and I am happy. I still worry about germs, but I am a teacher and I probably bring home more than they are exposed to at daycare. I understand that sometimes daycare IS the only option and you should not feel bad if that's the choice you make. Not all in home nannies are perfect either. Be careful! Take care and good luck with the pregnancy.