As working parents, it is extremely challenging to balance your work schedules with the needs of your children. But in this day and age where everything is getting more expensive, it is only wise for both parents to have full-time jobs. At the same time, children cannot be denied the care and support fit for their age. This is where daycare and babysitting enter the picture.
While the goals of both daycare and babysitting are the same, they lead to very different outcomes. And depending on your situation, one may be better than the other.
So in this blog, let’s explore the differences between daycare and babysitting and find out which of these offers the best childcare in Dubai.
Childcare Options: Daycare vs Babysitting
A Daycare is a registered facility where parents drop off their children to be looked after during the daytime. Most daycares in Dubai look after kids of all ages from infants to toddlers to preschoolers and even school-aged children.
The best daycare centers have a well-planned environment with trained caretakers. They teach the children and also play fun activities with them. Like all institutions, daycares work during business hours in the daytime and charge a fee for their service.
The cost of daycare in Dubai can vary depending on your child’s age, whether it’s full-time or part-time, and the extras they offer.
Babysitting, on the other hand, is usually a temporary deal between parents and a caregiver who takes care of the child while the parents have gone out. The babysitter either comes to your house or you take your child to the babysitter’s house, whichever is suitable.
In the earlier days, babysitting was done as a favor by relatives or friends. But now there are agencies and individuals who provide babysitting services for a fee. They are hired based on need. So the cost of babysitting in Dubai is much lower than daycare.
But the important thing is your child’s well-being. And to find what’s best for your child, we’ll compare how daycare and babysitting stack up in five major factors like safety, convenience, socialization, education, and flexibility.
Safety
Your child’s safety is the most important thing to consider while choosing a childcare plan. Both daycare and babysitting give safety to your child but do so in very different ways.
Daycares are needed to follow a set of health, hygiene, and safety norms. They are regularly reviewed. They have structured exercises and emergency procedures. Their staffs are trained to handle any situation too. The downside is that your child may need more individual attention.
Babysitters can give more personal care to your child and can easily get familiar with your child’s needs. But they may not be familiar with basic safety like first aid or CPR.
Convenience
Most babysitters come to your home for taking care of your child, but with a daycare, you would have to take your child to the center. It is alright if the daycare is not far from your home. It would be like picking up your child from school every day.
Daycares also have fixed working hours. They may not be available on weekends, holidays, or evening hours. Babysitters are more flexible and can work around your schedules. They can also provide backup care if the regular daycare is closed.
Socialization
Children learn the skills, values, and norms of their society from socialization. At the daycare, children get to interact with other children of different ages and backgrounds. This may boost social skills like teamwork and empathy.
Babysitting gives more personal communication to children than daycare. This makes them emotionally secure. While children get planned activities at daycare, babysitting gives them more flexibility. This makes children more creative.
Education
Trained caregivers at daycare follow a path that covers mental, social, physical, and emotional growth.
Babysitters may not have a certification, but they can still provide educational activities for the children, like reading books, playing games, doing crafts, or going outdoors.
Daycare gives more form and pushes to the children. However, babysitting can give them more freedom and creativity to find their own ideas and passions. Babysitting can also help children feel more relaxed as they’re learning in their own homes and at their own pace.
Flexibility
Sometimes, you may have to work late, travel for business, or deal with emergencies. In these situations, you need childcare options that are flexible to your changing needs. Daycare has fixed hours, contract terms, cancellation policies, and special requests. You have to pay a monthly fee regardless of how often you use the service.
Babysitting can offer more flexibility depending on the availability and agreement of the babysitter. You can hire a babysitter on an hourly basis or for a longer period of time and you can negotiate the terms and conditions with them directly.
Conclusion
Both daycare and babysitting can provide care and support for children while you are at work. Daycares are more structured and have trained staff who follow safety and educational policies. Babysitters offer more personalized care and flexibility but may not have the same level of training and structure.
But at CareXperts, we have changed babysitting for the better. We have trained our staff to be on par with daycare Providers. This means that you will get the best babysitting services in Dubai, free from all concerns that affect normal babysitting.
As a popular home nursing service in Dubai, we take extra care in all our efforts and babysitting is no exception.
