Child Care Issues For Expectant & New Parents

Child care can be a powerful issue for new parents. Many people are surprised by the strong feelings stirred up when they become parents. The deep love and responsibility you feel for your baby can be a source of anxiety as well as great joy. Most new parents say they were shocked by the realization that their lives would never be the same. Some say that their relationship with their own parents and partners changed and took on different meanings, for better or for worse. Others say their own ability to cope or feel in control was never as shaky as in those early months (years) of parenthood. With this turmoil as backdrop, it is no wonder that new parents often feel confused and anxious at the very thought of leaving their child in another person’s care.

All Parents Need Child Care

Whether you are at home with your baby and want time for yourself (or other family members), or whether you’re going back to school or returning to outside work, you will eventually have to (and want to) look for a substitute caregiver. In any case, you will have a variety of options from which to choose. You will also have the hard work of interviewing and making a choice that best meets your needs. You may go through a period of some anxiety, guilt or worry (call it what you will). Often these feelings drive you to seek the best care. You will find out as you go through this process that both you and your child can grow and develop and still remain the apples of each other’s eyes.

What’s Really Available?

You have a number of child care choices. There are licensed settings – either family child care homes or child care centers that care for groups of children. There are women (most, but not all, providers are women) who will take care of children from one family in the caregiver’s home. There are in-home caregivers who work in (and sometimes live in) a parent’s home. There are caregivers hired and shared by two or more families to reduce costs and provide companionship for their children. There are also other informal parentorganized care situations, such as exchanges, playgroups or babysitting co-ops.

Which kind of care will work for you depends on your preferences, your finances and how frequently you need the care. Luck and timing also play a role in making the perfect parent-provider match, although nothing can replace the hard work of knowing your options and pursuing them. BANANAS has a number of Choosing Child Care Handouts to help you in your search, including Choosing Infant and Toddler Care. This Handout describes the various options for infant care and gives you information on what regulations (if any) apply to each type of care. Another Handout, “Separating from Infants and Toddlers,” discusses the practical and emotional aspects of leaving a young child in care. Request our Publication List for a complete list of our Handouts or check our website at www.bananasinc.org. As you search for and begin to use child care, we hope these publications will be informative and helpful.

Issues For Stay-At-Home Parents

The availability of child care for stay-at-home parents is closely tied to what these parents can afford and how often they need child care. Many licensed child care programs (especially child care centers) will only consider enrolling children who need full-time or regular part-time care. Many caregivers who come into a parent’s home want regular, ongoing work. But there are still some family child care providers and in-home caregivers (especially teenagers) who welcome caring for children who need occasional care. Planning ahead and scouting around for care well before it’s needed is important.

Stay-at-home parents frequently turn to others for child care – exchanging care with each other, hiring an inhome caregiver to share with a friend, organizing a babysitting co-op or forming a playgroup. While some parents want time to themselves, many parents are looking for a child-centered social network to relieve their isolation. To find other parents, contact BANANAS for our publications on parent-created care and look through our files of parents looking for playgroups and exchanges. Contact other parents you may have met in your childbirth classes and support groups or who you frequently see in the grocery store or at the park. Parents at home are in the minority in many neighborhoods. If you are staying at home with your baby, reach out to others and take time for yourself. Although sporadic child care can be difficult to arrange, it is well worth the effort.

Issues For Parents Who Work Outside The Home

The child care choices of working parents also depend on financial resources and scheduling. Most parents face the added dilemma of deciding when to return to work and whether to work full- or part-time. Often these choices must be made during a short and frequently unpaid maternity leave when parents are exhausted financially as well as emotionally. BANANAS offers a special workshop every month called “Choosing Infant Care” to assist parents in sorting out the issues connected with returning to work after the birth of a baby. Call for dates and times or check the events calendar on our website at www.bananasinc.org.