Infant Care versus Maid

[bubblylove]

Hi everyone I need advise...

Both the husband and I are full time working parents. We have my MIL coming to help us for 3 months. After that we're all on our own.

What do you all think we should do with baby? Infant Care or hire a Maid?

Infant Care:
- We will be stressed having to pick up baby on time & wake up earlier to send baby to infant care
- Someone professional will take good care of baby during the day but not during the night

Maid:
- Worry she will torture baby, worry we may not find someone suitable or passionate.
- MIL can train the maid for for 3 months (if we get the maid asap)
- Problem is if maid not good, we still have to send for infant care (cost X 2)
- Have to get used to having someone around the house. :/

 

[berdyjo]

Agree that to feel the stress on the daily routine but it kicks a good disciplinary in the family. As a young mummy, I feel less gap with the teachers at school as comparing to the maid or nanny. Little time I need to spend to brainwash or explain instead we hand in hand to achieve the goals that we want for the baby. Advisors are available if you face any parenting difficulties, consider an advantage then?

So generally I still prefer infant care over maid/nanny. haha

 

[pyng]

I will opt for maid/nanny coz as i do not want my bb to wake up so early in the morning everyday...besides it will be a hassle and rushing mad for us to send and pick unless the infant care ctr is just located at our house's downstair. Secondly infant care also no guranatee for good care and worse if bb contacted illness over there. Charges also not cheap.

I have no choice but to opt for maid as my main concern is i do not want bb to wake up so early with us (both me and my hubby will wake up and 6am and go to my mil house, this happened to my #1 but we only start sending after she turned 1 yr old.) and travel to and fro to my mil house. On the other hand, we also fear maid who can't handle well on newborn. Hence, we will install CCTV to monitor it and if my mum health allowed, will ask her to stay with me till bb turn 8 or 10mths old to supervise the maid. Hopefully, maid is reliable and good then we can totally entrusted her for care (best is there someone in house to supervise coz maid usually hard to trust unless u really know the maid's character). After bb turn 1 yr old, we will bring to in law on alternate days depends how good is the maid. If maid cannot make it, then i will have a headache...

 

[reddesk]

We are taking the helper approach too as you have mentioned.. Will take unpaid leave and work out a routine; meantime will see how helper manage too and make adjustment as we go along. We are working alone on our own; no plans to involve parents. Infant care does not guarantee good care and bb is exposed too young. There isn't a good plan; just the best arrangement for us so that we don't wear ourselves out too. Helper will be coming in much earlier to settle in and it's good for building mutual relationship/rapport since when bb comes, we won't have time to do so.

 

[alexcurls]

For me and my wife, we also decided a maid over to infant care. Our parents are not suitable to do the job. End of the day, our consideration is not to burn both of us out so that we can last long for this marathon with our first baby.

 

[pyng]

Sorry to say & hw if maid does not work out & any backup plan? My hubby also wish not to involve my mum, however we still fear as maid will be totally alone with bb. I agree in building rapport but really depend on luck when come to maid.

 

[berdyjo]

Ya it's all about the luck when come to infant care too. I am lucky to have a school near us, with very nice and caring teachers. Our gal sleeps between 8 to 9pm daily, I put the credit to the school who plan out a good programme that fit her nicely. That's good for us because we get to enjoy time after work and get enough rest.

 

[bubblylove]

For me and my wife, we also decided a maid over to infant care. Our parents are not suitable to do the job. End of the day, our consideration is not to burn both of us out so that we can last long for this marathon with our first baby.

haha yeh my side of parents are not suitable too... they didnt offer as well. my mil did but she is based in HK. my fil working still so hard for her to be away from my fil for too long.

 

[bubblylove]

Thank you everyone for your valuable opinion. We are leaning towards helper alternative now and just pray we get a good one. Any maid agencies to recommend?

I have MyFirstSKool near my house but just the thought of making sure we pick baby up on time is quite... stressful too. :/

 

[alexcurls]

But it's good to install a IP Cam at home before the maid arrive to act as an deterrent.

 

[citron]

We are more inclined towards getting a maid too, cos got no infant care near us and we dun have car to transport the baby early in the morning. Also, we are currently staying with in laws, so more at ease with maid as they can help look after.. But kinda confused about the cost and logistics involved

 

[blackangel1512]

just to share with u, I had exactly the same problem like u last year back. And we ended up choosing IFC.
my hubby refused to have a maid as he really cannot endure a stranger in the house, as for me, I actually wanted a maid.

anyway, I would say pros and cons and let you decide yourself.

For IFC - we feel safer but the cost is expensive. I'm paying $995 per month after subsidy and to me, this is very siong.
And in IFC, my girl falls sick easily, initially was once every month then it became so regularly that she is constantly falling sick, until now she is 16 months and I finally see improvements in her health. Leave definitely not enough for both me and hubby, because each time she falls sick and got worse, she needs to stay at home for days.
The pros that we felt were as my girl grows, she learns more, she is not shy to strangers, she is exposed to people and surrounding. she learns to sing, speak and etc. Now at 16 months, she knows how to call me, my hubby, our in laws, relatives. She knows how to sing songs, she knows how to greet her teachers, everyday she walk into school happily.
the IFC I put my girl in is 7pm to 7.30pm and is walking distance from my place. Sat I put my girl into IFC until 2pm so I can do my household chores.

We wanted a maid but if we need one, then we have to install camera everywhere because we do not have in laws to help to look after.
but the good thing is if the maid is good, u can really entrust the maid with your baby, but if the maid is not good, u spend more time training, guiding the maid.
I have asked a number of friends on the cost of a maid, and nowadays a maid cost a lot more like $600 per month plus $150 levy. And for a maid, at the start, u need to pay a lump sum. but for a long run, the maid can help to cook, help to do household chores and etc...

Maybe u can consider nanny, the cost will be lower, I checked with my friends before that it is about $700 per month now.

I hope my advice helps.

 

[orangebeauty]

blackangel1512, thanks for sharing the nanny charges now.

I'll put my bb for a nanny despite of hire maid/put in infant care center. If u able to get a trustable and responsible nanny, think make our life better.

My due date is Mar 2014, there's a new opening FirstSkool infant care center opening soon just downstair of our flat. But think it's not gd for bb in such environment. Somemore if BB sick, either one of us need to tk leave and tk k bb. Charges not cheap also, more than $1k a month. I will only consider to put my kids in child care if he's around 3-4 yrs old.

If u have parent in house, then can consider a maid. Otherwise, sound scary put your bb with a stranger maid under one roof. Who know the maid will do anything to the bb?

 

[Shoo3478]

Sounds like this is a common headache. I'v registered for IFCn August this yr for May 2014 only to be wait listed. Meantime, I am trying to hire a helper. Installation of camera and arrangement for space for the helper is underway.

 

[aisuhime]

I would recommended a maid that is married and has kids.it will help super much!! But of coz baby might learn things at his/her own pace due to there is no one to teach. I did put a monitoring camera at home. It's more for me to see my gal when I miss her when I'm at work than to monitor the helper.ultimately It's all up to u!