Parenting nowadays is nothing like it use to be. Hectic schedules and commuting couples of hours each day takes valuable time from being with your children. The best thing to do is to keep a balance between work and parenting duties but that is not always possible. In such cases any parent will try to be sure somebody else will take good care of their children.
There are many option available to choose out there but how do you make the right choice?
Baby-Sitter
Short-time childcare provided, usually, on an irregular basis. Traditionally a baby-sitter is a young person (to be politically correct we won't say girl :) that earns pocket money by doing this. Not unusual is to see a much older person doing this.
Au Pair (Foreign)
Live-in or live-out an Au Pair is a foreign young person between 16 and 30 years old going in another country for up to 2 years to experience life abroad. His/hers childcare experience is usually limited to helping looking after younger relatives. Different countries have different regulations. For more information click here. This is considered to be the cheaper version of having a full time nanny.
Parent/Mother's Helper
A person helping with childcare or other domestic duties while one of the parents is at home if not all then most of the time. Live-in or live-out this person performs more actions than an Au Pair and have more responsibility thus, naturally, being remunerated more.
The childcare experience is expected to be minimum.
Nanny
A nanny is widely considered the third parent being employed by the family to undertake if not all at least the majority of tasks related to family's children. Nannies can work full or part-time and can take care of children of all ages.
Nurseries and childminders
These are some of the most widely used childcare methods. Whilst childminders are usually less specialized in providing childcare than nursery's employees both methods implies that the childcare is provided somewhere different than family's house.
One of the main incentives for parents to choose nurseries over childminders is the better education that nurseries provide.
Governess
A higher educated person that is employed by the family with the main duty of providing education for children.
