Is there a kindi or nursery out there for a 15 month old?

audlin

audlin

Registered User
I am looking for a kindi or nursery for my daughter where I would not have to stay with her. I know there are such facilities back in the UK and else where but not sure about HK.

Unfortunately I can't really attend classes such as Panda or Gymboree as I also have a 2 month old daughter and do not have a helper for her. I also have no intention of getting a helper any time in the future.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks
xxx
 
there are a few "childcare centres" around, but i'm not sure of the ages accepted. i do know that most of them are aimed at the lower-income earners in hk that cannot afford a helper.

but, i'm genuinely curious about something...
why would you want your 15 month old at a care centre all day(or even for a part of a day) when live-in help is so readily available? personally, i would rather that my little one have one-to-one attention from a helper than be one of a dozen vying for the attention of an over-worked childcare worker...(this is not a slam against your decision, just a genuine question as I've heard others say that they definitely did NOT want a helper but i've never heard any reasons why not...i believe that we each make the decisions that we feel is best for our own family, so i respect your decision, just curious how you came to it.)

i hope i didn't offend you....
;)
 
Hi There.

Thanks for the info. In answer to your enquiry there are several reasons why I prefer not to have a helper:

• I have no problem with her having to vie for attention at a play group as it is the real world. She cannot expect on-to-one attention from me all the time, let alone when she goes to school. I believe this will make her a more rounded and adjusted child.
• I want my home to feel like a home, not a place of business
• I like my own space and as the apartment is small this would not be possible with somebody else to trip over. I did a trial with a friend’s helper in the afternoons and all of my perceived concerns came true and I became a stressed out freak, which wasn’t good for me or my girls.
• My daughter does not need interaction with another adult. She needs to be around other children of a similar age to mimic and learn from. She did get this, before her sister came along, from mummy/baby groups and Panda Junction and thrived from it, but as previously mention it is difficult to attend with two.
• Helpers are not qualified child carers. I would rather hire a qualified nanny on a part-time basis who can educate and interact with my daughter in a structured manner if I could not get her in a play group.
• I have had mixed reviews from friends who have helpers and, having seen helpers at play groups and the park with their charges, though this is a generalization, I don’t feel the focus is always on the child, more like gossiping with friends or chatting on the phone.

I realize that my views are very general and I can only speak for myself. Maybe it would just be a case of finding a helper that is right for me but I am not prepared to spend the time and energy required in finding one.

Can I ask you why you have chosen to have a helper and how she enhances the life of you and your child(ren)?

:0)
 
Hi, as Cara says, we each make our decisions that are best for our family, but just to share my experiences. I work part time. My helper is great with my 12 month old- she's been with us since before he was born, so I feel takes a real interest in him. She's not perfect, but she plays with him, reads to him, takes him to the park or to visit his friends nearby. I've even made the *big leap* (hee hee) of allowing her to take a taxi with him to playgroup (cautious mum). So far so good, fingers crossed. Of course she talks to her friends, but she knows how active he is, and how quick he can move and has so far, taken good care of him.

Over time, we've gotten to know each other, and though my flat isn't big either, we sort of rub along ok. It was hard having someone new looking after my child at first but over time, as we've gotten used to each other, it got better.

More importantly, my baby loves her and goes looking for her. Does that make me feel jealous? I sometimes feel just a twinge, but at the end of the day, I know he still loves me more and needs his mummy more, and I'm just glad that they get along well!

Just sharing, that's all......
 
our helper has gone and the new one will come only after Christmas and we have a 2 year old. My son always wants to see someone around him even if he is playing , so it becomes so difficult to even go to the toilet without him banging the door. I always wonder how do mothers with no help handle these situations.
 
thanks for the info, audlin. as I said, i was just curious.

before we hired a helper, we really debated back and forth about it for months. finally, we decided to go for it. although it hasn't been perfect, it has been, for the most part WONDERFUL.

i own a playgroup centre and put about 60 hours per week or more into it. granted a lot of this time is spent at home doing "paperwork" and planning, but it is still a lot of hours. having a helper has meant that i am able to bring my kids to work with me to attend the classes that i teach as these classes all require a helper/mother/adult attend with each child. my kids are still getting the interaction with other kids that they need, AND i have the luxury of seeing my kids throughout the day

my hubby boards dogs in our home for a living. so he works strange hours as well and sometimes spends 10+ hours per day walking dogs.

for us, it would be virtually impossible to do all of this without our helper. when i'm at home and not working, i really try to be a hands-on mum, but it would be very difficult to care for hte kids AND cook AND clean our house.

i have two kids, two years apart. our helper started with us the week before #1 was born. BOTH of my kids love her to bits. she takes care of them very well and disciplines them in the same manner that i do.

when we lived in a smaller apartment, privacy was limited. however, i found that it wasn't much different than having a flatmate/room-mate, except this one took care of the house instead of wrecking it! now, we are in a much bigger space and privacy isn't as much of an issue.

we have been so happy with our helper, we are now trying to sponsor her husband to come and work for us, too.

like i said, everyone makes decisions on what they think is best for their families. i hope that you are able to find a place for your older one to go during the day....

speaking of which...please pm me... i thought of another website that might have some info you could use.
 
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