Still undecided on whether to send your child to an infant care centre or just hire a home-based nanny or babysitter? We’ve put together a short guide that takes you through the key considerations to help you determine what’s best for your family!

Infant care centres and stay-home babysitters both come with their own pros and cons, so what works for other families might not exactly work for you.

Read on below to learn more about infant care and babysitters in Singapore. Understanding the differences and nuances between the two will help you make a more informed decision for your family and child’s future.

Infant care centres

Infant care centres in Singapore are regulated by the Early Childhood Development Agency, which sets the standards for services, safety, and staff qualifications.

Many parents like that their children are able to spend time with other people outside their own family units. They’re able to socialise and build friendships with other kids, learning how to cooperate and communicate in the process.

Additionally, the caregivers are professionally trained how to look after children of different ages, providing them with an engaging and age-appropriate daily routine and facilitating their activities.

Pros

• Social skills – One of the best things that infant care centres give children is the opportunity to interact and engage with their peers, which develops their social skills.

• Specialised curriculum – Infant care centres follow a specific early childhood education curriculum that adequately prepares children for all-rounded learning. This curriculum often covers multiple facets of a child’s development, from literacy and numeracy to socio-emotional development and even motor skills.

• Safe and reliable – Infant care centers are a safe facility designed to accommodate and provide consistent care to young children for most days of the day.

Cons

• Less personalised attention – Children may not receive personalised attention at infant care centres consistently because carers are looking after multiple children at a time.

• Inflexible schedule – Infant care centres operate based on the schedule of full-time working parents, so they might not be able to assist those with unconventional work hours or schedules.

Babysitters

Babysitters are hired to watch over children for a set number of hours every day and might even come and live with the family, depending on what’s agreed upon. They perform general caregiving duties to ensure that a child’s needs are met while their parents are away. These include assistance with feeding, bathing, and helping with homework, among others.

For families who may need childcare for more than 8 hours a day or at night, babysitters are a great option.

Pros

• Personalised attention -babysitters are focused on one child at a time, allowing them to identify their needs and provide them with individualised, undivided attention.

• Flexible schedule – babysitters often have flexible schedules, making it easier for you to look for reliable childcare urgently or any time of the day.

• Safe and familiar environment – homebased babysitters stay with the family, which means your child remains in an environment you know is safe and secure.

Cons

• Unregulated – Babysitting services are unregulated in Singapore, so there are no specific qualifications and credentials for someone to provide that service. You will have to do your own background check to make sure you’re hiring the right person.

• Less opportunities for socialisation – Children may have fewer opportunities to interact with fellow kids compared to being in an infant care centre.

If you’re looking for all-rounded options to nurture your child’s growth and development, consider preschools that offer high-quality infant care programmes, such as Blossom Edugroup.