Who should I leave the child with after maternity leave?

This is certainly a dilemma in the lives of 10 out of 10 mothers. The maternity leave period is over and she will have to go back to workBut before that, you need to define who will be responsible for child care while the mother is away. The options are many: grandparents, private nannies, kindergartens and schools, etc. But before making this decision the mother needs to take into account various factors such as child development, caregiver affection and also the amount available in the family budget for the costs of choosing.

Pediatrician and President of the Scientific Department of School Health of the Brazilian Society of Pediatrics (SBP), Maria de Lourdes Fonseca Vieira explains that it is important for women to consider when choosing factors such as the pros and cons of each option and their own context. socio-cultural "The best option is one that leaves the mother calm, taking into account the quality of care and the safety of the child, so that she can grow up healthy and develop its full biopsychosocial potential," adds the expert. It is critical that the child be with someone who meets their basic needs for food, hygiene, sleep and affection.

Care for grandparents or relatives

Leaving the child in the care of a grandmother or close relative certainly gives the mother a lot of security. A family member is emotionally connected with this child and this helps in this transition process. "The baby believes that he and his mother are a unique being, hence the importance of putting the child in contact with someone who has affection, to replace his mother who is at work," explains the pediatrician.

Another advantage of this choice is that the values ​​to be transmitted to the child are equal to or at least very similar to those of the child's parents. In addition, Grandma brings with her a wealth of experiences that also make her mother more relaxed when she is away.

One of the cons of this choice may be the mother's jealousy towards the caregiver. Often women believe they may be losing their place of representation for this child. To resolve this conflict requires a lot of dialogue and that the child also understands the role of each.

It is important that parents clarify to the grandmother or relative all the rules of care. This gives parents greater autonomy and also ensures a pattern of behavior. The child will understand that things do not change when they are with their grandparents or parents.

Nanny at home

With the care of a nanny at home, the child has several advantages, such as being in his own environment and also reducing the risk of catching diseases such as respiratory and skin infections, common to children who live in an environment with many people. . In addition, she will focus all her attention only on her child, unlike what happens in a nursery, for example.

But it is important to consider when choosing a professional. "The ideal is that the nanny is healthy, friendly, dynamic, with education, experience with infants and basic knowledge of accident prevention and first aid," warns Maria de Lourdes. Parents should make a careful choice to avoid switching professionals multiple times, as this can confuse and harm the child, as it also builds affective bonds with the nanny.

The disadvantages of this case may be the high costs and also the fact that the nanny is a stranger in the family. Often she has values ​​different from those set by her parents and she will surely pass this on to the child. Once again, family dialogue and rules will be of great value to make this process work as well as possible. The pediatrician warns of yet another point. "When the nanny stays with the child at home, the opportunity for very rich socialization in this range is lost," he explains.

Little school or nursery

Choosing this option is advantageous for the child's neuropsychomotor development. By living with other children, she learns faster. The language, mainly, develops a lot in this phase ?, explains the pediatrician. Besides being able to count on the development of the nursery or school is a professional environment and exclusively focused on child care, that is, they are prepared for any difficulty with education and dealing with babies.

Day care can have another value advantage because it is often cheaper for parents than hiring a good private nanny.

But it is of utmost importance to know the chosen environment very well.Pediatrician Maria de Lourdes indicates that parents know at least three locations and take into account some aspects such as: human resources and caregivers, training, experience and courses; the physical infrastructure to identify if it is a safe environment with respect to steps, stairs, ramps, furniture, toys, playground, changing room, adequacy of bathrooms, sinks and kitchen; observe hygiene at the time of food, the products used, the utensils, where and who prepares the food foods.

Also see how the institution solves the problems of accidents and finally assess the proximity of the school to the workplace or family members who can support when someone is needed.

One of the disadvantages of this option may be that caregivers are not focused solely on their child. If the child has difficulty living in groups this can be detrimental to them. In addition, the child is more exposed to other environments and this can lead to increased disease.

FMLA, Maternity Leave and Returning to Work After 6 Weeks (May 2024)