Our work timing is changing and we need someone to collect the child and stay for about 90 minutes on three weekdays. Did you use an agency, known nanny, neighbour arrangement or aftercare centre? What felt safest and most reliable?
For transport, we asked for driver ID, vehicle papers, emergency contact, route, number of children and what happens if the regular driver is absent. Our child reacted better once we explained the change in advance instead of announcing it on the day. A trial visit saved us from choosing purely on ratings. We are in Vijayawada, so local logistics may be a little different.
If you get a recommendation, ask how recently they used the service. A good experience three years ago may not reflect the current staff. A recent recommendation was much more useful to us than an old online review. Your child's response may be different, but this was our experience.
That makes sense. I think consistency is the part we are currently missing. A recent recommendation was much more useful to us than an old online review. In our house, the practical routine mattered more than the ideal plan.
That is reassuring. We are trying to avoid making this a bigger issue than it needs to be. We visited once during the actual weekday time we would use it. Your child's response may be different, but this was our experience.
Thank you. I like that this does not require changing everything at once. We visited once during the actual weekday time we would use it. Your child's response may be different, but this was our experience.
This is useful, thank you. The practical detail is exactly what I was looking for. Distance looked minor on the map but mattered a lot in routine traffic. In our house, the practical routine mattered more than the ideal plan.
Could you share what you would do differently if you were starting again? Distance looked minor on the map but mattered a lot in routine traffic. I would still test it for a short period before making a long commitment.
Thanks for saying this. Online advice often makes normal family life sound much more organised than it really is. A trial visit saved us from choosing purely on ratings. We are in Noida, so local logistics may be a little different.
Replying to @un9239
Good to know — thank you for coming back with the detail. A recent recommendation was much more useful to us than an old online review. We only reached that conclusion after trying the other approach first.
This helps. I am going to add this to the questions for our next visit/meeting. Distance looked minor on the map but mattered a lot in routine traffic. In our house, the practical routine mattered more than the ideal plan.
Same here. The logistics are what make the 'ideal' option difficult in real life. Distance looked minor on the map but mattered a lot in routine traffic. Your child's response may be different, but this was our experience.
If you get a recommendation, ask how recently they used the service. A good experience three years ago may not reflect the current staff. Distance looked minor on the map but mattered a lot in routine traffic. In our house, the practical routine mattered more than the ideal plan.
If you get a recommendation, ask how recently they used the service. A good experience three years ago may not reflect the current staff. Our child reacted better once we explained the change in advance instead of announcing it on the day. I would re-check current timings and staff before joining. We only reached that conclusion after trying the other approach first.
Interesting — we had assumed the opposite. Helpful to hear a first-hand experience. A recent recommendation was much more useful to us than an old online review. Your child's response may be different, but this was our experience.
Can I ask roughly what age/class your child was when you tried this? We visited once during the actual weekday time we would use it. Your child's response may be different, but this was our experience.
Our apartment parent group was more useful than public ratings because people could explain exactly what they liked and what age their child was. My spouse had a different view initially, so we tried it for a few weeks before deciding. We visited once during the actual weekday time we would use it. In our house, the practical routine mattered more than the ideal plan.
Good point about asking for the details in writing. I had not thought of that. We visited once during the actual weekday time we would use it. Your child's response may be different, but this was our experience.
Thanks for saying this. Online advice often makes normal family life sound much more organised than it really is. I would re-check current timings and staff before joining. We are in Indore, so local logistics may be a little different.
Our apartment parent group was more useful than public ratings because people could explain exactly what they liked and what age their child was. We are in Indore and this came up for us last year.
Can I ask roughly what age/class your child was when you tried this? I would re-check current timings and staff before joining. We are in Delhi, so local logistics may be a little different.
If you get a recommendation, ask how recently they used the service. A good experience three years ago may not reflect the current staff. We changed our approach after about a month because the first plan was too hard to sustain.
We tried something similar once, but probably gave up too early. How long did you continue before judging it? I would re-check current timings and staff before joining. Your child's response may be different, but this was our experience.
Our apartment parent group was more useful than public ratings because people could explain exactly what they liked and what age their child was. Our child reacted better once we explained the change in advance instead of announcing it on the day. A recent recommendation was much more useful to us than an old online review. In our house, the practical routine mattered more than the ideal plan.
For transport, we asked for driver ID, vehicle papers, emergency contact, route, number of children and what happens if the regular driver is absent. Our child reacted better once we explained the change in advance instead of announcing it on the day. We visited once during the actual weekday time we would use it. We are in Kochi, so local logistics may be a little different.
I would shortlist two or three nearby options and do a trial/visit. Convenience ends up mattering a lot for anything you use every week. Our child reacted better once we explained the change in advance instead of announcing it on the day.
Can I ask roughly what age/class your child was when you tried this? We visited once during the actual weekday time we would use it. We made the change gradually rather than all at once.
Interesting — we had assumed the opposite. Helpful to hear a first-hand experience. A trial visit saved us from choosing purely on ratings. We are in Warangal, so local logistics may be a little different.
Our apartment parent group was more useful than public ratings because people could explain exactly what they liked and what age their child was. A trial visit saved us from choosing purely on ratings. We only reached that conclusion after trying the other approach first.
For transport, we asked for driver ID, vehicle papers, emergency contact, route, number of children and what happens if the regular driver is absent. My spouse had a different view initially, so we tried it for a few weeks before deciding. A trial visit saved us from choosing purely on ratings. We only reached that conclusion after trying the other approach first.
Our apartment parent group was more useful than public ratings because people could explain exactly what they liked and what age their child was. We changed our approach after about a month because the first plan was too hard to sustain. A trial visit saved us from choosing purely on ratings. We are in Chennai, so local logistics may be a little different.
Good point about asking for the details in writing. I had not thought of that. A recent recommendation was much more useful to us than an old online review. I would still test it for a short period before making a long commitment.
I would shortlist two or three nearby options and do a trial/visit. Convenience ends up mattering a lot for anything you use every week.
For transport, we asked for driver ID, vehicle papers, emergency contact, route, number of children and what happens if the regular driver is absent. A recent recommendation was much more useful to us than an old online review. We are in Noida, so local logistics may be a little different.
I would shortlist two or three nearby options and do a trial/visit. Convenience ends up mattering a lot for anything you use every week. Our child reacted better once we explained the change in advance instead of announcing it on the day. A trial visit saved us from choosing purely on ratings. In our house, the practical routine mattered more than the ideal plan.
Our apartment parent group was more useful than public ratings because people could explain exactly what they liked and what age their child was. We are in Chandigarh and this came up for us last year.
For transport, we asked for driver ID, vehicle papers, emergency contact, route, number of children and what happens if the regular driver is absent. We visited once during the actual weekday time we would use it. I would still test it for a short period before making a long commitment.
Interesting — we had assumed the opposite. Helpful to hear a first-hand experience. We visited once during the actual weekday time we would use it. We only reached that conclusion after trying the other approach first.
Our apartment parent group was more useful than public ratings because people could explain exactly what they liked and what age their child was. The biggest surprise was that the practical routine mattered more than the option that looked best on paper. Distance looked minor on the map but mattered a lot in routine traffic. We only reached that conclusion after trying the other approach first.
Can I ask roughly what age/class your child was when you tried this? Distance looked minor on the map but mattered a lot in routine traffic. In our house, the practical routine mattered more than the ideal plan.
That makes sense. I think consistency is the part we are currently missing. A recent recommendation was much more useful to us than an old online review. We only reached that conclusion after trying the other approach first.
Thanks for saying this. Online advice often makes normal family life sound much more organised than it really is. I would re-check current timings and staff before joining. We made the change gradually rather than all at once.
For transport, we asked for driver ID, vehicle papers, emergency contact, route, number of children and what happens if the regular driver is absent. We visited once during the actual weekday time we would use it. We made the change gradually rather than all at once.
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Did your child take time to adjust, or was the improvement fairly quick? I would re-check current timings and staff before joining. We only reached that conclusion after trying the other approach first.
We tried something similar once, but probably gave up too early. How long did you continue before judging it? A recent recommendation was much more useful to us than an old online review. We only reached that conclusion after trying the other approach first.
Can I ask roughly what age/class your child was when you tried this? I would re-check current timings and staff before joining. We made the change gradually rather than all at once.
Our apartment parent group was more useful than public ratings because people could explain exactly what they liked and what age their child was. We visited once during the actual weekday time we would use it. We only reached that conclusion after trying the other approach first.
For transport, we asked for driver ID, vehicle papers, emergency contact, route, number of children and what happens if the regular driver is absent. We changed our approach after about a month because the first plan was too hard to sustain.
For transport, we asked for driver ID, vehicle papers, emergency contact, route, number of children and what happens if the regular driver is absent. Distance looked minor on the map but mattered a lot in routine traffic. We made the change gradually rather than all at once.
Thanks for saying this. Online advice often makes normal family life sound much more organised than it really is. A recent recommendation was much more useful to us than an old online review. I would still test it for a short period before making a long commitment.
This helps. I am going to add this to the questions for our next visit/meeting. A recent recommendation was much more useful to us than an old online review. Your child's response may be different, but this was our experience.
If you get a recommendation, ask how recently they used the service. A good experience three years ago may not reflect the current staff. Distance looked minor on the map but mattered a lot in routine traffic. I would still test it for a short period before making a long commitment.
Can I ask roughly what age/class your child was when you tried this? I would re-check current timings and staff before joining. Your child's response may be different, but this was our experience.
If you get a recommendation, ask how recently they used the service. A good experience three years ago may not reflect the current staff. Distance looked minor on the map but mattered a lot in routine traffic. Your child's response may be different, but this was our experience.
Did your child take time to adjust, or was the improvement fairly quick? A recent recommendation was much more useful to us than an old online review. I would still test it for a short period before making a long commitment.
If you get a recommendation, ask how recently they used the service. A good experience three years ago may not reflect the current staff. Our child reacted better once we explained the change in advance instead of announcing it on the day. A recent recommendation was much more useful to us than an old online review. We are in Gurugram, so local logistics may be a little different.
I agree with this. Once we reduced the number of moving parts, everyone became calmer. A trial visit saved us from choosing purely on ratings. In our house, the practical routine mattered more than the ideal plan.
That makes sense. I think consistency is the part we are currently missing. Distance looked minor on the map but mattered a lot in routine traffic. We only reached that conclusion after trying the other approach first.
Replying to @hv1403
Understood. I will check this before we decide. A trial visit saved us from choosing purely on ratings. We only reached that conclusion after trying the other approach first.
Interesting — we had assumed the opposite. Helpful to hear a first-hand experience. I would re-check current timings and staff before joining. In our house, the practical routine mattered more than the ideal plan.
This is close to what my spouse is suggesting too. I may have been overcomplicating it. I would re-check current timings and staff before joining. We are in Kolkata, so local logistics may be a little different.
Can I ask roughly what age/class your child was when you tried this? A trial visit saved us from choosing purely on ratings. We made the change gradually rather than all at once.
Thank you. I like that this does not require changing everything at once. A trial visit saved us from choosing purely on ratings. In our house, the practical routine mattered more than the ideal plan.
Interesting — we had assumed the opposite. Helpful to hear a first-hand experience. A recent recommendation was much more useful to us than an old online review. We only reached that conclusion after trying the other approach first.
If you get a recommendation, ask how recently they used the service. A good experience three years ago may not reflect the current staff. The biggest surprise was that the practical routine mattered more than the option that looked best on paper. Distance looked minor on the map but mattered a lot in routine traffic. We made the change gradually rather than all at once.
We tried something similar once, but probably gave up too early. How long did you continue before judging it? We visited once during the actual weekday time we would use it. We made the change gradually rather than all at once.
Did your child take time to adjust, or was the improvement fairly quick? Distance looked minor on the map but mattered a lot in routine traffic. I would still test it for a short period before making a long commitment.
We tried something similar once, but probably gave up too early. How long did you continue before judging it? Distance looked minor on the map but mattered a lot in routine traffic. We are in Chennai, so local logistics may be a little different.
For transport, we asked for driver ID, vehicle papers, emergency contact, route, number of children and what happens if the regular driver is absent. Distance looked minor on the map but mattered a lot in routine traffic. We only reached that conclusion after trying the other approach first.
This is useful, thank you. The practical detail is exactly what I was looking for. A trial visit saved us from choosing purely on ratings. I would still test it for a short period before making a long commitment.
I would shortlist two or three nearby options and do a trial/visit. Convenience ends up mattering a lot for anything you use every week. We are in Kochi and this came up for us last year.
Our apartment parent group was more useful than public ratings because people could explain exactly what they liked and what age their child was. Distance looked minor on the map but mattered a lot in routine traffic. Your child's response may be different, but this was our experience.
I would shortlist two or three nearby options and do a trial/visit. Convenience ends up mattering a lot for anything you use every week. We changed our approach after about a month because the first plan was too hard to sustain.