Ma goes back to Kolkata after the Pujas. Second caregiver, or daycare at seven months?

cedar_rain_237815 Jul 2026

Baby is 3 months. Right now my mother and our caregiver split the day between them, and I teach and run the lab. Ma has said she'll stay till Durga Puja and then go home, which is fair, she has been here since before the birth. So from October it's one caregiver for the full day, or a second person, or daycare at around seven months. My university has no crèche. What did you do when the grandparent left? Did a seven month old manage daycare?

2 comments

teal_violin_205615 Jul 2026
ours is 6 months and it's one caregiver plus my partner and me in the evenings. on her days off it feels very thin, so i'd work out who covers her leave before deciding anything else. no grandparent here though, so i can't say how the change from your ma would feel
cobalt_balcony_260516 Jul 2026
We had a similar question when my daughter was a baby, though in our case the family member stayed. What helped us think was writing down the hours your mother covers now, and separately what she does in them that isn't childcare: cooking, being the second adult in the house, sitting with the caregiver. A second caregiver replaces the hours. It may not replace the rest. On daycare at seven months I have no direct experience, so I'll leave that to others.