[tacoman]

Childcare is a thing people feel really strongly about and there is clearly no right answer. It's all about what's best for the kid(s).

"They need focused attention and the cognitive difference between kids that used childcare and had focused attention (at 2 years old) is very visible."

I think this is true for some kids, but not mine. My kids both started daycare at 13 months. The caregiver to child ratio was 1:2 until about 20 months, then it was 1:4.

My kids at 3 and 5 are more verbal and handle social situations better than any other kids I know. The have the ability to focus on tasks like no other kids I've spent any amount of time with. Maybe this is genetic or was a result of being home full time with their parents for the first year of their lives. (The norm in Canada)

We decided against a nanny because of what we saw in the neighbourhood. The nannies we saw were most of the time detached from the situation and not paying attention to the kids. The interactions were generally not positive. It was rather sad to see.

An accredited daycare on the other hand is staffed by professionals where non-positive interactions are not tolerated. Staff can take breaks and get help when they need it.

It took us a long time to find a daycare we like though.