WeMoms
24 May 2022

Childcare arrangements

Baby

Childminders, crèches, nannies... In the jungle of childcare options, it's hard to find your way around. But how do you choose the one that suits your needs and, above all, your budget?


  • Childcare facilities are differentiated according to their capacity, between collective and personalized.
  • Among the collective care facilities, daycare centers remain a popular means of care for parents. There are different types of care. The collective daycare center welcomes children from two and a half months to four years old.
  • While this type of daycare has many advantages, such as the supervision by nursery nurses and teams trained in early childhood, the crèche has its limits in terms of strict schedules and limited places.
  • If you choose a parent-run daycare, you will be directly involved in your baby's care.
  • Certainly, if the care is provided by a childcare professional, the parents must devote half a day per week to it and participate in the maintenance of the premises.
  • Faced with increasing professional and transportation constraints, companies have also developed in-house daycare centers, a rapidly developing method of care.
  • Requested by parents who do not work or who have a part-time job, the childcare center offers a maximum of three half-days of care for children between three months and six years of age.
  • This type of care allows for the development of interaction, stimulation, and socialization of the little one while allowing parents to take time off.
  • To keep your baby, you can also opt for personalized childcare, such as a childminder.
  • Approved by the department's General Council in France and subject to frequent checks by the PMI, the childminder can take in up to four children in her home.
  • Flexible hours, personalized care for the baby, and a safe environment are some of the advantages of this type of care.
  • Some parents also opt for in-home care by choosing a nanny for many advantages, such as the fact that the child does not change the environment or the flexible hours.
  • If you choose in-home care but find the cost high, look into shared care, which allows you to share a nanny with another family.
  • In any case, no matter what type of childcare you choose, there is a cost to having your baby looked after. In France, the government offers financial aid, such as the "complément libre choix du mode de garde", which is based on the household's taxable income.


In this article

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The different types of childcare

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Individual or group care, parental or family daycare, childminder or au pair... Today, there are many ways to look after your baby until he or she starts school. But which one should you choose?

  • A childminder can look after up to four children at home, with a personalized welcome and flexible hours.
  • If the collective nursery is supervised by nursery nurses and childcare assistants, in the parental nursery, the parents are involved in the care of their child.
  • Some parents may also choose to have their child cared for at home, but since this is expensive, some parents turn to the shared care of a maternal assistant.
  • Finally, company crèches and au pairs are childcare options that are in full development.

Baby-sitting, instructions for use

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Although occasional babysitting is popular with parents and allows young people to earn pocket money, this type of care is now strictly regulated.

  • Contrary to the childminder, the baby-sitter is solicited by the parents occasionally and for a short period of time.
  • There are several ways to pay for babysitting, but the simplest one is the service employment check, which allows you to legally employ a babysitter while ignoring administrative and tax formalities.
  • Service employment vouchers are tax-deductible up to 50% of the amount incurred.
  • The hourly rate remains the minimum wage, but it can vary according to the hour of care and the number of children cared for.

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