Childcare at home: what options do we have? 2026

When the need arises to leave the care of children to other people, it is not a decision that is or should be made lightly. Therefore, knowing the possibilities that exist may be the best way to opt for one or the other.

There are broadly three childcare alternatives: daycare centers, caregivers, and care families or “day mothers” who offer the service in their own home. If we are clear that what we want is for the little ones to be cared for in our home... Do we have several options for this? If you want to discover them and know the benefits of children staying at home, we will tell you about it here.

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Benefits of home child care

Many families choose to hire a person to come to their residence because it offers several advantages:

• It may be the most economical option, for example, in the case of having several children.
• Gives the child more security. If it is very small, it will be beneficial because you will not have to move and you will be in a familiar environment, so you will feel more protected.
• There will be flexibility with schedules. Sometimes the schedules of children's centers are not compatible with those of the parents and this makes family conciliation difficult.
• The child receives more personalized attention.

What options do we have?

Kangaroo by the hour

This possibility is for specific occasions when something unforeseen arises or both parents are going out and need someone to take care of the little ones. That's why a babysitter is usually hired for an afternoon, a night, or a weekend.

It is also normally the best option for parents who require someone to pick up their children from school and take them home or to an extracurricular activity. You do not need a specific qualification for this and normally many university students offer themselves to do so.

Babysitting at home part or full time

In this case, the person in charge of caring for the children carries out their work part-time or full-time and does so in the family home, so the well-known “separation anxiety” that may appear is reduced.

It involves agreeing with the kangaroo on a series of tasks that must be completed during the established day. Among them, preparing food, changing diapers, dressing the child, helping him with his schoolwork or also doing household chores, if it has been previously agreed upon.

It is also worth noting that there is a shared babysitting option that allows you to hire one person to take care of several children. Although logically the salary to be agreed upon is higher due to the increased workload, it will still often be cheaper than taking several children to a daycare center, but we must not forget that in a daycare center children learn, develop and interact.

Many parents also opt for a very complete alternative and that is the bilingual or native babysitter. They are in charge of the same care tasks, but they also offer the possibility of teaching the little one a second language.

Au pair

Au pair is a French concept that has the meaning of “on par.” This is a person who, for a small monthly salary, undertakes to carry out household chores and take care of the children. What differs from the babysitter at home is that it will spend the night at your home, that is, the family offers accommodation and daily meals. Normally students who come from other countries offer this service, so you will be like their host family.