From daycare to nanny shares, homeschool to public school—there are a million options for how to provide care for your children, and yet... it can be so rare to find a solution that really feels perfect. No matter what you choose you’re trading something.

We’re pulling back the curtain on the real-life childcare and school decisions we’ve faced over the past few years. From emotional meltdowns (ours), to financial pressure, partner disagreements, and moments of deep gratitude, this episode is an honest reflection of how complicated it can be to make these choices and why the stakes feel so sky high.

The first half of this conversation was recorded months ago, while we were deep in the decision-making process—and the second half is a follow-up we recorded recently to share where we landed.

In This Episode:

⏳ 00:00 – When someone else helps raise your child—gratitude and grief in the same breath
⏳ 04:00 – White noise, moving states, and why childcare is such a major stressor for families
⏳ 06:00 – Montessori and mixed-age classrooms— making decisions with your child’s personality in mind
⏳ 11:00 – The emotional weight of passing off care—and how it influences career decisions
⏳ 18:00 – Are we prioritizing our child’s needs… or chasing our own ideal?
⏳ 22:00 – The financial trade-offs of “better” school and childcare
⏳ 26:00 – Pros and cons: nanny vs. daycare vs. homeschool
⏳ 33:00 – Do trust (and luck) matter more than you think?
⏳ 36:00 – Kristin’s big reveal: what her family finally decided for next year
⏳ 39:00 – Andrea’s public school twist: when things go wrong—and how advocating changed everything
⏳ 47:00 – When your child thrives… and you let go of the pressure to do it “your way”

Links & Resources:

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📚 Episode on Infant Sleep – From AAP guidelines to Co-sleeping. What’s really best?

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