Day care dilemma

I know the topic of day care is ground well-trodden for experienced parents, but it can be very daunting for expectant parents. And yes, I feel daunted. What are we going to do when the baby arrives? That is a question that my wife and I yet to have a complete answer for. Of course, she’ll be home with the baby for the first 6 weeks or so, but then what? We don’t live close to family, so getting help from grandparents is not an option. We live in an area that, even with both our incomes, we can only afford to rent housing, so giving up one of our incomes to stay home with the baby is also off the table. It could be financially feasible with some belt-tightening, but would put home ownership in future out of our grasp (much less, the thought of starting a college fund, etc.).

Both of us work in internet-related fields, so there is some hope for one or both of us to be able to tailor our work schedules and responsibilities to work from home more. This is more than just an economic consideration – we both genuinely want to be part of our child’s upbringing and will make personal and professional sacrifices so that our child’s care is not left entirely in the hands of strangers. But what if supervisors are unwilling to make adjustments or it is impossible to work effectively from home while caring for the baby? What’s the next best option for a financially-strapped young couple? Is it group day care in a preschool setting? Small group day care in a private home? Hire a nanny or split a nanny with another family?

We still have several months before the baby arrives, but feel that we start to need to nail our day care arrangements now. First step is to approach our respective bosses to see how much flexibility we might be afforded so that we can do most of the day care ourselves. After that, what are your suggestions for day care solutions for an infant?