Thanks Thrifylady for your input. We hadn't really given outdoor play too much thought, but I realized we should. Especially because both my husband and I are so disappointed that kids in schools these days don't get enough of outdoor play. We ended up going with Option B. She seemed like she gave the kids more outdoor play and also gave them a chance to work out large motor skills when weather kept them inside. She also seemed more confident overall with being able to handle several kids of various ages. We won't be starting for a month with my 2 year old, but she brought up bringing him on days here and there for a couple of hours to get him used to the other kids and also offers a 3 week trial period as well where either the parents or her could opt out if it wasn't a good fit. Overall I think the fact that she was excited about having both the baby and our 2 year old was what won us over. She seemed genuine when interacting with our 2 year old and we could tell she was excited to have a new baby girl as well. The 4 week time off will be a challenge, but we've already asked around with family and our previous daycare lady and we are confident that we will be able to get backup care if either of us can't stay home. This is one of the most stressful and nerve wracking decisions parents make these days, so it definitely helps to get other opinions.

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