If daycare was optional for your toddler, why did you decide for/against it?

I know this isn’t a choice for most people (especially here in the us), but I’d really like to hear from those who did have the choice.

I know my husband and I are very privileged to even have the option of me staying home. I think that’s in part what’s making this so hard, because I had never envisioned a future for myself where being a SAHP was an option. But it is.

We’re thinking of sending him to daycare part time once he’s two, so I can get a break and also maybe go back to work part time (which is honestly more bc I need to use my professional brain than a huge financial need). But they only had full days (9-3) 2-3 days a week available. It just seems like a long day for him. And when we toured the daycare it seemed…good enough? It’s a 1:5 ratio, but really 1:4 since the class is maxed at 12 and there needs to be 3 staff bc of that. The morning seemed like they had activities (though nothing I don’t already do with him), but then they are just in nap time from like lunch until the end of the day almost. The director really wasn’t trying to sell us on it or anything, I guess bc there’s such a demand she has no need to. There were also no kids or teachers there when we toured.

So now I feel like I’m trying to decide which I value more, going back to work a couple days or my child. Idk. Any thoughts or experiences from other parents would be great!