as a former nursery employee and a mother who has been in the same predicament, I understand your situation.  a word of advice is to be prepared to switch nurseries if you are unhappy - I had to switch twice because of things that I found out after a few months.  One nursery put her infront of the TV ALL DAY and the other did not have assisstants taht were qualified or had had much patience (they were constantly yelling at her!)

So don't feel guilty about switching nurseries - you want the best for your child.

Good nannies are hard to find.  I have had 3 - one tried using my computer for porn, the other was wanted by police and the 3rd did not like children (she actually told me after I hired her!)  So I would recommend a really good nursery for sure - it's more regulated and your child will at least be somewhat stimulated.  What i did was put my daughter in nuresry till 1pm and then dropped her off at a friend's house (someone really trustworthy) and timed her nap for the same time.  That way she didn't actually have to do much with her as i usually was home an hour or 2 after she woke up.

Good luck - and don't let people make you feel bad whatever you choose. you do what you have to do:)