February 2014 Moms

Your must haves for daycare

G is starting daycare next Tuesday :( Since I went back to work full-time at 6 weeks PP, he has been at our home during the day with various family members. This just isn't working for us anymore, and we're aching for more of a routine and schedule. He will be in an at-home daycare close to where I live/work so I can still visit him on my lunch break every day and nurse him.

What have you learned from your daycare experiences that you wish you would have done differently to start with? What things did you find out are necessary and maybe not so much. Do you pack a bag everyday or leave a bunch of stuff at daycare? I feel so unprepared! She said we could do whatever is easier for us, but I'm hoping F'14 has some tips/tricks for me to help make the transition easier :)

TIA!

Re: Your must haves for daycare

  • I pack a bag every day with spare clothes in it.  I usually just leave it in the bag overnight.  I feel like if I left it at the daycare and some were used, I'd forget to replace them.
  • Here's what I just took to leave at daycare (LO has a basket in a cupboard, a basket in the fridge, and a cubby in the hall):
    2 outfits in ziplock bags
    diaper cream
    sunscreen
    sun hat
    extra pacifier (in a ziplock bag)
    2 bibs (they'll launder for us)
    extra crib sheet
    frozen milk for just in case

    What we take with each day:
    lovey
    bottles

    Once LO starts eating solids at DC, I'm not sure if we need bowls/spoons/etc. 

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  • DD goes to an in home 'sitter' and only twice a week. I keep a bag packed that I refill when I get home. I usually send 2 spare outfits, a bib, a burp rag, a package of wipes, tube of aquaphor, about 10 diapers, a blanket (she doesn't usually use one), and then bottles, formula, puree in a bowl, spoon, sippy cup, wipe-able bib, her taggie blanket, and pacifier.

    When she was actually going to the daycare provider (before they closed), I left a package of diapers and a package of wipes there. Then everything else I would put in a bag and bring each day she was there.


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  • sdlaurasdlaura member
    edited August 2014
    We use an in home and one of the advantages for me is that I don't have to send stuff on a daily basis or prepare anything each night. Our provider has one bottle which she reuses and a canister of formula (ever since I stopped pumping - before that I did send breastmilk each day), and she keeps diapers and extra outfits. She provides wipes, sunscreen, and lunch each day. I provide purées for DS but I send frozen cubes every couple weeks. Our provider will email me or just tell me at drop-off when she needs more of something.
    BFP #1 9/2010 (lost our baby at 21 weeks) BFP #2 8/2011 (ectopic pregnancy) BFP #3 10/2011 (chemical pregnancy) BFP #4 12/2011 (Abigail born 8/15/12) BFP #5 5/2013 (Griffin born 1/23/14 with heart defects, now repaired!)

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  • I like the idea of sending a package of diaper/wpes to leave there because forgetful. My daycare girl told me she has an extra pack n play for use, but should I just send ours? We don;t use it, unless leaving town (not often). I think I would feel better knowing it was just being used by him. If I do that, should I send extra P&P sheets?

  • Everything else they provide - spoons, bowls bibs, burp rags, blankets, etc. I was sending bibs & burb rags at the beginning until I realized they didn't need mine and they only caused confusion.

    With DD1, I had the same experience as @KatyBriggs in that I was sending a spoon and left a bib there, and apparently it was causing confusion.  They had spoons at the center, so ours kept getting sent to the kitchen for washing with everything else. I always got them back eventually, but we were always having missing spoons and it took me forever to figure out why.  Same with burp rags. Now all I send daily is milk (food when she's ready) and her paci.  She has a sleep sack she keeps there (they wash it with the sheets) and has a stash of diapers, wipes, diaper cream, and extra clothes that I have to swap out when she sizes up or seasons change. They provide spoons, burp rags,
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  • The provider will typically tell you what you need to supply vs. what they supply. Generally most places have things like spoons/etc for feeding but an in-home may operate differently and request you send them. 

    Definitely leave things like diapers and spare clothes there so you don't have to haul a full bag every day. One less thing to pack/drag/forget.  If you're BFing you'll likely send milk daily, but most FFing moms leave a canister there and bring new as needed. Either way you'll have to bring fresh bottles daily.

    We keep a sweatshirt for LO, especially helpful in the fall/spring when temps vary throughout the day, and in the winter a snowsuit/boots/hat at daycare for outdoor time.


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  • Thanks, ladies! Definitely some good tips!
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