May 2013 Moms
abstar24
member
Sending LO to daycare
abstar24
member
For those that are sending their LOs to daycare, how are you coping?
I was OK with it before she was born, but now that she's here, I'm terrified to send her! What if they just let her cry or don't take care of her needs fast enough? She's just so little and precious 
I know I still have 6 more weeks until she starts, but any tips/advice to make it easier?
TIA!
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Re: Sending LO to daycare
No tips but I feel you... I could have written this myself! ETA I'm also worried they will judge us... ha ha... WHY won't this kid SLEEP??
Have you chosen a daycare? It might help to stop by and watch how the staff interacts with the other babies. I just toured our daycare yesterday, and after meeting all of the staff and asking a lot of questions, I am more comfortable.
ETA: I grilled them about sanitation practices, security measures, emergency procedures, staff backgrounds/qualifications, and certifications and clearances of the staff. Make sure that they all have act 33/34 clearances, state criminal background checks, and FBI fingerprinting. Also, make sure that they all have child/infant CPR and first aid.
I also asked questions about how diaper changes and feedings are handled, and what activities they do with the babies. I wanted to make sure that they weren't just going to leave DD in a crib for 12 hours without any interaction. I made sure to ask about reporting procedures for contagious illness and contact with other kids' body fluids.
2nd Edit: Pennsylvania has a program called Keystone STARS that inspects and accredits early learning centers. We made sure that the daycare we chose participates in the program.
We have chosen a daycare - we will be bringing her to an in-home daycare near our house (DH works nights - so he is home during the day, but he is sleeping). This way DH can pick her up if there is an emergency/illness. We interviewed her and checked her references and we feel that she's the best for us in the area. We liked her a lot because she is licensed by the state - so she is up to date on her certifications/classes/etc. It was REALLY hard to find an in-home daycare provider that was licensed by the state.
I'm still having a hard time though. I wish I could stay home with her....or I wish I had a family member that watched kiddos, so I could send them to their house.
EDIT - I wish you would have been with us when we were interviewing for a daycare provider! I didn't even think to ask about some of the things you mentioned. I will have to have a follow-up with her to confirm some things. Thanks for the advice!
Haha...same!!! She takes naps, but she's been napping on an incline (RnP or the boppy infant lounger) or on us! Forget putting her on her back in the PnP (which is where she will nap while she's at daycare. Eek.
On the other hand, I'm hoping they'll be able to instill some good practices and get him on some sort of a routine. In all honesty, they're probably better at that stuff than I am!