Daycare

schaumers3

Has anyone started to think about Daycare? This is my first child and I work at a big tech company. I plan on getting 6 weeks paid vacation and then the rest till 4 months unpaid leave off. After that the baby will go to daycare.  I plan to breastfeed and pump when I start working again. I know it's early but it seems like some of these better daycares are very exclusive or have a waitlist so you have to get on early. How to go about interviewing the places and how much it costs? We don't have any other choices since I want to continue working, I really like my job and neither me or my husband has family in the area. They are both 5-7 hours away.  So we can't use grandparents or siblings as babysitters. 

amiej1227

I'd say at least star calling. I did and was surprised to find the one I liked had a wait list for May 15. We did a deposit and now just hope a spot opens up when we are ready. It was the only place that has a wait list like this the other places were like call back in a few months.

Samiantha101

I would start inquiring. Every daycare that I called had immediate openings for infants, except the daycare my dd ended up going to. It never hurts to stay ahead of these things.

AlfiesMOM

With my first I went on several wait lists around 8 weeks. With this one I was kind of lazy and went on at around 12 weeks, that is only because siblings get preference and we are in my husbands employers center (only people who work there can have their kids attend). So with all those factors we are basically at the top of the list. Plus, I love this center and would probably have a nanny before I went somewhere else. 

With my first we got off the wait list at two places (I was on 6). It was also easier because she was born in July and starting in Oct, we actually started paying in September when they opened 8 spots, its a natural transitioning time because of all the 4 year old going into kindergarten. 

All that being said my advice would be to start now and get on wait lists. It could be a hard time of year to get in so you will want to be eligible should a stop open. I did tours of all the centers, everyone has different philosophies so its good to see what works best for you. Daycare near us is EXTREMELY expensive an infant is about 2000 a month and DD is about 1869. However, every area is very different. You will just need to ask what their rates are, a lot have them on websites. You could also consider inhome, they are usually less expensive, but most are still regulated by the state.  

MaPetiteFamille

Definitely start as soon as you know when you'll be heading back to work. It's always better to have options. For things to look for, this is a good list:

https://www.babycenter.com/0_signs-of-a-good-daycare-center_6065.bc

I would definitely emphasize the importance of having an open door policy (meaning that parents can drop in at any time unannounced and stay for as long as they like) and healthy snacks (you'll appreciate it once your child is a toddler). Ask how frequently they clean the toys, etc. and find out how they get the kids to exercise on a daily basis (for instance, they might have an indoor play space for days when it's too hot or cold to go outside).

For us, it was also important to find a place that had a good, quiet, dark place for the kids to nap, since DD had a really hard time napping in the beginning. That's hard to predict, though. If your LO starts really early, he or she will probably just be used to napping wherever you choose.

Maebb

I agree to start looking now.

Most daycare centers near us have a 1 year waiting list and are $265+ per week.

We ended up doing an in-home daycare with my friend who is a SAHM. That may be an option if you can find a friend or an in-home daycare you trust. The downsides are that it is not quite as structured as a normal daycare, and he doesn't get all the curriculum. The upside is that it's more personal (I've known her for 10+ years), it's less expensive, and I only pay for the days he goes, plus she can sometimes watch him late if I have a work dinner or something.

kolaczka

I started touring facilities this week. My husband and have family close by but don't want to impose or create strife in our choices in how to raise the kids. We also don't consider in home care an option so we figured that we better get the plan in place now. Add 2 kids rather than 1 and we get even more complex. Basically my husband and I are picky and opinionated and I worry that if we wait we will have to settle for available.

moonfaerie

I SAH so am not lookng, but I suggest looking now. When I was pg with #1, I din't start looking until 5ish months along and no one had an infant spot until she would have been 6 or 7 months old.

LadyXaverian

I echo the others. With DD, I was due in April and she wasn't going to need day care until the following August, but I started looking in either November or December. 

If you can, get some recommendations from people you know, and start by checking out those facilities. 

I ended up going with a licensed in-home that was recommended to me by the owner of the day care I wanted to put DD in (but they only took kids 1 year old and older). At the time, this owner told me she'd guarantee me a spot once DD was 1, but we ended up loving the in-home, and she is still there now. That's where #2 will go as well.

PurplePenguin83

Call places and set up some tours/visits. They'll take you around and give you all the information on the facility and costs. I would do this sooner than later. My son's school has a 15 month waitlist, so this child was the list before he/she was a real thought! 

stayhealthy

I wasn't interested in centers where there are tons of children. I searched on my state's website for licensed home care providers. I interviewed 5 and it was all mainly after my DD was born. I found one that was close to home. The two I interviewed before she was born seemed pointless because they didn't know what their status was going to be in April. I love the home environment and the intimate care my LOs receive. They also get to go on lots of field trips!

Rikishook

DH and I have already put our name on a waiting list- granted the lady running the infant room is someone we know, so we were sure that is where we wanted to go. 

I think it is never too early to start looking into it! We really did want a larger center- we weren't comfortable with our baby in someone's home we didn't know (we're new to the area) and I was partial to having the child on a schedule and in a learning environment (they have child educators in the building). It's all about your preference!

schaumers3

Yes my husband and I have toured 4 different daycares in our area. Usually setting them up on fridya mornings at 9am before we go to work. Finding touring the places now in the summer there are less kids but that is ok since you have more attention of care givers giving tour. Finding mostof them around the same price and policies with slightly different rules and times etc. I'ts pretty expensive so I could see why women give up after having 2 kids because the daycare up front takes away all the salary but once they are in school it should be a lot less and you have money to support the kids. There was one ladies house right across the street from my work tha twas technically the cheapest but only by $10 a week and she didn't provide food, it was an older house that smelled musty and big no is they didn't have any sinks in each room to clean their hands after changing diapers, just plastic gloves yuck.   Bright horizons was like a national company and even with the work discount they were the most expensive by a lot, like $300 more a month. It was a great center, brand new, huge, good security and really good education programs. but they probably pay the teachers/daycare workers the same because there was a lot of overhead and for profit. administrators etc. plus does the kid really need great education as a newborn? save it for college haha. so we are going with a daycare on the way to work but closer to my house if I want to work from home for the day, plus it is in a residentual neighborhood, in a converted split level house, very professional and several workers tha twere really nice. Since it's in our school district they also have after school programs that the bus will take them to the daycare and I can pick them up from there when they get older (kindergarden) and they give a discount for more than 1 kid (20% on the oldest). Glad I searched early but after awhile it gets tiring.  I will probably put a deposit/paper work in for that center in a few weeks after my next ultradound is ok.