When to start looking at Day Cares

DMNaylor · June 2011

For those mom's out there that are planning on going back to work, when did you start investigating day care options? I think it may be too early now as i am only 13 weeks, but then if i wait until 3rd trimester i am going to be setting up for baby, shopping, baby showers, etc. Since i have more time now is it wierd to start looking and interviewing? What are you doing?

dbsgirl · June 2011

I wouldn't wait. With my son, I started to look when I was about 16 weeks and the one I picked, was filled up by the time I needed it.

This time around, I told my daycare when I was 7 weeks that I would need the infant room in mid-March and she said she was glad I told her then because they are already filled up through February!

CheetoLady161 · June 2011

DMNaylor:
For those mom's out there that are planning on going back to work, when did you start investigating day care options? I think it may be too early now as i am only 13 weeks, but then if i wait until 3rd trimester i am going to be setting up for baby, shopping, baby showers, etc. Since i have more time now is it wierd to start looking and interviewing? What are you doing?

Yes THANK U for posting this! I was wondering myself

JNicMTek · June 2011

I wouldn't wait. Infant slots fill up fast. I actually talked to our daycare today and asked about reserving a spot for next year.

Plus, it may take some time searching for just the right place.

Kelly1109 · June 2011

Infant spots fill up really quickly. Unfortunately my home daycare cant accept another baby fulltime so we need to start looking which stinks because dd goes right next door.

iluvmylab · June 2011

I actually just put out an email on our online bulletin board at work asking for references for in-home daycare. I'm a teacher so I would like to find a place that I won't have to pay to hold my spot in the summertime.

jordanmd89 · June 2011

I worked at a daycare for over 2 years and the waiting list was always at least 6 months. It was the best daycare in town, wasn't to pricey, and they allow their parents to pick the number of days a week if needed and don't require any money for the summer if they do not need care. The better the daycare the more likely it will fill up fast. I would start now.

lovetoknit26 · June 2011

We've already started looking and have been for a few weeks now. Our favorite one so far doesn't have an opening until June 2012. We'll need care in April 2012. We're going to get on the waiting list there anyway and hope that something opens up earlier. It's definitely not too early to start looking.

chankins14 · June 2011

I started to do a lot of looking with DS early. I was told so many times that it was too early for them to give me any availability answers & to contact them when I was about a month away from my due date, they wouldn't hold a spot for that long. That seemed to be the norm for home daycare in my area. We found our daycare provider a few weeks before I delivered DS. I told her I was expecting #2 at about 6 weeks & she is holding a spot for me this time since I am an existing customer.

pennynjon · June 2011

I plan on looking in the next month or so. I know there are waiting lists in our area.

asyph107 · June 2011

Never too early to find one. Some areas of the country have huge waitlists for qualified daycare. No one will care that you are looking at 13 weeks. Plus it gives you lots of time to do a few different visits at different times of day, as different people work different schedules, and the kids are in different moods. It is nice to see how people handle it.

ETA: wording

a003vp · June 2011

Its best to start looking now at least researching and visiting the Day Care centers before you are in a spot like I was. I did my homework, visited the site more then once and placed down the deposit for a wait list spot. They said to call back by October/November of that year to see where you are and if they have a spot for my baby. Well after two months of being a first time mom, my brain fuzzed and I thought they call and say that there was a spot by then.

Then when I had to go back to work in September, I total forgot to call them and had to have Grandma look after DD. That lasted 9 months and one day my DH asked me about the Day Care. I called and asked about if a spot was opening up. DD was growing and a trailer was no place for her because it was getting too small and she wanted to explore. They stated that they had a spot for months for DD and because I didn't call in sooner they kept skipping my name (holding my place). My DD got in at the start of July last year a full 9 months after they had the spot open!

With this one DH and I are debating whether or not the extra money in Day Care with two will eat up all of our paychecks. I would be a SAHM and it would mean taking DD out of the daycare that she loves, (not when we drop her off in the morning or pick her up) but in the middle she acts like the Don of the Daycare. And I would have to think of something to fill 8-9 hrs in the day that doesn't cost a whole lot of $$ with two!

lewis514 · June 2011

In my area, there aren't too many waiting lists so I selected a daycare in January 2009 to start in July 2009. This time, I just let them know that I want a spot in March 2012 so they could pencil me in since DD already goes there.

ChristinaH811 · June 2011

I am so glad you posted this because I was wondering too!

NNGnome · June 2011

iluvmylab:
I actually just put out an email on our online bulletin board at work asking for references for in-home daycare. I'm a teacher so I would like to find a place that I won't have to pay to hold my spot in the summertime.

I don't know if this is an option in the US, but in England my sister works in a Daycare run by the local university which caters to teachers and students, were they can either have the child in daycare all year or only term time (she works a much lighter schedule during the holidays when they have less children to look after), it might be worth a look if you have a local college/university..

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