- Pregnancy
- Baby & Toddler
- Parents
- Getting Pregnant
- Baby Names
- Product Reviews
-
Registry
- Community
-
More
Want a personalized experience?
Download the free app
March 2012 Moms
GotMilk9
member
when are you going to start thinking about daycare?
GotMilk9
member
Hi Ladies,
I intro'd myself a while back but have been so busy at work that i haven't had time to check back in. Hope everybody's first tri has been going well (minus the "lovely" 1st tri symtoms)
I might be a bit premature on this, but i am already a bit anxious to find a good daycare for our LO. We live on an island so space is limited and i want to make sure he/she is in good hands. I will also be going back to wrok at either 3 or 4 months. Since our LO will still be so small i guess it's making me a bit over-anxious as well. I've also heard that some good daycares tent to have long wait-lists and i'd hate for that to be the reason for me to have to pick a less-than-perfect one.
When are you ladies planning to start researching daycares in your area if you plan to use one?
What elements are you looking for in a daycare?
This discussion has been closed.
Re: when are you going to start thinking about daycare?
Right after first tri. You have to start looking early around here.
I'm sure sure about which elements I'm looking for yet, but a couple of my good friends have kids in child care and they have offered to help me make my list.
If you don't mind, please share that list once you've made it. I'll take any suggestions!
I was thinking after 1st tri too...once the risks of anything going wrong have decreased.
My Chart
I'm definitely already thinking daycare. There is definitely the possibility that I will be on my own for this baby, so figuring out finances has been a huge worry for me. All of my nieces and nephews (8 total) were fortunate enough to not have to be in daycare, my mother volunteered to watch them as they grew. Unfortunately I have seen how burned out she is now that the last one is heading off to kindergarten this year. I can't even consider her as a possibility :-(.
As far as daycare elements go, I used to work in a daycare that I loved and if I can find one near me that is anything like that one I will be ecstatic. I want my baby to be in a place where I know it will be cared for and not just treated as a check walking in the door every day.
My Blog
TTC since 4/09 - Dx PCOS 1/10, HSG: All Clear
4 Failed Clomid cycles of varying degrees
Clomid + Bravelle + Trigger + IUI = BFP!!
Ectopic M/C 9/16/10 ~ Forever in our hearts
BCP+Lupron+Estrogen+DE ET+PIO = BFP!!!
Beta #1: 507 #2: 1561 #3: 4,472 #4: 11,172
BFPBs Sul06, MrsW722 & SnowflakeBride06
GL to Mari2003 and all of the rest of the 3T Ladies
What were some of the great things that you liked about the daycare you worked at?
I'm just trying to figure out what elements are important for infant care. For older kids its easier i think, because stimulation and learning are what come to mind which make sense, but when they are 3 months old im not really sure what's important besides the fact that i dont want him/her stuck in their car seat all day!
My Chart
Me (32) DH (30)
A Wordy Blog
Baby Evangeline is here!
That's a nice offer from your boss's wife, but i agree, not sure how i'd feel about someone who's never had a baby before looking after my infant! Nice to have the option though!
My Chart
Well - not even sure that I am going to do daycare. I'm about 50/50 on being a SAHM....who am I kidding I am more like 75/25 in favor....but I am afraid I will find it too confining and boring and will want to work and want my income. In that case we are considering a nanny.
If I do go with daycare I want to do a home daycare rather than a center.
I am in the same bout as far as debating SAHM or not. I'm just not sure yet. There is a daycare LITERALLY across the street from where I work, and even though I haven't visited it yet, I am leaning toward it just because of the convenience. I will start looking in earnest at daycares once I am out of 1st tri. I suspect that as much as I want to SAH, I'm not going to be able to give up my salary... MH and I still have to sit down and weigh out the finances of both options.
I live in the DC area - I got my BFP on a Friday and I toured my first daycare the following week. It's supposedly that competitive here, though the places I've toured (four so far) have said that I'm the first one looking for June/July care. I'm on two wait lists already
I paid attention to staff/infant ratio, emergency procedures, available hours, staff turnover rate, cleanliness, etc. I also asked to see food menus and activity schedules for older children, because I would be thrilled to find a great place so I don't have to move my kid around once he/she gets older.
I spent most of my time watching the kids themselves - are they happy? Are they engaged? Is the staff watching them, or are they kind of wandering around on their own? Are the kids in the appropriate room (i.e., are there any walkers in the room with the infants)? Do they have age-appropriate crafts and activities once they get older?
It's a lot to take in - that's why I felt that watching the kids was the most important part. The rest of it you're kind of taking the center's word that they have the proper procedures and training in place. The happiness of the kids speaks for itself.
We will be using the daycare that we currently use. It's through my school district.
When we first looked, we didn't have a list of things. We went in on tours and knew if it felt "right". Some people may think that is horrible, but too bad...my kid. We found one that was perfect and a close 2nd and got put on both waiting lists. I eventually asked co-workers about our district care and received good responses. In the end, it came down to cost. We went with the school care because it was cost effective, and I wouldn't lose my kid's spot if we took him out for the summer--that was also a big deal to me.
We started to look about 6 or 7 months before baby was due.
DH and I started looking at daycare BEFORE we started TTC. Mostly so we can plan our baby budget. I thought I was set on an in home because I felt like our baby would have more one on one care, but after calling all of the in-homes that are licensed in our town I was totally turned off. Most of the women sounded totally gruff, pissy and mean. And most have 6+ children in the home of many ages. There are only 2 centers in our town that I would consider/that take infants so we are going to call sooner rather than later. I've got prices from one of them already but haven't toured any. I'm going to wait until I'm out of the first tri for that.
If it helps you guys, a good place to start is to go onto your state website because there is a listing of licensed childcare providers in your state. That's how I did my search.
I work in midtown Atlanta where the waiting lists are 2-3 years long. With my DS, I put myself on the waiting list about 3 months before I even got pregnant and I didn't get a spot until he was almost 4 months old. The minute I got the BFP this time, I put my name on the list.
Daycare was definitely something that I worried about. First you have to decide if you want in-home or a center. Some parents prefer the personal and cozy feeling of an in-home, but I had concerns about backup care if the provider was sick, visitors to the home, etc.
I looked for a NAECY accredited school and I'm so happy with my choice. We get daily emails with photos as well as daily reports of what they ate and when they pooped/peed. It is a little more expensive but I feel that I get what I pay for.
I've DEFINITELY been thinking about daycare. And I have no idea where to begin. It's good to know that you have to put your name in sooner rather than later - DH and I will have to start touring places now. What kind of things should we be looking for?
Man... all these things I wouldn't have known if it weren't for you girls!
Umm, I think that would be really awkward. Not just the someone who has never had kids watching your baby, but what if you don't like the way she is doing something or you have to share some personal info. I feel like it could get really awkward with your boss. It seems like it would be better not to mix work and daycare. Having said it, it of course depends on your relationship with your boss. It's not something I would feel comfortable with!
5/09- Off BCP, 5/09-9/09- No period, 9/09-9/10- Lots of Tests & accupuncture
10/10 and 11/10- 2 rounds of Menopur + TI= BFNS
12/10-IUI #1 Menopur = BFN
1/11- IUI #2 Menopur = BFP, 2/11 missed mc at 9 weeks, D&C
5/11- Operative Hysteroscopy to remove uterine septum
6/11- IUI #3 Menopur = BFP, 8/11 missed mc at 11 weeks, D&C
1/12- Lap and Operative Hysteroscopy to remove uterine septum (again) & scar tissue
2/12- Stint Removal, 3/12 repeat SHG and HSG- showed scar tissue blocking right tube
4/12- Operative hysteroscopy (again), RE said he can now see right tube (yay!)
5/12- Stint removal, 6/12 repeat SHG and HSG-both tubes are open!
8/12- IUI #4 Bravelle = BFN
9/12-IUI #5 Bravelle = BFN
1/13- IVF #1, micro-flare protocol, 7R, 6F, 5dt of 2 AA embryos, 1 to freeze = BFP
Beta #1: 176, Beta #2: 422, EDD 10/8/13- it's TWINS!
*PAIF/SAIF always welcome*
My daycare had staff/child ratios that were better than state minimum standards, so all children were definitely getting the time that they needed. All children had exercise time with appropriate play equipment, only one classroom on each type of equipment at a time. The children would move between rooms as they grew - i.e. infant room, toddler room, pre-K and K. Classrooms had appropriate and stimulating developmental toys. infant/toddler rooms had a no shoes inside policy, and all rooms had a hand-washing policy when anyone would walk in the door (parents included). There was an in-house kitchen with healthy age-appropriate meals prepared, and allergies taken into account. There is so much more I loved about the center that i worked for, and I know part of the excellence was that it was a corporate daycare, but if I can find a center with the majority of these qualities that I love, I will be satisfied.
We already have a daycare so I am not help in when to look, we waited until AFTER our DD was born and she was placed in daycare at 10w, right when I went back to work.
Here are the things I would look for though if you are going for a facility rather than an in-home or nanny situation:
1. What's the child to teacher ratio (most states have a mandated max, be sure they aren't exceeding it)
2. What kind of curriculum is offered? Our daycare has a lesson plan for all children ages 18m to pre-school. The infants actually have individual lesson plans.
3. What's the turn-over like, how does the staff feel about working at the daycare.
4. Do the children seem happy when you visit?
5. What kind of outdoor play do they have and how do they work on physical as well as mental and emotional development? This is important for later.
6. How do they deal with discipline issues (like hitting, biting, kicking etc), also important for later on
7. Do they offer meals? and if so what kind?
Overall you should get a good feel from the director- don't be afraid to ask questions like how many students enroll and un-enroll per year (that will indicate whether parents are happy there), how many teachers/employees leave for other positions (again that will indicate whether the employees are paid enough and whether they are treated well). Also, find out what the attendance and sick policy are (some places if the kid has even so much as a snotty nose they are sent home).
I think that covers it.
Exactly this.
I have a cousin in town who had a baby in daycare here awhile back, and I asked her for some recommendations. She said she put her DS on a waitlist in her 2nd month of pregnancy and the center didn't have a spot for him until he was 6 months old. YIKES.
BFP #2 7/18/11 - EDD 3/29/12 - Born 3/13/12
BFP #1 4/4/11 - Natural M/C - 7w1d - 4/30/11