Daycare questions

Re: Daycare questions

• amyliisa

  December 2011

  el_twirpo:

  i go back to work next week, which means i'm sending the kid to daycare. they left 2 messages on my work phone (luckily, i can access work voicemails via email) just to confirm the start date and tell us how excited they are to have DS with them. they've been closed last week and this week, so i can't really call anyone prior to starting.

  i have a lot of little logistical questions. bear with me.  

  "re: breastmilk, should i make all bottles for him and also send a little extra milk?" 

  This is what we did. I would send 3 five-oz bottles a day, and they'd send the empty bottles home each day for cleaning.  Plus, I brought 1-2 bags of frozen milk for them to keep on hand in the freezer, just in case. 

  " can i just send an unopened package of diapers and wipes?"

  And this is what we did. Our place has a big cubby for each baby so the pkg of diapers fits in there.  They can keep the whole pkg in there and separate from the other babies'.

  "how many extra outfits of clothes should i pack? do i need to label all his clothes?"

  As an EBF'd infant that young I think I sent 2-3 outfits for the season (long sleeve, pants and short sleeve, shorts or onesies. And maybe a sweater or jacket).  I labeled all of his stuff - each piece of clothing, bottles, pacis, etc. In fact there are several signs posted in the infant room and reminders on the daily notes to label all belongings.  We've been sent home with other kids' jackets and vice-versa before!

  "besides a swaddle blanket and a paci, he doesn't need much else to nap. do i have to label these too? and if so, how do you label a paci"

  I would. I just found a small spot on the outside of it (the side that doesnt touch his lips/skin) aand wrote his initials in Sharpie. 

  is there anything i'm missing??? 

  I cant think of anything else.  Good luck with the transition - it will be pretty hard at first but will get easier, I promise! 

  
  
  
  
  
  
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• HSartteach member

  December 2011

  I think you can send one big bottle of milk with some empty bottles so they can measure it out. 

  I used to send a whole package of diapers with his name on the package.  L had his own "spot" on the shelf for his diapers, nasal bulb, etc.  As for wipes, we were told to bring a specific brand and what size--all parents had to do the same.  They would have one case out at a time--wipes were "community".  Does that make sense?

  I sent 2 extra outfits.  I think I had them in the bag that I brought back and forth everyday.  I labeled the ziplock they were in, not the clothes themselves.  I think I had his initials on the tag of his blanket, but only because I saw the same one with another child.  I never labeled his paci, but he didn't have it for very long.

  You might want to send an aspirator and whatever type of rash cream that you prefer.  Other than that, I can't think of anything else.

  Oh, and this was advice given to me that I didn't think I would need, but I was soooooo glad I did it.  I had DH go with me the first day of drop off.  I thought I would be strong enough to do it alone, but I wasn't.  So, if possible, have DH go with you.  He'll be there to give you hugs if you need them when you walk out the door.

  GL
  

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• MrsBeckO member

  December 2011

  el_twirpo:

  re: breastmilk, should i make all bottles for him and also send a little extra milk? or send a couple bottles empty and a separate container of milk for them to measure out themselves?

  **It is much easier on the teachers (coming from an infant teacher's perspective) if you send prepared bottles for the day and keep a couple extra frozen bags in the freezer for days where baby either doesn't finish a feeding in the time before it has to be tossed (one hour in tx from the start of the feeding) or eats more than you expected to in one day. when you have 6-8 kids in a room, being able to just put the bottle into the warmer and get right to feeding is invaluable. just fyi.  

  i've heard some people label all their diapers. can i just send an unopened package of diapers and wipes?

  **you should ask about community vs personal wipes. we do community wipes unless a child has an allergy and needs their own wipes, in which case the wipes pkgs are labeled. we have 2-3 parents who label their diapers for us, but we label the rest when they are brought in. we have to label every single diaper in our facility, but check with yours to see what their policies are on that. 

  how many extra outfits of clothes should i pack? do i need to label all his clothes?

  **label ev.er.y.thing. seriously. everything. and we require at least 2 complete changes of clothes per kiddo, but its a good idea with the tinies to have a few more. they spit up or blow out more often than the bigger babies. 

  besides a swaddle blanket and a paci, he doesn't need much else to nap. do i have to label these too? and if so, how do you label a paci?

  **first, find out if your facility allows any type of blanket to be in the crib with a baby less than 6 months old. ours does not allow any loose blankets, only swaddle blankets with velcro closures can be used in the crib before 6 months, per our state rep's interpretations of licensing requirements.

  **if your paci has the round plastic part in the middle, there are tiny circle sticker labels you can use to put your lo's name on it, or you can attach a binkie clip with your child's name, or if you are able to, just put initials on the outside or the handle piece... it depends on what kind of paci you use.  

  is there anything i'm missing??? 

  **did they provide you with a list of supplies for new enrollments? for example, our new families have to bring in a family photo for us to hang in the room, a board book to donate to the class and 2 waterproof bibs to go into our community stash. Other than that, we provide sheets, bowls, spoons, burp rags, etc. It varies from school to school though, so ask for a supply list. 

  Hope your first week back to work is smooth and easy! Good luck!  

  
  
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• flymansWife

  December 2011

  our daycare said they didn't care how i brought the milk so at first i just took big gallon size bags full of 3-4 oz portions. he was only eating 2-3 portions while at daycare (DH has an odd work schedule and DS is rarely there all day). his room only had 3 kids when he started (himself included) and he was the only BF baby so i didn't feel like it was a hassle for them to deal with the BM/prepare bottles. now there are 4 kids and room seems a little more hectic, i send 1-2 bottles of prepared milk (and we supplement with formula as needed).

  we don't have to label diapers or wipes. each kiddo gets a bin under the changing table and we just keep his in there.

  we only have to have one change of clothes. i keep it in a ziploc bag that has his name in the bin under the changing table.

  DS was mainly using soothies when he started daycare. we always send his paci's on a clip (boogin head clips), and i labelled the clip. now he has a bunch of avent pacis so we bought some of those paci stickers.

  otherwise, we don't really have to bring much else. our daycare washes bottles too if you want them to. we always bring ours home though and i hand wash and frequently use them to pump into.

  good luck!! 

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• jml5q

  December 2011

  good luck with the transition next week! 

  re: breastmilk, should i make all bottles for him and also send a little extra milk? I send premade bottles, at first i sent 4oz bottles and when they told me he could take more i made 5oz bottles. i also kept a few bags of frozen milk in the freezer just in case.

  i've heard some people label all their diapers. can i just send an unopened package of diapers and wipes? i just bring in a bag of diapers with his name on it. i don't label them all.

  how many extra outfits of clothes should i pack? do i need to label all his clothes? I try to have 2 extra outfits there, but usually only end up with 1 because i forget. I don't label his clothes because the room is small and when they take his clothes off they put it in his bag. i did this with DD too and have never lost any article of clothing.

  besides a swaddle blanket and a paci, he doesn't need much else to nap. do i have to label these too? and if so, how do you label a paci? We take a blanket, my daycare said they couldn't use swaddle blankets b/c they couldn't pin their arms down. I labeled the paci with a tag label from my pack of mabel's label. you could always just write on it with a sharpie.

   

  

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• el_twirpo member

  December 2011

  thanks, everyone, for all your help! i should probably get on top of ordering some labels with DS's name on it.

  MrsBeckO:

  **did they provide you with a list of supplies for new enrollments?

  we paid $250 at registration that covers supplies for the year. not sure exactly what those supplies are, but i assume it's for shared/community items. since we got in so late in the game (through my SIL whose kid is in the 2 year old room), we really didn't get much paperwork except tuition amount and when it's due. i thought they'd be sending us a school calendar and a list of supplies and whatnot.

  i can't even remember if i saw cubby holes when we walked through, but there were definitely designated spaces for each child's stuff at least near their cribs.

  guess we'll find out next week!!! 

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