Schedule for daycare

PsyDr04 · April 2012

DS is starting daycare on Monday (insert crying here). Fortunately, I won't be going back to work until June probably but we are starting him to prevent losing his spot and to help us both gradually adjust to leaving him there. The daycare director said to bring a schedule so they know when he naps, eats, etc. The problem is that I EBF and feed on demand so I can generally say "eats every 2-3 hours" but can't give them specific times to feed him. Naps are a similar story. He generally takes about a 20 minute nap sometime between 9:30 and 11 and then a longer afternoon nap starting sometime between 1 and 2, but there are variations of course.

I'm wondering if any of you ladies had to provide a schedule to the daycare and how specific you made it?

kms34 · April 2012

I didn't provide anything. Like you, we feed on demand and watch his cues for naps. We don't have a set schedule for DS2 at all during the day.

DCP has been watching kids long enough so I let her do her thing. She'll feed him when he's hungry and let him sleep when he's tired. We can all work to get him on a schedule when he's older.

In your situation I would just say he eats about every 2-3 hours and naps X times a day. Keep it vague.

Thinkerbelle80 · April 2012

I can say my baby is on the exact same "schedule" as yours! At my daycare, they said they can either feed on demand/cue or on schedule as you prefer. If you trust they will read his hunger cues, I would just tell them to give a bottle every 2 - 2.5 hrs (playing it safe) and to put him down for one nap in the AM and one in the PM just reading his sleepy cues.

megaloo27 · April 2012

I have worked in infant rooms before and that is what every baby is like. Just tell them 2-3 hours and how many ounces. With naps you can tell them as needed and if there is an amount you don't want LO sleeping over (like 3 hour naps). They are around babies all day and are pretty good at seeing what your baby needs. Some babies have a flexible schedule and some don't. My baby is down to the minute by her schedule! I think she is going to be a type a personality, lol.

LaurdaJean · April 2012

At the daycare I worked at, unless they were on a defined schedule, most infants' paperwork said "on demand" and parents would write down cues for us to go by. I would suggest speaking to the teacher(s) one on one and explaining the schedule just like you have here.

SoonToBeMsP · April 2012

I didn't give my DCP anything. She gives me a sheet each day with DD's schedule (when she eats and how much BM she gives, when she sleeps and wakes, when she has a wet/dirty diaper, etc), so now we know the general schedule DD keeps.

Don't worry about it if you don't have one

talitha712 · April 2012

We just told them she eats about every 3.5 hours, but she can eat anytime after 3 hours if she is acting hungry or sometimes will go as long as 4 hours. She naps when she is tired, usually 2-3 naps in the morning and 1-2 in the afternoon before we pick her up. This past week was our first week in daycare and this has been fine for them.

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Schedule for daycare

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