Infant Day Care/ Questions to ask

mahalo3 · August 2014

We are starting to look at a couple day cares. Some are in home day cares and some are business type day cares. What questions do I ask? We already know the prices and that these places accept infants at 6 weeks, but what do I ask? "Do you shake babies?' "Have there been any Ebola outbreaks in your facility?" I want to make sure they will care for our baby as if it was their own, and make sure the place doesn't smell like pee, but I just feel like I need to sound more prepared and authoritative.

KMommytobe · August 2014

I think there is a questionnaire that you can print put on babycenter.com. I don't have the link though, sorry.

t8keepr03 · August 2014

I would go with your gut when you visit we got some bad vibes from a few we visited and both walked out saying nope. Also, visit the place but don't call ahead just show up and ask to have a tour and see the infant room and speak with the teachers. A great daycare won't mind a surprise visit. If they ask you to come back or set up an appointment I would be extra causeous. I used to work at a daycare and we always welcomed surprise visits. A surprise visit shows you a lot and you catch them in their everyday normal behavior. As far as questions go I walked in without any in mind and just see what they told me. After I would write down questions as I thought of them and then went back for another surprise visit and asked if I could ask the infant teachers some questions I thought of. They didn't mind at all and actually said they were glad I did that!

mommie2bof6 · August 2014

I worked in severa ldaycares. Some suggestions would be find out what their rule is putting baby to sleep. I quit some jobs because they thought it was okay to proo bottle let baby sleep in boppy wit bottle in mouth. Ask about sick policy. I had directors allowing kids with 101 temps to stay. How often toys are cleaned. This is a big one it takes one kid with hand foot mouth to be spread through a nursery if toys are not cleaned properly. Ask if babys share beds. Allowed to sleep in swings. What ratio is baby to adult most places is 4 infants to one adult. Ask about cpr and universal precautions. If they have schedule or if they will allow baby to remain on your schedule from home. How often are diapers changed and where and what those procedures are. If you intend to breastfeed make sure they know proper way to heat up breastmilk. I was left with a newbie employee one day and had to use restroom she decided to take it upon herself to throw a bottle of breastmilk into the mircowave. Aghhh same week she threw out three bottles because the milk had a greenish tint. We had to explain to mom what happened and to worker that she was a vegetarian and due to eatting more green foods then most her milk had greenish tint. At home daycares are another thing if not licensed watch ratios and don't leave baby carseat I have visited a few who decide its okay to leave a newborn in seat all day. Some real nightmares. Hope this helps

alicb · August 2014

Make sure they are licensed by the state (if it's a home daycare). I would ask about CPR training for all staff. What days they consider "holidays" and how they work if your child is sick... you usually have to pay if you don't give more than 48 hours notice. I would ask for a "typical day" schedule and I would make sure that they keep track of what the kid did that day... ie poop, ate, etc. I would also ask for references and follow through and call the families. Some of my friends day cares have video cameras (with logins) so during the day they can check in on what the little on is up to, I would *love* that if I had my kid in day care.

My mom ran an home daycare when I was growing up and the parents had the craziest stories of other day cares. My mom still keeps in touch with some of the kids from her daycare, they were like family.

umbcpt · August 2014

If you use an in home daycare (we always have), ask about vacations (how much they take off paid per year (most are 1-2 weeks) ad how much notice they give prior to vacation. Honestly, we just tried to schedule ours the same times as the daycare's. Not ideal, but better then scrambling to find care for your child when your daycare is closed. Also, ask about what holidays they are closed...most are closed federal holidays, but we used one daycare that was also closed for Ramadan (sp?), and where I work, we are open for Columbus Day and Veterans Day, so it took some planning.

As as previous poster stated, trust your gut, get references, and pop in unexpected!

Valentino2013 · August 2014

I'm a preschool teacher ( in a center) so I meet with prospective parents all the time. Ask any questions you feel you need to. Most teachers are happy to answer anything at all. I've heard them all. You can ask things like: How do you comfort a crying baby? or What do you do if a baby is upset? How will you engage the baby while he/she is awake? Also ask to see other classes so you will have an idea of where your baby will move as they grow.

But please do not drop in on a center. Its just bad manners and shows a lack of respect for the center, director and teachers. I promise I do not do anything special for tours or prospective parents. I always act as if a guest could walk in my classroom at anytime. Also my director may have meetings or other tours and its rude to have someone walk in with out calling first. After your initial meeting you can request to drop by another time unannounced. But for the first meeting please make appointments.

lalans · August 2014

If you are in a earthquake/tornado prone area also check about their evacuation and reunification plans. Not all states mandate the day cares have those policies in place.

SNail312` · August 2014

@mommie2bof6‌ PERFECT list. I'm a preschool teacher that often works in the infant room. I was going to write almost the exact same thing. I am going to stress stopping by unannounced. The great teachers will encourage it and won't be intimidated by it. I do agree that calling for an initial tour is a good idea, but ask if you can stop by to talk to the teachers randomly. Should prevent most issues!

nauticalmama · August 2014

If possible, ask for references of other parents who currently use the facility. They'll probably have mostly good things to say about the place, given their children currently attend, but they'll have some real insight. You can ask then what they like/dislike about the place. Sometimes people have the most obscure things to say that might really matter to you but you never thought to ask.

srcr2011 · August 2014

My aunt ran an awesome in her home day care for 30 years. She has a camera set up and she let the parents veiw the tape if they felt needed. Knowing that gave parents peace. If a kid got hurt and she did not see it happen, she always went back to the tape and was able to let the parents know exactly what happened. I would ask if the facility has something like this.

Meagano19 · August 2014

Thank you for this thread! I'll be referencing here when we start touring facilities.

laura*sean · August 2014

Emergency procedures. Do they have rolling cribs in case of fires? How often do they practice? My daughter's daycare at a false alarm due to smoke from a burnt grilled cheese sandwich and it was nice to see how prepared they were. They even sent pics of them outside to the parents while the fire department inspected before bringing the kids back in.

Vacation and sick policies. How long do you have to pick up a sick child? Might affect whether you pick a place close to home or work.

jmszmidt · August 2014

You can go to state licensing and they will print out places for you and i think they gave me a questioner thing too. But at least you know these places are licensed and stuff.
Or there might be a print out online too

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