Signing up for daycare NOW

pillowdrunk · October 2015

I thought my friends were joking when they told me I should consider getting on waiting lists before I even get a bfp. I called a few yesterday and was told to expect to wait up to a year. I'm on the upper east side in nyc and there are lots of families here but I was still shocked. I'm a first time mom so I really didn't know anything about this. Does anyone else have to deal with this?

izzyp25 · October 2015

I started calling around to get tuition prices to see what places we can even afford so that we could start to do tours and get on the waiting list somewhere. Most that our near our home and my work are looking at $400+/week or like $1700+ a month and I just can't with those kind of numbers. I have no idea what we are going to do. We live in Baltimore City and most in-home daycare's in the city scare me.

adiaz132003 · October 2015

This is why DH and I made the decision for me to be a stay at home mom cause if I went back to work and put the baby in day care, after tuition I'd only bring home $300-$400 a month and to us it was worth losing that few hundred if it meant we could give undivided attention to our little one.

matthewsdm · October 2015

I'm hoping to keep this little one home with my for a while (luckily I work from home) because otherwise we'd have three in day care at once and be spending a small fortune! We just moved last year and had the same issues with having to be wait listed to get our two DD's in anywhere that was good.

I'd definitely recommend touring each place and talking to the directors and teachers. One thing my daycare teacher friends told me to ask was about the turnover, the longer employees tend to stay, the better the daycare usually is!

Good luck to you in your search!

candicek15 · October 2015

There are many in home daycares in my city that are likely more affordable, but I work on a university campus and it would be SOOOOO convenient to bring baby there. Downsides: $1700+ per month and a 1.5 year waitlist! *sigh*

Lilwatz · October 2015

Our daycare has a one year waitlist as well. I put #2 on the waitlist this week to make sure it's open when I go back to work (12 weeks pp).

Good luck!

alylove11 · October 2015

We do in home daycare, but I believe my MIL will be watching #2. DD will be old enough to be on preschool/daycare all day long.

berky84 · October 2015

My organization provides low cost (still not positive how low) daycare/preschool. I think I'm going to call on Monday to schedule an appointment to check it out and learn more. I have no idea how long the waitlist is....

pillowdrunk · October 2015

I work for a university and their subsidized daycare is salary based, which I think is totally fair, except the the ranges are pretty steep! It's still more reasonable but it works like this: 0-100k a year pays $1440 a month 100k-200k pays $1870 a month, 200-300k pays 2300 a month. I feel like they should probably break it down by at least 50k.

I'm going to check them out next week and I'll probably put myself on the list regardless. All of the other places around here cost over $2100 a month so I guess I just have to deal with it. Or move!

redheadbride15 · October 2015

Oh God, I totally need to be doing this too and it didn't even cross my mind! I'm pretty sure daycare is competitive and expensive where I live. I really haven't started thinking about it at all... One more thing to stress about.

mahliac · October 2015

I've been researching, luckily I'm a college student so my school provides child care for a great price on a rolling basis

PressLove · October 2015

Wait lists are REAL!!! I was on a list for DD. Then, three mom's at that school were PG. We got bumped.

Space finally became available after a year. Luckily, we had found an alternative that she loves.

NLewis1 · October 2015

Holy cow. You ladies must live in expensive places! I love DS's daycare and it's the second most expensive in our area. For newborn to 1 year old it's $195 a week, so about $780 a month, and that decreases by $10 a week each year they get older. I will be paying $1480 for a newborn AND a 2 year old per month, that's like what some of you ladies are paying for ONE kid! Holy smokes!

Lyzza350 · October 2015

NLewis1 said:
Holy cow. You ladies must live in expensive places! I love DS's daycare and it's the second most expensive in our area. For newborn to 1 year old it's $195 a week, so about $780 a month, and that decreases by $10 a week each year they get older. I will be paying $1480 for a newborn AND a 2 year old per month, that's like what some of you ladies are paying for ONE kid! Holy smokes!

Where are you from? I can tell you in NY the prices are what the pp mentioned. That's a great price! Time to move lol jk

youenjoymyself · October 2015

The school that my daughter goes to has a 13 month waiting list. Luckily, since we're already in, we're guaranteed a spot for #2. The joke around here is to apply before you ovulate.

sorarose · October 2015

When #2 comes, I will be SAHM because it just makes more sense financially. With that said, I am considering sending DS to preschool a couple days a week for a few hours in the fall. I also might tutor to make some extra cash and offset that and the mortgage.

lm45678 · October 2015

We have to apply early too... We are saving up for me to take 6 months off so our LO will start in January 2017, I'll probably start looking soon and sign up the end of the year.

I haven't even had my first doctors appointment yet!!!

NLewis1 · October 2015

Lyzza350 said:

NLewis1 said:
Holy cow. You ladies must live in expensive places! I love DS's daycare and it's the second most expensive in our area. For newborn to 1 year old it's $195 a week, so about $780 a month, and that decreases by $10 a week each year they get older. I will be paying $1480 for a newborn AND a 2 year old per month, that's like what some of you ladies are paying for ONE kid! Holy smokes!
Where are you from? I can tell you in NY the prices are what the pp mentioned. That's a great price! Time to move lol jk

I'm in Wyoming, so I doubt you want to move here lol. Most people are like "oh hell no", but we love it!

cattlebride · October 2015

I think daycare both prices and availability are very regional. We live in a farming community so most women are farm wives etc so if a mama doesn't become a sahm usually a close relative is. Day care for our region wountnt have to be estanlished until after baby was born. I could see why in the city though you'd need to prepare way in advance.

anna.oskar · October 2015

Moving from Jersey to S. Dakota always strike me as my wisest life choice. But then I get shocked that an A+++ day care out here only costs $170 a week!

MamaNicoleof3 · October 2015

anna.oskar said:
Moving from Jersey to S. Dakota always strike me as my wisest life choice. But then I get shocked that an A+++ day care out here only costs $170 a week!

I grew up in Aberdeen! Where are you?

arosemong · November 2015

izzyp25 said:
I started calling around to get tuition prices to see what places we can even afford so that we could start to do tours and get on the waiting list somewhere. Most that our near our home and my work are looking at $400+/week or like $1700+ a month and I just can't with those kind of numbers. I have no idea what we are going to do. We live in Baltimore City and most in-home daycare's in the city scare me.

I am in Maryland as well! Outside of city. Try woodhome prek in parkville or go on sittercity or care.com to find a nanny! I nanny in perry hall PT to make some extra $ ! There's a lot of good daycare providers

@izzyp25

Miss84 · November 2015

I'm in the DC area of Maryland. I've been researching some daycares and talking to colleagues at work about it. Most have hired Nannies or do in-home daycare because the prices/wait lists are ridiculous here. I'm overwhelm by it all. Would love to be a SAHM but financially we can't do that right now.

HarrytheHorse · November 2015

I, too, looked into day care this week. I'm lucky because my employer contracts with one on-site -- but there's a long waiting list! I was shocked when they told me the monthly rate for an infant. It's nearly as much as my mortgage each month! Hubby has been crunching numbers on whether cutting his schedule to part-time would make more financial sense. (He's always wanted to be a SAHD.) I knew babies were expensive -- I think day care is a huge part of that.

Emztron500 · November 2015

I live downtown in a fairly large city in Canada and all the daycares here charge way more than basically all my other monthly bills combined. I didn't even get to the waitlist stage, I was so horrified by the prices! We ended up having to go with a private dayhome in the suburbs for my now-18-month-old. The first one we tried was awful and I feel horrible about how long she spent there, but her current one is amazing. She's well taken care of in a loving home for $400 a month (3 days a week only as I have flexible hours) and it works for us.

anna.oskar · November 2015

MamaNicoleof3 said:

Moving from Jersey to S. Dakota always strike me as my wisest life choice. But then I get shocked that an A+++ day care out here only costs $170 a week!

I grew up in Aberdeen! Where are you?

@MamaNicoleof3 I just saw this, Sioux Falls!

Sugarbooboo · November 2015

Good for you! I really think I want to stay at home as well. My mom was a part time at home mom, and my sister and I benefited so much. I appreciate how lucky we were to have her raise us that way. I'm so thankful. I actually work in a daycare, currently in an infant room. And I LOVE it! I feel each family knows what is best for their children. I support daycare, I support stay at home moms. I love the idea of staying at home with my child. I think my husband and I will be discussing this topic a lot in the next few months.

meggyme · November 2015

We'll be relocating only a few months after I have the baby, so not knowing if I'll need day care or be able to get it affordably is a major stressor for me. I'd like to keep working but this puts a lot of things up in the air all at once. I'm actually considering taking the first 6 months of baby's life off work to be able to figure it out while we're getting settled. Haven't brought that up to DH yet though.

MamaNicoleof3 · November 2015

anna.oskar said:

MamaNicoleof3 said:

anna.oskar said:
Moving from Jersey to S. Dakota always strike me as my wisest life choice. But then I get shocked that an A+++ day care out here only costs $170 a week!

I grew up in Aberdeen! Where are you?

@MamaNicoleof3 I just saw this, Sioux Falls!

Too fun! We live in Fargo (well, just across the border in MN

), but hi, fellow SDan!!

arteduc8 · November 2015

Ugh, this stresses me out! I'm a full time teacher and need to decide if I keep working FT or put in for PT. If I do, I need to do that by March at the latest. Even if I do go PT, I would be working half days and still need daycare. My mom lives nearby and watched my sister's 2 kids (still does b4 and after school, they are elementary aged). But she told me a year ago (even after hounding me for years to get PG) that she won't be able to do the same for me. I'm bitter over it. My sister doesn't pay my mom and its saved her thousands over the years. I'm selfishly angry over this. I feel like if I keep working, all my pay will go to childcare. But we need my benefits....

NicknShan · November 2015

An infant here is just over $300 a week... We just signed up Friday.

sunshineday1 · November 2015

I've started calling around, prices in my area range from $1700-$2100/mo and you do have to get on the wait list early. But only one center (the most $$$ one) is open past 6pm. I usually leave the office between 6-6:30 on a good day and I don't think I could cut my hours. Not sure what we're going to do. So expensive and so inconvenient

seabandsforall · November 2015

Also getting on a wait list in the next couple of weeks in SF Bay Area. There is a serious shortage of inventory here in terms of infant daycare. Luckily my husband and I each get 4 months paid leave so we have some time before February 2017 (God willing).

amangels2 · November 2015

I just found my daycare. It's 275 a week for full time. But I got a good feel from this place.

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Mrs. H

Crohn's Dx: August 2008

Endometriosis Dx: May 2010

Married: 05/19/2012

TTC #1: June 2013

BFP: December 2013

DS: Born 08/29/2014

TTC #2: July 2015