@midwestbaby I was thinking of sticking with my old daycare for the first year and then switching later maybe( especially since I had booked them when I was 13 weeks pregnant). My old boss actually bumped everyone on the waiting list for me... so I doubt I would just send our baby immediately to this center... but I am definitely going to go look.
@Allisun85 I was thinking the commute is normal... but with traffic it could be more like 2 hours ugh... guess we will see I can always switch later.
@Katm89 one thing to consider - if you're not going to work because you're sick, etc how far is the daycare from your SO's job? And how annoying would it be to drive there then home if you're sick?
@Curls919 it would be the same distance from his job as it would be mine because 91 is right next to the daycare and so it would be a straight shot to his job instead of having to take 84 to 15 south to 91...
@Katm89 I kept DS in a daycare, despite it being much more inconvenient, because I was much more comfortable with it. The peace of mind is definitely worth it for me. With that said, be open minded when you go to the place today, because you may find you really like that one, despite not knowing the workers personally.
@Curls919 it would be the same distance from his job as it would be mine because 91 is right next to the daycare and so it would be a straight shot to his job instead of having to take 84 to 15 south to 91...
@Katm89 I agree with that you should definitely keep an open mind about your tour today. I personally think I would prefer to have the daycare closer to my house. Even though you are close with the other daycare, time and convenience matter too because that would be about an extra hour or more a day of driving with baby in the car. Hopefully the workers at the one close are great as well. If you go today and don't have that "feeling", then I would consider the daycare farther away. But of course, you should do what you feel most comfortable with.
I wouldn't want to spend all that extra time in the car, so if I liked the one closer to the house, I would probably go with that. Our current daycare is less than a mile away, and it's so nice to be able to not have to add a bunch of time onto my commute, plus that's just more time you get to spend with your kiddo
Update on the tour yesterday. One thing I liked is that they are always overstaffed. I did not like the floor plan of the daycare because you walk immediately into the baby room. Also, my old boss's daycare has a infant rule that you must take your shoes off in their area because they crawl and touch the floors. This daycare had no such rule. I also noticed they move kids up to the next room even before they are crawling... which can be good "sometimes" in my experience this is often done for money because they want to accept more infants... although sometimes it can benefit the child and they learn to crawl faster... that being said they are a target for the older more mobile kids and get hurt even with constant supervision. So then they move up to a room for 2-3 year olds( they separate them into two separate classrooms) which I felt could be a pain if your kid is separated from their friends... could be good though if children don't get along... They have no kitchen.... which I thought was weird. My old boss's daycare has a kitchen and the 2 yr olds are expected to learn to drink from an open cup and sit at the table like big kids... and it allows them to watch the older children and mimic. Then there comes the matter of the teachers... none of them said hi to me while I was touring...
The assistant director said they time shift through out the day... so not one teacher is a constant all day long...
Then the playground... it had fake grass and pavement... no dirt or grass.... or an actual jungle gym... It seemed very "toddler" like. I loved working in an environment where the kids played in the dirt and wood chips and kind of experienced nature... as I am telling all of this to DH ( since he wasn't with me) he told me he thinks I'm biased... and maybe I am... but it kind of made the decision for me. I will atleast be dealing with the longer commute for the first year... we will tour together later to re-evaulate.
@Katm89 - some of those things seem normal for me (no kitchen, teachers coming in fresh partway through the day, etc) but some of what you posted is a deal breaker. The no shoe thing. When DS was first in daycare at 3 mos we put him in a place that was changing their policy to a no shoe baby room. I realized after we had some other issue a month in that they had not yet changed their policy and we were tracking in snow, ice melt, etc from outside (it was dec/Jan) and kids were crawling and rolling around on the dirty floor. That would make me go running from this place you just toured.
@Curls919 I agree most of what I was picky about were not deal breakers... I think its hard because I know so much more about how things are run at the daycare I worked at. I know their faults as well as their strengths.. and its hard for me to walk in and not know how they "actually" do things. They may be an amazing center... I just realized that my old center feels like home... DH called me out for being emotionally invested in our child attending where I worked.
@Katm89 it seems like, either way, you're just more comfortable with the other daycare, so I totally get your decision to go to that one. Sending your LO to daycare is hard enough, having that extra comfort makes a big difference! Some of the things you mentioned wouldn't be a big deal to me (kitchen, playground, etc), but the shoe thing would definitely be a concern.
@Katm89 I agree with @Curls919 The shoes in the infant room would be a deal breaker for me. It sounds like this place was worth touring though, because it made you that much confident in going with the daycare you know and trust.
*TW Spoiler*
DD: Aug '16
10/2017: Twins confirmed with TTTS at 22 weeks. 10/10/17 Twin B passed after in utero placenta surgery 11/2/17 Twin A & B born 11/26/17: Twin A passed after 24 days fighting in the NICU Benched 6 months BFP: 6/28/18 MC:7/16/18 BO BFP: 10/2/18 EDD 6/15/18
Re: Randoms 7/18
@Allisun85 I was thinking the commute is normal... but with traffic it could be more like 2 hours ugh... guess we will see I can always switch later.
Update on the tour yesterday. One thing I liked is that they are always overstaffed. I did not like the floor plan of the daycare because you walk immediately into the baby room. Also, my old boss's daycare has a infant rule that you must take your shoes off in their area because they crawl and touch the floors. This daycare had no such rule. I also noticed they move kids up to the next room even before they are crawling... which can be good "sometimes" in my experience this is often done for money because they want to accept more infants... although sometimes it can benefit the child and they learn to crawl faster... that being said they are a target for the older more mobile kids and get hurt even with constant supervision. So then they move up to a room for 2-3 year olds( they separate them into two separate classrooms) which I felt could be a pain if your kid is separated from their friends... could be good though if children don't get along... They have no kitchen.... which I thought was weird. My old boss's daycare has a kitchen and the 2 yr olds are expected to learn to drink from an open cup and sit at the table like big kids... and it allows them to watch the older children and mimic. Then there comes the matter of the teachers... none of them said hi to me while I was touring...
The assistant director said they time shift through out the day... so not one teacher is a constant all day long...
Then the playground... it had fake grass and pavement... no dirt or grass.... or an actual jungle gym... It seemed very "toddler" like. I loved working in an environment where the kids played in the dirt and wood chips and kind of experienced nature... as I am telling all of this to DH ( since he wasn't with me) he told me he thinks I'm biased... and maybe I am... but it kind of made the decision for me. I will atleast be dealing with the longer commute for the first year... we will tour together later to re-evaulate.
DD: Aug '16
10/2017: Twins confirmed with TTTS at 22 weeks.
10/10/17 Twin B passed after in utero placenta surgery
11/2/17 Twin A & B born
11/26/17: Twin A passed after 24 days fighting in the NICU
Benched 6 months
BFP: 6/28/18 MC:7/16/18 BO
BFP: 10/2/18 EDD 6/15/18