@casperthefriendlybeeb try to do walk through during the day! We went to some places where people literally acted like the children weren’t there. I was also very mindful of looking around for safety hazards (safe sleep, baby gates closed, baby proofing, no obvious choking hazards). No joke we went to some pretty terrifying places, and they were LISENCED ! Also if you have Mom and baby boards locally get some honest feedback
@grebretso another vote for the city mini! I was able to get the double, with the car seat attachment, pram and attachments for $400 second hand and in perfect condition (we are an active family so spent all our money on the chariot which I also LOVE) so you don’t always have to buy used
Ask about sanitation procedures (toys, crib sheets, etc), teacher to child ratios, turnover rates, milk/formula storage, how often they diaper, and what their sick policy is. @casperthefriendlybeeb
Our RainbowBaby H arrived at 37 weeks on 12/20/16!
Baby E arrived at 37 weeks on 01/31/15!
Married my Marine 05.23.14
*TW* TWIN LOSS 7.2.15 BFP 9.7.15 CP BFP 12.31.15 MC 2.28.16 BFP 10.14.17 CP BFP 3.10.18 D&C 4.13.18
@lifeislove87 Oh yeah I am definitely getting the city mini, it looks awesome and has great reviews from pretty much everywhere. I was mostly asking if the bassinet was necessary, and for my needs I think it is. I’ll get a Chicco KeyFit car seat with an adapter too so we can use it as a travel system (NOT getting the Baby Jogger brand car seat, it has terrible reviews), but I’ll probably use the bassinet more since I don’t drive.
DS born 2/18/2019 DD born 4/1/2023 Baby #3 EDD 11/21/2024
@grebretso With my daughter I loved the bassinet too when we would be at friends houses and she would fall asleep, it’s actually great as a portable bassinet on the go
@becks_726 Most carriers will work with a babywearing coat, and you can use oversize coats and blankets too, if you don't want to splurge on a coat.
Many areas have baby wearing organizations that have libraries that you can check out different types of carriers and learn how to use them and what works best for you. I would search for something near you.
My best tip for babywearing in the winter is baby legwarmers. I love them in general, but when you have baby in a wrap their pants ride up and their legs are exposed. Leg warmers cover the gap and keep their socks on. They are the best!
Thanks @wifemomme! I've got my eye on a few places to test out carriers so hopefully that's fruitful. And great tip about legwarmers! They are so so adorable.
The incidents I've heard with carseat/sleeping/suffocation were all when the carseat was taken out of the car and placed on the ground and not attended to. The car seats are designed for use in the car, not on the ground. I would assume they would be safely designed for use with the travel system as well, but I don't have any EBP for that.
@grebretso I'm planning the exact same setup as you: Chicco KeyFit car seat, since that got really good reviews on Consumer Reports, and the City Mini stroller. I hadn't even looked at strollers until today except for running strollers, so I'm glad you brought that up! The City Mini looks like a real winner.
Totally agree about being careful with sleeping in the car seat! I was (and still am?) the kind of mom who checks his breathing constantly. I still go check that he's still breathing before I go to bed at night and he's 18 months old because I'm a lunatic. My kid is also not one who will sleep if anything is happening around him, so he didn't nap in the car or while we ran errands at all because he was too interested in everything happening around him. Made for some sprinting through the grocery store lol.
We're definitely interested in the City Mini double this time around - is there a car seat adapter for that one too @kayjay44? I'd love to be able to click new baby in on one side and have DS sit on the other.
We did one walk thru at the top rated one in our area and they had a 3:1 child to caretaker ratio. Another place we didn’t see in person yet has a 4:1 ratio but is $500 less a month. Do you think the 3:1 ratio is worth the $$$? Honestly had no idea how much daycare costed before this and our minds are blown...
@casperthefriendlybeeb - It's insane. Our infant room has a 2:1 ratio, but 4:1 is what is required by law (for under a year). Honestly, as long as it's 4:1, it wouldn't bother me.
@casperthefriendlybeeb yeah I'd say 4:1 is totally in my comfort zone. I used to work at a center with infants and it was very rare that all 4 needed something at the same time or that I couldn't get to one because of another. If it was the case they'd send in my assistant or an aid to help.
Our RainbowBaby H arrived at 37 weeks on 12/20/16!
Baby E arrived at 37 weeks on 01/31/15!
Married my Marine 05.23.14
*TW* TWIN LOSS 7.2.15 BFP 9.7.15 CP BFP 12.31.15 MC 2.28.16 BFP 10.14.17 CP BFP 3.10.18 D&C 4.13.18
@kayjay44 Totally insane! We live outside NYC the 3:1 place would be $26,400 a year for this little guy. Looks like we will be a one child household...
@casperthefriendlybeeb - I work in Seattle, but live north of the city and we have childcare in our hometown. If I had childcare in Seattle proper, I'd be looking at similar rates to that. It's unreal.
@becks_726 Our hospital offered a few that we took. I think going with my SO to the breastfeeding class was the most useful because it involved him in that whole thing and made him understand a lot of the issues that might arise (all of which did for me).
We also did a whole Saturday class on labor and delivery that I found helpful as an anxious new mom in that it gave me information to replace vague fears. I don't however think any of it in the end was actually particularly useful to my situation, mainly because we learned all these things about handling labor pain at home and I ended up having to be induced and just got an epidural
Re: Ask a STM
*TW*
TWIN LOSS 7.2.15
BFP 9.7.15 CP
BFP 12.31.15 MC 2.28.16
BFP 10.14.17 CP
BFP 3.10.18 D&C 4.13.18
DD born 4/1/2023
Baby #3 EDD 11/21/2024
Many areas have baby wearing organizations that have libraries that you can check out different types of carriers and learn how to use them and what works best for you. I would search for something near you.
My best tip for babywearing in the winter is baby legwarmers. I love them in general, but when you have baby in a wrap their pants ride up and their legs are exposed. Leg warmers cover the gap and keep their socks on. They are the best!
We're definitely interested in the City Mini double this time around - is there a car seat adapter for that one too @kayjay44? I'd love to be able to click new baby in on one side and have DS sit on the other.
BFP 6.8.2018 EDD 02.18.2019
We did one walk thru at the top rated one in our area and they had a 3:1 child to caretaker ratio. Another place we didn’t see in person yet has a 4:1 ratio but is $500 less a month. Do you think the 3:1 ratio is worth the $$$? Honestly had no idea how much daycare costed before this and our minds are blown...
BFP 6.8.2018 EDD 02.18.2019
BFP 6.8.2018 EDD 02.18.2019
*TW*
TWIN LOSS 7.2.15
BFP 9.7.15 CP
BFP 12.31.15 MC 2.28.16
BFP 10.14.17 CP
BFP 3.10.18 D&C 4.13.18
In toronto we have a validated assessment measure we use to score programs. This one is specifically for infants 0-18 months, these are items we look for that indicate high quality. Feel free to check it out: https://www.toronto.ca/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/9618-aqi_infant_guidelines.pdf
@AshleySparkle720 Thank you- that is very reassuring!
@cass06_07 love this sheet- will definitely print and take to the next wall thru
BFP 6.8.2018 EDD 02.18.2019
We also did a whole Saturday class on labor and delivery that I found helpful as an anxious new mom in that it gave me information to replace vague fears. I don't however think any of it in the end was actually particularly useful to my situation, mainly because we learned all these things about handling labor pain at home and I ended up having to be induced and just got an epidural