![]() Since 1997, we have been a family owned and operated daycare with a professionally trained staff that assists you in understanding and enhancing your child's development. Ideally, you found a daycare that meets your needs and communicates effectively, but it never hurts to advocate for your baby and to check in regularly as you build trust with the daycare caregivers.Welcome to a Fun and Exciting Child Care Centerĭay By Day Discoveries Daycare offers quality child care services for the Luxemburg Casco School District, Red Smith and Holy Cross Schools and areas. And some daycares send a constant stream of status updates while others have more of a “no news is good news” policy. The most successful strategy is this: As soon as you arrive at daycare, have a straightforward handover and make a quick exit.Įvery daycare is different, with a wide range of approaches to development, sleep, and nutrition. If your baby is in tears, sticking around only makes it worse, in most cases. Saying goodbye ends up being more emotional, which causes unnecessary distress for the baby. Often, this happens because parents don’t expect to experience separation anxiety themselves, and they inevitably feel a tinge of fear and sadness over leaving their baby. One of the biggest mistakes parents make when starting daycare is dragging out the first-day dropoff. Even better: connect with families who are sending their babies to the same daycare. If you haven’t, find a local parenting support group-ideally with similarly aged kids or with families in similar circumstances-so you can process this mental load with others in the same situation. Parenthood contains multitudes, and sometimes that means being both excited and anxious about this step.Īlthough no one should be made to feel shame surrounding their childcare decisions, guilt is a very real emotion that comes up at this stage. It’s not only OK to have mixed feelings about starting daycare, but it’s incredibly common and completely normal. Often, parents spend so much time worrying about how their baby will handle the first day of daycare that they forget to process their own readiness for such a milestone moment. Just be sure to label everything-you don’t want a beloved stuffie or onesie to get lost in the shuffle-and have the daycare bag stocked the night before so there’s less risk of forgetting things amid the morning rush.Īlthough it may be tempting to spend way too much money on ordering fancy, personalized labels, masking tape and a Sharpie usually do the job! (But nothing irreplaceable, like a beloved heirloom blankie!) Of course, you’ll want to consult your daycare for their recommendations, but parents typically send bottles of breastmilk or formula, diapers, wipes, and some spare clothes on a daily basis. They’ll only be at daycare for the day, yet you’ve got luggage fit for a two-week journey? It happens! It can be hard to know what to stash, but a good rule of thumb is to stick to the essentials with a few familiar, soothing items thrown in. By transitioning gradually, you’re helping your baby acclimate to their new routines.Īnother way to help your baby practice independence is to introduce self-soothing techniques, like distraction or the use of a pacifier, especially if they’ve exclusively relied on you to comfort them. Reach out to your daycare provider to gather details on the daily schedule they plan to follow, including nap and feeding times, and then-if you’re able-begin adjusting your baby’s sleep schedule to align with what’s to come. Instead, make gradual changes over the course of several weeks leading up to your baby’s first day. ![]() Starting daycare shouldn’t feel like a flipswitch. Pretend to take a nap in the nursery area, ideally in whichever crib is designated for them.Īllowing your baby to see, smell, and touch their new surroundings-with you there for added comfort-will help make daycare a familiar place on Day 1. Have them sit in the high chair for a snack. Let them explore the toys in the playroom. Set up some time in which you and your baby can be in the daycare space together. Visualization is a very real tactic for preparedness. Your little one may not have strong opinions yet (at least about anything other than eating, pooping, and sleeping!), but it’s worthwhile to take steps to ensure that starting daycare is a good experience for them. Thankfully, there are plenty of ways to prepare for your baby’s first day of daycare so that everyone-your little one and yourself included-can feel ready. ![]() ![]() Whether you’ve been dreading the first day of daycare or counting down the days (no judgment!), it’s still a major transition that may feel impossible to get right.
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