How to Prepare Your Baby for the First Day of Daycare

Sending a baby to daycare can be challenging, because of all the emotions tied up in this milestone. Parents often feel conflicted, knowing that it’s the right decision for their family but feeling reluctant to hand their precious little one over to strangers. If you’re going through this, understand that it’s normal to feel a mix of emotions, including anxiety, guilt, and self-doubt. However, it’s just as important to remember that you are not abandoning your child to strangers, but opening the door for many positive experiences for your baby, while also doing the right thing for your family.

Understanding Readiness and Daycare Adjustment for Babies

By the time your little one is starting daycare, you’ve already done substantial legwork. You’ve researched daycare centers and found the one that best fits your family situation. Be confident in that decision, as you move forward, knowing you’ve made an informed choice based on your family’s needs. But is your little one ready? It can be helpful to try to get a baby into a state of readiness before you make the transition. While there’s not much a baby needs to “do”, there are some questions to ask yourself to determine whether your baby is ready.

• Is your baby on a predictable feeding schedule?
• Does your baby take a bottle from people other than you?
• Is your baby’s sleep routine well-established?
• Can your little one fall asleep in different environments, with more background noise than at home?
• Does your baby tolerate being handled by people other than his or her primary caregivers?
• How does your baby react to changes in routine?

Easing Baby into Daycare: Step by Step Baby Daycare Transition Tips

Now that you better understand readiness, how can you get your baby ready for this big step?

• Work on your little one’s routine, so that sleeping and eating patterns are predictable enough for a caregiver to manage.
• Practice leaving your baby with other people, whether that’s grandparents or a sitter.
• Allow other people to give your baby a bottle, so he or she will be amenable to receiving food from someone else.
• Consider making the transition gradually, starting with part-time care and then moving to full-time.
• Visit the daycare before the first day, to familiarize yourself and your baby with the environment and all those new faces.
• When you pack your baby’s bag for daycare, be sure to include multiple changes of clothing, bottle supplies and breast milk or formula, and maybe a comfort item, like a blanket, to help baby feel more at home.

What to Expect the First Week of Daycare

During the first week of daycare, you can expect some separation anxiety — on your part as well as your baby’s. There may be tears, too, again, from both your baby and you. This is perfectly normal, but don’t let it derail drop-off. When you drop off your baby, don’t sneak away, and don’t linger. Stick to the middle ground, giving a loving but brief goodbye, and leaving confidently, even if your baby is crying. It may seem heartless, but those tears are not likely to last for very long, and it’s all a part of adjusting. Your baby may be overtired in the evening, or even fussy, as he or she adjusts to the new, busy schedule, so be patient. Keep the lines of communication open between you and the daycare providers, so that you will know what’s going on with your child.

How Just Children Works with Families, Making the Daycare Transition Easier for Baby

At Just Children, we know that leaving your baby in the care of others can be stressful. That’s why we strive to be a support system for your family, providing individualized care and attention to your little one and open communication to you. In a loving and enriching environment, babies and toddlers thrive, as they begin to explore the world around them. Beyond scheduled feedings and naptime, we offer interactive play with toys, textures, sounds, and colors, to stimulate their senses and help them develop new skills. Our dedicated caregivers make sure out babies are safe and feel comfortable, so that soon, dropping them off at daycare will be a happy event.

Now Sure How to Start Baby in Daycare? Contact Just Children for Help

You can count on Just Children to help you make good choices for your little ones. Founded in 1983, our family-owned, fully-licensed centers provide a unique learning environment where we help children build the skills they need to succeed in life. Our year-round programs in Bucks County, Philadelphia, and New Jersey are convenient for working parents, and we design every program with age-appropriate activities that allow kids to learn, grow, and explore. We’re dedicated to creating a worry-free experience for parents while enriching the lives of children and providing a safe, nurturing environment with the highest standards of care, creativity, and learning. Visit our website to find a location convenient to you, or contact us to ask questions or schedule a tour.