Whether you're a stay-at-home mom or a working mother, sending your baby off to daycare can be a traumatic experience. You find yourself leaving your baby in the care of strangers, even if they are qualified. It still means that you will miss precious hours of your baby's life. However, if you're a working mom, returning to work can be rewarding as well as necessary to sustain your family's quality of life.
Being prepared for this type of situation can oftentimes make a big difference in the quality of the experience. Once you know that you have done everything you can to make your baby's daycare experience a happy successful one then you can rest assured that your baby will have all that he or she needs. There are a few things that you can do as a parent to get your baby ready.
One of the first things you can do, and probably the most important, is becoming familiar with the policies and procedures required by the daycare. Most daycares have a manual for new clients explaining the basics. Usually there is a section saying whether or not meals are provided, where to park, important security details and the daycare's hours. Along with that there might be information on times when it is appropriate to keep your child at home, how to label bottles and food, and the daycare's disciplinary policies. Be sure to ask any questions before your child's first day.
It is imperative that you know the phone number for your daycare's main office, the phone number for your child's room and his room assignment. Should the director of the daycare have his or her own extension or phone number it is a good idea to keep that number handy or saved with other important contact information just in case you need to discuss a problem with them that can't be worked out directly with the teacher.
You may receive a list from the day care of essential items to bring with your baby on the first day. This list may include items like blankets, bibs, a pacifier, extra premised formula or breast milk, diapers and wipes. By having these items packed you'll have one less thing to worry about on your first day. Just about all of the items your baby will need can be found at Babies R Us. It's almost like a mother's dream world. They have just about everything from diapers and clothes to toys and formula.
Make sure to finalize last minute details. Once you're a week or so away from your child's first day of daycare, review materials that have been provided to make sure that you have completed all of the necessary paperwork. The paperwork could include verification of required immunizations, a doctor's note for required medications or authorization for emergency medical transportation. It would be in your best interested to have this paperwork completed and submitted before the first day in order to avoid any unpleasant surprises.
