Daycare for children is a very tough decision for Parents. Leaving their kids with unknown people is very hard. Parents leaving in nuclear families suffer from this problem a lot. Sometimes, the situation comes that one parent needs to stay at home leaving his/her job.

This situation generally happens when a working mother’s maternity leave comes to an end. So like many other mothers, daycare seems to be the best option for their precious little one. Are you stuck up in the same situation? Are you planning to leave your kid at Daycare?

Finding a perfect daycare can be an annoying thing as you have to visit the number of places and ensure which will be perfect for your kid. Today, in this article, some tips are shared which will help you in choosing the right daycare for your child.

 

Steps for finding Right Daycare :

While looking for good day cares follow the steps given below:-

• Identify your Priorities:-

First of All, make a list of key things which you are looking at in the daycare. Decide whether you will like daycare with few kids or with many children. Also, decide well before the location of daycare. It should be near your work place or should be close to your home.

After you have decided these factors then search out some good daycare center’s near or around that location.

 

• Do your Research:-

Shortlist a handful of Daycare centers from your list after asking about them from friends or relatives or you can check their reviews online. Always check their working hours as it should match your working hours. Make sure that pick-up and drop time should be convenient for you.

 

• Visiting the Shortlisted Centers: –

Check the shortlisted center by visiting them, Ask for the past and present references. They may not provide you the list for their clients but there is no harm in asking. If provided, try to meet at least 1-2 parents of this list.

You can ask them the questions like why they selected this daycare for their child. And what they like and dislike about this daycare? They can solve your queries and can give you satisfactory response.

• Test it with your child:-

Take your kid to the daycare and spend few hours there with your child. Prepare him with full excitement that the daycare is a place to make friends and to play with them all day. Also, observe how child and caregiver interacts.

You will notice the child is not happy initially but see how caregiver is trying to make him comfortable. Leave the child alone at daycare for a few days before you join your work. This will help him settle and will get familiar with it.

 

• Final Selection of Daycare: –

Plan the mode of travel. Plan accordingly if the child has to be sent to school from day care or need to be picked up from school.

 

Special Tips for the Infant Care :

If you have an infant, here are some important tips that you need to take care of:

• See if caregiver is experienced in taking care of babies or not?
• Does she speak with baby? She should sing and read to babies.
• Is caregiver patient with the baby?
• What schedule do they follow for baby’s meal and nap times? (As advised by you or they perform on their own)
• What caregiver feels about weaning, toilet training, feeding, etc.?
• Does the day care have appropriate lightning and noise level?

 

How to keep watch on Daycare? :

Once your child start going to a day care, be involved and keep you aware to every changes in policy or management. After regular interval have meetings with care giver and keep asking questions. Make surprise visits to the day care. Inform the caregiver if your baby is not well at night or didn’t sleep well.

You can also ask them to share photos, videos of kids, if possible. Always be open with caregiver if some changes are needed.

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Happy Parenting!