Understanding Child Care

3 Ways To Prepare To Bring Your Baby To Child Care

2 October 2017

Victoria Jimenez

When it's time to go back to work after being home with a newborn, it's normal to feel a bit anxious. Even when you know child care is the best choice for your family and your baby will be in competent, loving hands, you may feel overwhelmed or nervous. In order to counteract this feeling, it's a good idea to be as prepared as possible before bringing your baby to child care for the first time. Here are a few ideas to try:

Schedule a Long Visit to the Child Care Center

While you most likely visited the daycare before signing up, it's still a good idea to schedule a longer visit before you officially start bringing your child. Ask for a meeting with the infant care supervisor or perhaps the teacher who will be spending the most time with your baby. This will give you a chance to ask any questions you have and give more detailed information about your child, including their feeding and nap routines. Feel free to make special requests to help ease the transition, such as asking if you can leave a favorite blanket or toy with your child. 

Transition Slowly if Possible

If you still have a few weeks before going back to work, consider scheduling several practice runs at the child care center. Instead of leaving your child there all day, schedule an hour or two of daycare, and build up to a half day and then a full day. This more gradual transition will help your baby adapt to their new routine and to the unfamiliar environment. It can also be helpful for you, making the first day you go back to work feel more natural and less emotionally taxing.

Schedule Extra Time

Bringing your child to daycare every day instead of just driving straight to work can be a huge adjustment, and definitely requires advanced planning. If you run late you will only end up feeling frazzled and stressed out. Instead of only calculating the basic drive time to daycare and to work, schedule extra time for chatting with the daycare teachers, helping your baby get situated, and unpacking their bottles, extra clothes, and diapers (unless you are leaving their diaper bag with them).

Allow yourself a little extra time if you think you will be emotional after you leave, so you can collect yourself before you go into your office.

Following these tips and preparing ahead of time for child care will make the transition much easier for you, your baby, and the rest of your family.

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