Returning to work is just one of the reasons to enroll your child or baby in daycare. No matter the reason, most parents will agree that those early childcare days are the most challenging. It’s normal to feel anxious, worried, and guilty when you leave your child for the first time.
The days leading up to the first day of childcare can be challenging. In order to overcome stress and worry about your child’s first day, what can you do to prepare yourself and your child? What does a parent need to do to get organized? Is there a way for a breastfeeding/formula-feeding mother to feed her child while at childcare?
Contents
This Article Examines What Parents Can Do to Prepare Themselves and Their Little Ones for Daycare.
Parents should consider the following before enrolling:
- Locate the center in a convenient location, and make sure that it is affordable and of good quality.
- Be sure to tour the facility before enrolling. Keep an eye out for potential issues and ask lots of questions.
- You should feel 100% assured that this is the right center or provider for you and your baby.
After Enrolment is Complete, It is Time to Begin Preparing for the First Day.
The parents should do the following before the first full day:
- If your baby hasn’t been with anyone else for extended periods of time, leave him or her with a family member or friend for a short time. This will help them understand that their parents will return after they leave.
- If the baby is exclusively breastfed, it may not be convenient for the mum to pop into the childcare center to feed her baby. Instead, mums may need to consider organic baby formula or expressed milk as alternatives.
- Provide babies with a familiar toy or comforter that they can take to childcare.
- If necessary, express and freeze extra breast milk.
- Put labels on everything!
- Schedule a time for the ‘settling-in’ period. The best way to prepare for childcare is to have a settling-in period, before the first full day.
- Make sure your baby’s daycare bag is packed the night before. The baby bag should contain at least one change of clothes, nappies, sunscreen, comforter, dummies, and any other items needed for the first day.
- The night before, prepare the bottles by sterilizing and labeling them.
- It is best to avoid making work commitments or other plans if possible, just in case childcare staff cannot settle the baby.
Preparing Formula for Daycare
There are many rules to follow when preparing a formula for your child. The following are some examples:
- Make sure you follow the baby formula instruction on the label when preparing it, as the measurements vary from brand to brand.
- To prepare the formula only boiled water or distilled/purified water
- Make sure that all bottles are sterilized.
- Water and formula should be used in the correct proportions.
Make sure you discuss these guidelines with the childcare provider before the first day of care and before pre-making a day’s worth of bottles. It’s best if your childcare providers can mix the bottle on the spot so it’s fresh.
Final Thoughts
It is stressful for any parent to leave their child in the hands of a stranger. The first day of childcare can be stressful, but with a bit of preparation, you can feel organized and less stressed.
There is no need to feel guilty, nor should you worry. You can choose childcare for many reasons, but you can be sure that your little one will have fun and make new friends in a safe environment.
Get organized and prepared to start daycare, which will remove stress from you and your child.