When will you be starting child care?

Question

Going to check out a day care facility today. Any advice for things I should be looking for?
He will be 3mo when he starts. Average hours a day will be between 10-3

He isn't even here yet and I have to plan for someone else to watch him while me and my husband work :(

Also what is the average cost for day care where you live? 
This facility is $150wk

Answer

I have a HUGE family lol so I don't need daycare, I want my baby to always be surrounded by family. And plus I'd be terrified of what sort of illnesses my baby would get or bring home from being in a public daycare.

Answer

I started at 8 weeks with the first, 12-13 weeks with the second. I went a month early with the first so ran out of leave faster than planned, plus I was able to telework some with #2 to extend my time.

We opted for the subsidized daycare at work, which is still $267/wk for infants. In my area that was about half what other comparable places charged and I had to get on the waiting list pretty much as soon as we found out we were expecting. Other centers had 1-2+ years waiting lists, ours was still 6-9 months even though it was mainly for employees.  We also liked that ours provided 2 snacks plus breakfast and lunch once the kids started solids so we didn't have to provide meals, which is becoming less common. We also get a weeks vacation credit every 6 months with at most 2 weeks at a time, which is really rare in the daycare industry.

I'd ask about food options as they get older and curriculum (mostly reading and practicing tummy time or sitting and standing as infants).  Some centers include meals, some don't. If they do, find out how they handle dietary restrictions.  If they don't, how and where is the kids' food stored and can they reheat food?  How do they handle allergies and medical emergencies? What happens if there's an emergency and they need to evacuate? If you'd like to cloth diaper, is that something they're ok with, not all centers are.  What are their procedures for breast milk storage and feeding?  Can you visit any time?  What are their security measures to make sure kids leave only with authorized adults?  How do they communicate with parents about what's going on in the center: activities, maintenance issues, safety concerns, emergencies, illness or injury in the classroom?  What are their policies if your child is sick?  Feeding and napping schedules at infant v toddler v older (there shouldn't be a schedule for infants, it's generally a good thing older than that).

Answer

I started my son at 7 weeks. My leave was unpaid so I had to go back to work pretty immediately, and everyone in our family works the same hours as my husband and I do (M-F between 8-4:30) so daycare was our only option. My husband works 4am-12pm so I drop off our son when I leave at 7 and he picks him up around 12:30. At our facility, less than 6 hours is considered part time so we pay the part time fee of $188/week. If he was more than 6 hours it would be $230 weekly. Phoenix AZ

Answer

$150?! Cheapest around us is $350-400 in a house daycare and up to $700 (or even more) in a reputable daycare. This is for full time 40 hours a week though. I'm hoping to find a good daycare for around $450-500. #welcometoBoston

Answer

I have to start even my son is 6 weeks. I sadly can't afford to be out of work any longer than that .  thankfully my babysitter Now offers a discount on siblings

Answer

I worked at the daycare my daughter goes to, the rate is 115$ a week but I get assistance through a program and it ends up being 37$ a month (I am extremely low income because I'm in college). Most places will give you a tour or you can ask specifically where the infant room is. Daycares tend to have half doors so you can look over and see how the staff cares for the children, if the room is clean and safe, in Texas daycares have to have a board up with an activity schedule (yes, even for infants), emergency information, fire escape routes, storm safety routes... basically all the stuff you'd find at a school. You might want to look up what early childhood centers are required to have set in place where ever you live if you want to get really specific about it. In short, just check to make sure staff is friendly but not fake and that the rooms are clean and safe for baby.

Answer

Average for southern Indiana (Big Ten college town) is $140-180ish/week for full time care. If you want Montessori or something else specialized, you're obviously going to pay more. My daughter went to daycare starting at a year and it was $120 full time.

When will you be starting child care?

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