What to look for in a daycare?

It was the first day of her daycare, she was too excited, all dressed up and ready to go out. Little did she know that it was her first day of daycare; she was only one. It is that phase of the parenting journey where you have to go back to work, leaving the, till now, inseparable part of you with someone else for a few hours. It is not easy, as you would have hundreds of questions, concerns and doubts in your mind. What if the caregiver is careless, what if they do not pay attention to her hunger or sleep cues, what if the child does not adjust, what if the child gets some sort of trauma staying away from me, am I being selfish? Your mind has the capability of taking you from some minor what ifs to the worst case scenarios in just a few seconds. It is very important to stay strong and stick to the relevant and practical questions, rather than being on the downward spiral.

Let us look at some pertinent points, to consider while finalizing a daycare-

1.    Do a thorough policy check- Do a thorough policy check in terms of the guidelines, the routine followed, emergency protocol followed, ratio of child to caregiver. Whether CCTVs are installed, does the daycare provide live feed or what is the provision to check the CCTV recordings? Is there any male staff member? What kind of activities are included in the daily routine, whether the daycare uses any digital learning mediums. 

2.    Keep in mind that the daycare should not be located quite far from your place, so that you can reach easily in case of any emergency. Also lot of people suggest that daycare should be near your workplace but how are you going to handle the days when you are sick and would not be going to office or if you plan to work from home, those are the days when you would need to somebody to take care of the baby. Look at all these aspects in terms of the location.

3.    Visit the daycare multiple times before finalizing, and at different times of the day- It is recommended that both the parents visit the daycare multiple times before finalizing the daycare. Do not be hesitant in asking any questions or concerns. Try to understand the routine that is followed and how the daycare plans to accommodate your kid and its routine. How does the meals and meal time work? Things that need to be packed in the daycare bag. Ensure the layout and setup is free of any hazardous construction.

4.    Get some reviews from other parents- Try reaching out to some parents. Visit the daycare at a time when the parents come to pick up their kids, talk to them. Check out the reviews on social media sites, check the relevant parenting groups and get the reviews, try to get a sense of the reputation of the daycare.

5.    Drop by without notice- There is no harm in dropping by without notice to check upon your kid, how he/she is being treated. You can ask the daycare manager to show the video recordings randomly, if there is no live feed.

6.    Talk to the caregivers- Try to talk and get as much information as possible from the care giver, helps you get an understanding of how the kid is doing, what is the routine like in daycare, how the care giver is handling etc. 

7.    Trust your instinct- As a parent, esp as a mom you have to trust your instinct. If something does not feel right, you act on it. If you feel the kid is dull, withdrawn or notice any impact on health, you got to notice the cues and act to resolve the problem.

8.    Do not hesitate to change- I know it is difficult for the baby to get adjusted in a daycare and to change to start all over again. But if you feel things are not going right for the long run, you should go ahead and accept the change. Kids are resilient, they will eventually adjust.

9.    Be prepared for small hiccups- You are bound to encounter hiccups in this journey, once the kid starts going to daycare he/she is bound to catch some infection from other kids. Be prepared for this.

It is not easy to leave your kid who still needs all the attention and care with somebody else. So do not be hard on yourself. But give it some time. You are bound to go on a guilt trip every now and then. Try to stay strong during these times. Most important, always trust yourself as a parent. If you are not comfortable with a caregiver or daycare so be it. At the end of the day your mind need to be at peace when you leave your child.