If you know that you will be returning to work after your baby is born, choosing the right facility for your young baby can be terrifying. It is important to remember that research has established that about one out of every six babies under the age of a year attend daycare centers, while many others have informal, family or home-based child care arrangements. Given that daycare workers are only allowed to care for a few babies at one time, there are frequently waiting lists for popular facilities. Therefore, it will be a good idea to ask the following questions when determining where your infant will be cared for when you need to return to work, so that your baby can go on the waiting list for the right daycare center, if necessary.

#1-What Are The Guidelines For The Sleeping Area?

One common concern for many new parents is the ability to personalize the sleeping area of their baby. For instance, you have probably picked out the bedding and mobile that your new baby will use at home. However, although daycare centers typically have some mobiles and they will obviously have blankets, many parents bring in duplicates of the items they have at home.

By doing so, there is a continuity that babies often benefit from as they mature. In addition, you can also be sure that your child is the only one who has ever used the sheets, blankets and other items that you have provided.

#2-How Are Items Cleaned?

The good news is that there are standards in place in each state that govern how toys, floors and other items commonly used in daycare centers can be cleaned. One common option is to use diluted bleach to disinfect items that have been washed in hot, soapy water. However, there are rarely any guidelines for the use of specific laundry soap or fabric softener on items like washable blocks, stuffed animals and cloth books.

If your pediatrician advises the use of a hypo-allergenic laundry soap or fabric softener, you may want to ask each daycare facility what type of laundry cleaners they use. If it is not the type of product you plan to use, it will be helpful to ask if they could use the products you provide for any items you expect your child to come into contact with. This will be especially useful if you do not provide and wash your baby's bedding.

#3-How Much Communication Do Parents Get?

It only makes sense that you will probably be given daily sheets to let you know when and how much your child has eaten during the day, when they slept and how many diaper changes they received. In addition to that information, many new parents benefit from getting more specific input from their baby's caregivers.

For instance, if your child will be on both formula and breast milk, you may want to know the type of bottle consumed at each feeding. As your baby gets older and starts to teethe, the symptoms could show up in daycare before you notice them at home. Although colic rarely occurs during the day, some children have that fussy time at daycare. Ideally, the daily sheets should have observations about any unusual mood or behavioral changes.

In conclusion, choosing the right child care facility for your baby can impact both the baby and you in a variety of ways. As a result, it is important to ask the above questions when you are considering the different daycare centers in your area. Contact a company like Youthland Academy to get started.