Going through daycare is a crucial stage for a child. There he will discover many new experiences that he will not be able to experience if he stays at home with a family member until he is around three years old. It will be his first schooling and his first opportunity to have friends of the same age. Parents should trust that the experience is as rewarding for them as it is for the baby. Later, the school will arrive and with it, other new experiences for each child.
There are many aspects to consider to start looking for child care for the baby. When parents look for daycares, they will logically look at all the facilities and the staff that cares for the little ones, but they should also pay attention to the details.
- The space available to children, the material at their fingertips: toys, blackboards, cribs or pillows for naps. It is also interesting to visit the bathrooms and check if they are adapted for babies who already begin to have some autonomy.
- Observe the safety elements: plug protectors, fences to prevent accidents on stairs, stops in windows and doors. At this point, parents have an important “work” of observation and “investigation” before choosing a specific child care, so it is advisable to start looking for it well in advance is always a good initiative.
Although everything depends on the place where the family lives and the existing offer, as a general rule it can be considered 3 – 4 months as a reasonable period of time to have enough room to find the ideal child care for a baby. Surely the parents will have to visit at least two or three, and in each one of them, they will have to make an appointment that allows them to meet the responsible for the centre, tour the facilities and ask all the questions that they consider appropriate.
How to choose the right child care facility
- Baby’s age: A baby of a few months does not require the same attention as one that already exceeds the year or a year and a half. The facilities and the program of activities should always be adapted to the needs of each child.
- The location. The child care chosen by the parents should be comfortable when carrying the baby. They may like one that is close to their home or work or maybe close to the home of the grandparents who are the ones who pick up the baby. The proximity of the centre is always important to any unforeseen event. Busy Bees offer child care in Kensington. It would be wise to check them out if your live in the area.
When choosing the best child care for the baby, parents should also assess the basic information regarding the prices and schedules of the nursery, taking into account whether the centre offers the possibility of overtime.
Each case is different, and there are no fixed deadlines either to start looking for daycare or to decide when to take the child to one of them. Even so, it is advisable to allow enough time to find just the daycare centre that parents want and not take the displeasure of not having a place in the chosen centre. Parents should keep in mind that some child cares are very requested, and it is not surprising that they open their period of reservation of places almost like schools, one year in advance.
