Tuesday, January 20, 2015

First Time Day Care Checklist

As you all know, Delilah starting day care was by far the most stressful part of me starting work. I wanted to put together a checklist for you mommas who are about to put your little one in day care and who need somewhere to start with the essentials you may need to ease the transition. 

I hope this helps!

Name Labels :::  I bought these as soon as I starting looking for a job. You have to label everything and I love these because they are dishwasher safe and super cute! I slap one of these puppies on just about everything I buy for Delilah.

Nap Mat ::: Oh the nap mat! I was not going to be ok, unless Delilah had a flippin nap mat! I found a few I liked, then stumbled upon this one which I loved! The owner of this shop is so wonderful to work with. She responded to my questions, was willing to make what I wanted, and shipped the mat within 2 weeks, just in time for Delilah's first nap ;)



Backpack ::: I had my eye on this backpack for.ev.er. As soon as my gracious husband gave me the green light, I bought this thing faster than you can say "ca-ute"! We use it everyday and has turned into her diaper bag, it goes everywhere with us.

Lunchbox ::: I love this company, I love what they make, and I already have a backpack and lunchbox picked out for my future children. End of story.

Bento Boxes ::: This isn't a necessity, but I knew I didn't want to put all of Delilah's food in ziplocs (for money and waste reasons)  and this was just what I was wanting. I ended up buying two, and in all honestly, I wouldn't buy the outer box again. The little sets are perfect and fit in her lunchbox perfectly. 

Sippy Cups ::: At Delilah's day care, they ask us to bring one milk cup and one water cup. The water cup stays in the class all week, and we bring it home on Fridays. I love these sippy cups and these straw cups.

Probiotics ::: The thing that everyone told us about day care was how sick Delilah was going to get, and holy shit were they right. We have developed quite the relationship with our pediatrician over the last 2 months, she even gave me a hug after we brought Delilah in for mysterious rash/virus #3. I have always taken probiotics and bought some for Delilah but didn't keep up with giving them to her. Until now. She is on day 8 of antibiotics for an ear infection, and I decided now was a great time to start giving them to her. There have been recent studies showing children who take mixed strain probiotics not only get sick less, but when they do get sick, it is much shorter. Also, antibiotics wipe out all bacteria in your body, good and bad, and I wanted to try and keep Delilah's system as regulated as possible. We use this kind, but any will do. Just make sure there is more than one different strain. I give her 1/2 teaspoon in her milk everyday. 

Comfort Objects ::: Delilah's "fuzz" goes everywhere with us, including day care. I wash it at least once a week. 

Extra Blanket ::: I have one particular bad memory from a day care being freezing, so I tote along an extra blanket for Delilah's nap time.

Wipes, Diapers, Sunscreen ::: I also bring vaseline and and other skin ointment I feel she needs. 

Extra clothes ::: Including pants, shirt, jacket, socks, and a hat.

Pictures ::: Hopefully your day care has family pictures eye-level with the kiddos. We will be walking out of her classroom, and she will point over to her poster and say "Dada!". 

Deep Breaths ::: Dropping off your baby, no matter how young or old, is difficult. I cried in the car on my way to work for a good week. It took Delilah 2 weeks to stop crying when I left. But now? I literally have to pick her up and sometimes bribe her to go, she loves it. I will say, that if she wasn't as happy as she is there, I would have changed schools or quit my job, but I feel very good about where she it at. So, trust your instincts! I know there have been times where she has cried and wanted me, but those times are shadowed by the fun she is having and everything that she is learning. So take a deep breath, relax, and enjoy a silent drive to work, or where ever it is you are going ;)

Snack ::: We are still struggling with Delilah eating well at school. Not sure if it is all the distractions, or maybe I am picking everything she doesn't  like for her lunchbox. Regardless, she is starving when I pick her up, so I always have a snack waiting for her in the car. 


Our daycare doesn't provide breakfast or lunch, so I am on my own, failing at picking, and misjudging, what my child wants to eat. I think about what I am going to feed her a lot, and have gotten a few tricks up my sleeves. I will post breakfast and lunch ideas at a later time. In the meantime, I would love to hear about what you pack for your little one's day.

(Side note: I will never look at another picture of a baby/toddler the same way again, now that I am a mom. You and I both know, there is someone on the other end of that camera acting a fool trying to get that baby to smile.)




xoxo


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