Infant & Toddler Daycare Advice
Sending your child to daycare can be difficult, but it can also be very beneficial for your child. Many parents need infant child care, and making the transition can be tough. If you want to know more about making this transition easier while keeping your baby healthy, talk to Dr. Moemeka, your Coppell pediatrician, today.
Transitioning your child to daycare
Before sending your child to daycare, there are a few things that you should try to do before his first day.
Start a consistent feeding schedule & bottle feed
At daycare, your baby will need to be bottle fed, so practicing a consistent schedule and adapting to the bottle itself will help make this transition much easier for your little one.
Vaccination Requirements
In Texas, there are vaccination requirements for public childcare. However, even if you’re going the private route, you should vaccinate your child to protect him from any illnesses he may risk exposure to. Childcare is a great resoure for many people, but an increased number of children means an increased risk of exposure to illnesses.
Vaccines protect your child and your community.
Ease into childcare
If you’re putting your baby in childcare, you may consider trying half days at daycare before you have to go back to work. This can help make the transition easier on you as the parent and on your baby. Understandably, if you’ve been home with your baby for months, handing your precious little one to someone else and leaving can be really emotional. Because of this, starting early and easing into it can make the process easier.
Research
Research daycare facilities and in-home providers in the area to find the one that is going to be best for you and your baby. Be sure to find a place that fosters creativity, healthy development, socialization, and compassionate care.
In all of your research, don’t ignore your gut instincts. You know what you need to do for yourself and your baby better than anyone. So, if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to talk to Dr. Moemeka.
Ask a lot of questions
Feel free to ask as many questions as you need to in order to feel comfortable leaving your baby with someone else. Some questions you should ask are:
- Who will be involved in the care of my child?
- What are your policies on ill children?
- How do you screen your caretakers?
- Who watches my child in the case of an emergency where the assigned caretaker cannot be present?
- How much notice will you give me for days off and vacations for the caretakers?
- What will you feed my child?
- Are you CPR and first-aid trained?
This list is not exhaustive, and you should ask as many questions as you need to feel comfortable. If you need an advocate in the process or want to make sure you are asking the right questions and protecting your baby, talk to Dr. Moemeka.
If you have questions about childcare and community health, call Mark9 Pediatrics today at (972) 325-2005 or request an appointment online to reserve your appointment with Dr. Moemeka today.