How can I choose the best daycare for my baby?

Key points:

1. Consider location, reputation, and environment when choosing a daycare.
2. Verify safety, emergency procedures, and cleanliness.
3. Check schedules, activities, personalized attention, and communication with caregivers.
4. Ensure proper licensing, staff training, and positive atmosphere during visits.

If you have decided to return to work, you’re probably looking for a good daycare for your baby. Here are a few pointers to look out for to help you find the most suitable one for both of you.

X

Tips for choosing a daycare

• If location is important for you, look for a daycare close to your house or workplace.
• Research the daycares that get your attention and make sure they have a good reputation. Schedule a visit to each of them and try to talk to the parents of children attending the center. You can do some research online too! 
• Make sure that the environment is warm and friendly. Make sure that the people that work there are loving and affectionate towards the children. Also, check to see if there’s one caregiver for every 3-4 infants and 4-6 caregivers for older children; it is better when they have fewer children in their charge.
• Verify that the daycare is organized and has a suitable administration. It should have established opening and closing hours, but be flexible about the time you drop off and pick up your baby.
• Ask about their first aid and emergency procedures. Do they have a separate nursery room for kids that may have some kind of contagious bug, like the flu?
• Review their naps and meals schedule, analyzing whether they are suitable for your child.
• Ask about diaper changes. Little ones must get changed often to avoid rashes.
• Ask about the activities they carry out during the day. They should be stimulating and developmentally appropriate for your little one.
• Make sure that the environment is safe and suitable for your baby.
• Ask if and how you can be in constant communication with the daycare and if they provide and are willing to listen to feedback.
• Make sure that children receive proper care and personalized attention, and that the caregivers are constantly talking to them.
• When visiting the daycare, notice if children are occupied and happy in general.
• The daycare’s cleanliness is essential. Check the facility’s conditions and feel free to ask any questions. Likewise, make sure that caregivers wash their hands before and after every diaper change and meal.
• Check the cribs and verify that their surface is firm and that the children sleep on their backs. This will help reduce the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).
• Make sure that if there is a television in the daycare, it has little or none.
• The atmosphere should be positive and cheerful; the greatest interest should be the welfare of children.
• Finally, make sure that the daycare you are interested in has the appropriate credentials and licenses to operate and that employees have training as infant caregivers or any other related field.  

Keep these pointers in mind each time you visit a daycare, adding any other requirements that are essential for you. It is very important to take the time to choose a daycare and ask the necessary questions before making your final decision. Your baby will spend a lot of time there, so you want it to be a high-quality place for care and stimulation. Listen to your instinct and don’t accept something you don’t feel sure about.