Dumb day care questions for a newbie...

[dizzy1]

Hi All...

I'm thinking in a couple of months, dd will be 9mths old and I may need to seriously think about some help as I'm working FT from home and SOOO tired! Starting to get frustrated and crabby and I dont like that :no:

I still have a lot of reservations about day care, which I know I need to get over, namely that I HATE being apart from dd. She is so beautiful! The thought of leaving her with someone that's a stranger is heart wrenching :crying:

So apart from dealing with that (and lets hope she doesn't get upset too) I have some more questions

- Where do the babies sleep at the day care centre? Do they have a room of cots, are they monitored (like with baby monitors?) is it nice and quiet in there?
- What do they do with the babies?
- Do they try to put them into a routine?
- Do they feed them solids for you? Do they have their own food or do I provide it?
- Can you do a half day, like first or 2nd half of day instead of full day?
- Do they shove them infront of a TV?
- What activities do they play?
- Do all children that go need to have proof of vaccination?
- Are sick kids sent home so as not to infect the other kids?
- Is there any independent rating system so I can see if the day care centre is a good one?
- I dont live in a major city anymore so is it likely there wont be waiting lists? Is it standard to have massive waiting lists?
- What are the average fees per half or full day? Sadly we make too much money to get a rebate (well, it wouldn't be sad if I didn't manage to spend all that money on bills and bills alone haha)
- Will most centres let me come in and breastfeed if I'm still breastfeeding?

Ok thank you sooo much if you can answer any of these Id super appreciate it. Obviously I have never even stepped foot inside a day care centre, which actually should be another question...

- If I want to visit to find out more will they show me around and help me come to terms with my irrational first time mother fears of seperation and care???

Oh and

- I'm thinking 1 to 2 days a week for her, as she has daddy on Mon and Tues he is at home with us so I'm here too, is this kind of adhoc care to wishy washy for her?

OMG I'm getting heart pains thinking about it! And i'm the most easy going person I know!!!

[overitand36]

Obviously I have never even stepped foot inside a day care centre

WOW

Best idea would be to actually visit a few centres in your area ALL questions are covered when you are shown around and they do orientation until you are comfortable

and also if you don't like a centre once you start you can change we did and the new centre is Sooooooooo much better

[swizzlestick]

I think what you are feeling is completely natural, or at the very least the sane as I am feeling (so there are at least the two of us hurting at the thought). We are starting childcare in a few months, and what I did us rang all our local centers and asked all those questions and more. I then made a short list of my preferences, and I visited them and then put DS on the waiting list of my two top choices. Most of the centers were so patient and understanding and the two I have chosen were wonderful! One of the ladies reassured me that it was great for us to ask lots of questions and be actively involved in our childrens care, and that the carers really appreciate parents that show that much interest in how they are caring for our children. HTHs

[redcrayongirl]

I think you know you do need to go and visit the centres you are considering to find out what each one does / does not do in terms of illness, vaccination requirements, orientations, etc. etc.

That said there are some general things that are true for most centres and I'll try to answer as best I can on our experience as DD has been in 3 centres inc her current one. She is currently at Lady Gowrie which is the benchmark of best practice in Queensland.

"Kidwrangling" by Kaz Cooke has an amazing checklist for checking out a child care centre which I feel is a must-read before you go and see any centre.

Here goes with answering your questions (have put answers in blue)

- Most centres have a separate cot room off the nursery (baby room). Usually they are dark and quiet. Some have baby monitors.

- What do they do with the babies? - I gather you mean in regards to development and play - this is where you *must* do your homework and find out what development each centre has - not all child care centres are "early learning centres" in that they have developmetn plans, etc. some are just glorified child minding services. In addition, each centre has different levels of equipment - some will have all the latest jumpers, etc, others more basic equipmetn. Same with the staff - most centres will have a diploma qualified room leader & lower level trained assistant. Note in QLD all centres must by law have 1 staff member per 4 children in the room with a maximum of 8 babies in a room. You are best discussing development plans directly with them, however I will say the better ones take photos and do a little "story" in a scrapbook with a picture of your child every day so you know what they have done.

- Do they try to put them into a routine? Generally they will do with your child, whatever you say /instruct, however it varies centre to centre. The better ones will work with you to get your child into a routine if that is what you require.

- Do they feed them solids for you? Do they have their own food or do I provide it? If your child is on solids they will give them whatever they require during the day. Varies centre to centre whether or not food is done on-site or you need to bring from home. Most centres prefer parents introduce each new food, however.

- Can you do a half day, like first or 2nd half of day instead of full day? You can bring in for as little or many hours as you like, however a full day is charged for.

- Do they shove them infront of a TV? No centre I have ever visited has ever had a TV for the children to view. The centre DD attends educates parents on "screen time" levels at home - the recommended being nil screen time for ages 2 and under.

- What activities do they play? See above development / play.

- Do all children that go need to have proof of vaccination? Varies centre to centre. Most centres will require proof of vaccination.

- Are sick kids sent home so as not to infect the other kids? If your child falls ill with a contagious illness you will be contacted and asked to collect. You can't drop off a sick child at the centre,and most centres require a "clearance" from the doctor once child is well enough to return.

- Is there any independent rating system so I can see if the day care centre is a good one? Not sure about this one. The best I have found is to check out on bub hub what other parents said and done my own research.

- I dont live in a major city anymore so is it likely there wont be waiting lists? Is it standard to have massive waiting lists? Long waiting lists are standard in cities. Not sure about country.

- What are the average fees per half or full day? Sadly we make too much money to get a rebate (well, it wouldn't be sad if I didn't manage to spend all that money on bills and bills alone haha) Brisbane average fees are $68 per day.

Will most centres let me come in and breastfeed if I'm still breastfeeding? Certainly.

- If I want to visit to find out more will they show me around and help me come to terms with my irrational first time mother fears of seperation and care??? Most centres will schedule an appointment so you can check them out before you go onthe waiitng list / before your child starts there. Most *good* centres will not only encourage you to spend time in the centre they will schedule orientation days for you and your child. SOme centres have a "parent room" where you can go while your child is being settled into the centre so you can be called in at any time your child needs you or the staff have a question for you. However I personally ruled out more than one centre because they wouldn't let me stay longer than 5 minutes!! There is a huge variety of difference and you need to search long and hard for the better centres.




HTH
-

[overitand36]

Note all centres must by law have 1 staff member per 4 children in the room with a maximum of 8 babies in a room.

Depends on state and centre

[redcrayongirl]

Depends on state and centre

Thanks I know that is true in Qld. Have changed post to reflect.

[Mysurprisebaby]

I think crayongirl has written a great post! I agree with everything there.
My little one is in daycare and only goes 2 half days a week. He loves it, and Has the most amazing carers!
Just thought I'd mention, but you may earn too much to get the child care benefit, but I thought everyone was eligible for the child care rebate providing you meet the work/study/training requirement? That will halve your fees (our centre is $70 per day, but after ccr we only pay $35).

[Georgias Mummy]

Go and check them out. I think in all honesty most people who are in childcare are there because they love kids. You will know if it is right for your DD when you get there ! A good relationship with the staff will make you feel better. Good luck xx

[redcrayongirl]

I just wanted to add how much DD has loved being in care for 2 days a week since she was 3.5 months old. I was the most uptight first-time mother and found it very hard to let go.

Our first centre was wonderful - they knew i had a hard time letting go and they did everything they could to make me feel OK with it - I stayed in the room with her 4 whole days before I left her on her own there.

It was the best decision I ever made. I am single with no family close by. Not only did it give me the desperately needed break, but DD formed close bonds with her carers and they really loved her as if she was their own. The only reason we moved was because we were offered a place at a centre just as wonderful but 5 minutes down the road from me that was better location-wise for when I returned to work.

[Annabella]

Okay I'll tell you from my experience. I had my girls in one day a week when they were about 18 mths+ at a childcare centre. Then when they were 3 and 5 they went to Family Day Care 2 days a week (when I went back to uni). I was happy with both but both very different.


Here goes with answering your questions

- Ours has a room off the main baby room where the littlest ones sleep in cots and the rest sleep on mats on the floor. I have no idea how they get them all to sleep, but they do! They don't have monitors at ours as its right where they are, but they play relaxation music while they sleep which I guess blocks out some of the noise when kids start waking up. The door between the rooms is always open too which I like. At FDC they all slept on mattresses on the floor next to each other.

- What do they do with the babies? They have an outdoor area with a little slide, some climbing things, a sand pit, a story corner. And inside they have another story corner, a little tables with a tea set, dolls and prams, dress-ups, duplo, blocks, a computer screen and broken phone (like a little study set-up). They also have a lady come in once a week and do dancing with them. At FDC it was similar stuff.

- Do they try to put them into a routine? We tell them what our child does and they try to fit it around that. However they eat lunch at 11:30 and go down after that for a sleep. If your child is still having 2 sleeps they'd just do one sleep before lunch and the other later in the arvo.

- Do they feed them solids for you? Do they have their own food or do I provide it? At ours they provide food and all the kids feed themselves, but I think the youngest would be almost 1 so they all can. They would feed them if needed. At FDC we took our own food (but the carer was Italian so fed them a sh!tload more anyway!)

- Can you do a half day, like first or 2nd half of day instead of full day? Most charge full day regardless but I have seen some that allow half days. My son only goes for 4 hrs on one of his days but I stlil pay the full rate. FDC was good as you can usually do half days. My carer had a 6 hr minimum policy but it was $5 an hour so very cheap anyway.

- Do they shove them infront of a TV? Mine don't have a TV that I've seen. At FDC they used to watch Play School and a couple of times the girls took a DVD to share but generally they didn't watch TV.

- What activities do they play? See above

- Do all children that go need to have proof of vaccination? Not sure about ours, they asked for a copy out of our book but my soon is delayed vax so only had his 2 mth old so far and they didn't mention it.

- Are sick kids sent home so as not to infect the other kids? Ours would ring us to pick up. Very clear that no kids with diarrhoea to be left there.

- Is there any independent rating system so I can see if the day care centre is a good one? Haven't seen one. I went and looked at a couple and knew I loved this one straight away. Same as FDC.

- I dont live in a major city anymore so is it likely there wont be waiting lists? Is it standard to have massive waiting lists? Most I looked at were 2 yrs+, we got in on a technicality- phew. Not sure about country.

- What are the average fees per half or full day? The full price for ours is $77 a day. Depending on your income you may be eligble for Child Care Benefit which will reduce your fees. Not sure how Child Care Rebate works for WAHM. FDC was $5 an hour- so for a 9 hr day $45! Still eligible for the CCB etc.

Will most centres let me come in and breastfeed if I'm still breastfeeding? Yep.

- If I want to visit to find out more will they show me around and help me come to terms with my irrational first time mother fears of seperation and care??? Ours did, I knew the centre through other things so didn't need to be shown around, but when my son started they said I had to come and sit with him for a couple of hours and play so he was comfortable there, (this was free), then after a couple of times of that, I left the room for 10 mins to sort out the paperwork etc, then the first day I only left him for an hour or so, the next a bit longer... and so on.

Hope it helps :)

[dizzy1]

Wow thank you so much everyone. I really appreciate all the feedback. This has really helped me to overcome my initial fears and I have looked up and found one I really like who have an open door policy so... I'm going to check it out!

Also thanks a tonne for the CCR advice, it looks like I definitely might be eligible even though I dont get CCB, or a $0 CCB benefit, I am still 'elibible' as I work so... yay!

Thanks again, don't know what I would do without the support from people who lend their time like you all do, i was struggling to make the next step but feeling less freaked out now.

:wave:

[bellalika]

Look into occasional care too. DS1 goes for 4 hours one day a week and I only pay for the hours I use. I do have to call and book him in each week which can be a pain but it gives me the option of putting him in for more time or extra days as I need it.

Nana picks him up at 12:30 and he has a sleep at her house. Best of both worlds!

[share a book]

- Where do the babies sleep at the day care centre? Do they have a room of cots, are they monitored (like with baby monitors?) is it nice and quiet in there?
They have the nursery then in the nursery they have another room with the cots that are set up each day for the bubs and the staff check them every 5 minutes by physically walking into the sleep room to check on each baby :) some have monitors but not all however they all have the checks where they walk in to check on them

- What do they do with the babies?
They play with them and do activities that will help them develop their motor skills as well as the usual feed/nappy changes/cuddles/etc that we all do with babies

- Do they try to put them into a routine?
They follow whatever routine is in place at home if there is one and will follow the cues of the baby

- Do they feed them solids for you? Do they have their own food or do I provide it?
some provide food while others don't supply food this one depends on the centre but they will feed the babies at whatever time the baby normally has feeds

- Can you do a half day, like first or 2nd half of day instead of full day?
Yes you certainly can but at most places you pay for the full day so it might be from 6am to 6pm so you pay for 12 hours whether you use 12 hours or 2 hours but you can drop off and pick up anywhere within those times :)

- Do they shove them infront of a TV?
I hope not! If they do you don't want to use that centre!

- What activities do they play?
It depends on the day an the ages of all the bubs in the room :) I went in once and they were finger painting on a mirror! It wasn't glass it was like a large piece of cardboard with shiny contact-like stuff to make it a mirror so they could have tummy time while they paint and they could see themselves in the mirror! Other times they read stories or play with soft blocks or have other toys out but you can read the activities for the week that will be displayed on the wall

- Do all children that go need to have proof of vaccination?
Either proof of vaccination or a letter stating why they are not vaccinated so basically only proof of vaccination status

- Are sick kids sent home so as not to infect the other kids?
Mostly but it can depend on what type of sick they are too and if they will make other bubs sick if they stay

- Is there any independent rating system so I can see if the day care centre is a good one?
They have accreditation so you can ask about that if you like

- I dont live in a major city anymore so is it likely there wont be waiting lists? Is it standard to have massive waiting lists?
Yep often for the nursery/toddler rooms there are and for after school care but not normally for the 3 to 6 year rooms

- What are the average fees per half or full day? Sadly we make too much money to get a rebate (well, it wouldn't be sad if I didn't manage to spend all that money on bills and bills alone haha)
You will have the 50% rebate regardless of how much you earn so long as you are working (which you are obviously lol) but can vary from $42/day to $180/day

- Will most centres let me come in and breastfeed if I'm still breastfeeding?
Yes they have to by law :)



Ok thank you sooo much if you can answer any of these Id super appreciate it. Obviously I have never even stepped foot inside a day care centre, which actually should be another question...


I know how you feel!!!

- If I want to visit to find out more will they show me around and help me come to terms with my irrational first time mother fears of seperation and care???
Yes they will and you can ask them anythin at this time too an they WILL understand your anxieties :) They see it all the time! It's rare for a mother of a child under 2 years to WANT to put the child into care so most feel exactly how you do now :)

Oh and

- I'm thinking 1 to 2 days a week for her, as she has daddy on Mon and Tues he is at home with us so I'm here too, is this kind of adhoc care to wishy washy for her?
Many have a 2 day minimum policy but some will take bubs for only 1 day but you'll need to ask each centre about that however there is no problem with using it for only 1 or 2 days each week :) My LO went 2 days a week at first but then I found a balance with 3 full days at work then 4 days home with her and it worked well for us but I had to play around with it first