5 Ways to Make Life Easier Before Your Baby Goes to Daycare

Dropping your baby off at daycare for the first time?- No mother will ever tell you it's easy, but you will learn as time goes on that they are growing and happy and the whole family appreciates the routine and time with other children and care-givers.  I have put together a list of the 5 essential things you can do to make your life a little easier before taking your little one to daycare for the first time.


1) Take out that black sharpie and label absolutely everything (clothes, socks, hats, bottles, diapers, wipes you name it)!
Note: Most daycare centers have you bring extra clothing, jackets/sweaters, and socks in case they get soiled so label those too. (UPDATE: to help with this, check out the waterproof labels post- diswasher & washing machine proof!)

2) If you're formula feeding and are worried about how your daycare provider
 will measure it out, I suggest buying a travel formula dispenser (example in below picture from Babies R Us) so all they need to do is open one slot and add the formula to each bottle. 

The dispensers I have http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3502347

These can be used as snack dispensers later on when your baby starts to eat.   

3) Print out a 1 page sheet explaining your baby:

• the things she likes
• what soothes her when she's upset
• her eating/napping schedule (if she has a set schedule)
• how she prefers to be fed & burped.

4) Get 1 or 2 comfy sheets to be used for daycare. 

I got these velor ones (only $15 dollars and they are super soft) http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3565865

*At the end of each week you bring them home to wash. 

5) Invest in pants that have feet and some comfy sweatshirts.  Baby socks tend to fall off and you don't want your little baby's feet cold (in the winter and the summer with the a/c on).   Comfy hooded sweat-shirts are my choice if your daycare provider chooses to take your little one outside you don't have to worry about them forgetting a hat they can just put the hood on. 

Add a hoody on a cold day and this is the perfect little daycare outfit (this outfit is from www.landofnod.com)

*I love dressing my little one up, but for daycare it's nice to know that she's comfortable- I use the fancy outfits on the weekends.