Daycares – A Complete Guide To Do’s And Don’ts

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Are you a working woman and a mommy-to-be, already a mommy and planning to join your duties back, or a house-wife, juggling between households and baby and struggling to find some ‘me’ time, then let's read along and try to strike a balance between our responsibilities and ourselves.

Child daycare centers or fondly known as crèches have a number of stigmas attached to it and people carry different opinions. For a few, these are like a blessing in disguise and others might not consider it a better alternative.

Day care centers are an emerging trend in India and good daycare facilities are limited to just metro cities at this moment. Personally speaking, I stand on that half of the crowd who consider daycares as a blessing in disguise.

I remember, I was carrying my daughter in the 6^th month when I first saw that big hoarding of daycare coming soon in my office campus. And I felt like I have got a solution to all my concerns about how am I going to manage my work along with the baby. I rushed to the daycare reception only to find answers to all my queries and dilemmas that I was carrying for the last 6 months.

Trust me, it was a bigger relief wondering I will able to continue my job, along with being around my baby 24 * 7.

Every mom is sensitive, protective, and concerned to the extent that nobody can convince her unless she herself feels safe and comfortable with a particular kind of arrangement. There are certain do’s and don’ts to be considered very carefully while you are selecting daycare centers for your child. Let’s read along:

• Trust your instincts
• Enquire about meals –You’ll be able to ensure the food quality and varieties. Your child might have some different food habits/ allergies so you could suggest some alternatives and talk to the daycare provider and plan accordingly.
• If you do not prefer to use diaper for your baby all day long, talk upfront –Many a times, certain daycare providers mandate the use of diapers for infants. However, if you wish to choose otherwise, do talk to them beforehand to avoid any glitches at the later stage. Look at The Mom Store washable and reusable diapers here
• Daycare must provide a live CCTV coverage –Live CCTV coverage is a must and one must not choose to opt a day care that do not provide this facility. Some daycare providers assure CCTV installations at their facilities but they do not provide live screening to parents and convince then to provide the footage whenever needed. Do no prefer to go with that kind of arrangement. One bigger advantage that I experienced while having CCTV live coverage is that, multiple parents are watching the cameras at the same time and if something unacceptable is practiced with one child, every online parent will speak up because they worry of having their own child in that place. This governs a strict watch over the entire daycare staff.
• Take a floor visit –While selecting a daycare for your child, do not forget to take a complete physical floor visit to the day care facility. It should include the child care facilities like activity rooms, dining room, sleeping rooms and cots, washrooms, lobbies, play areas, kitchen and staircase, if any. Do a complete check as far as the safety of kids is concerned, like there should be no sharp edged furniture’s, washrooms should be clean and floor should not be slippery, comfy cots for sleeping and proper cribs for infants. Play areas should be safe and hygienic, should have educational toys. Children should not have access to kitchen and staircase since there is risk of getting injured. If going from one room to another or play areas require excessive use of staircase, try avoiding daycares having such kind of infrastructure. Kids might have risk of falling down.
• Method of teaching –Young brains are fast learners and they need the best guidance to develop motor skills along with analytical and practical aspects. Children should not be burdened with loads of books and assignments but should be taught in a playful method. Numerous ways are available in the market. Check with the provider what technique they use for different age groups. Look at ourflashcardsandjournalshere
• Play areas and recreational activities –Play areas should be safe and spacious. Kids enjoy different kinds of swings and slides and they should also be encouraged to spend some time with nature. Children learn a lot many physical activities when they go out from there homely premises. They learn to communicate, share and develop social skills. Look at ourRecreational Toyshere
• Sleeping arrangements –Cribsshould be provided for infants and cots/mat should be there for other children for their nap times. The facility should be pest free and hygienic so that it seems like a home for children.
• First-Aid –The daycare facility should be well equipped with first-aid kit in case of minor cut or bruise, check if they also call for a regular/ on-call doctor visit.
• Conversational Language -.Every kids is well versed with his/her native language but in order to develop a sense of equality, and being able to communicate with each other, they must learn a common language. English is a good option. Learning English from a tender age will give them a command on the language, this will also be helpful for them in the longer run.
• Some cross questioning –Some cross questioning like what if my child throws tantrums and is not ready to sleep/ eat or whatever, like how do you manage such situations. The way how they handle these type of questions will give you an idea how they tackle kids and their sensitiveness towards the little ones.
• Check the operational times -Daycares usually operate in between the standard office hours but you might need some customization as per your needs. Someone might not want to avail the full day plan, some might want early morning check-inns, so plan to have these conversations during the initial visits.

Hey mommies, this forum is now open for your valuable suggestions and queries. Let us collaborate to plan a better upbringing and a bright future for our children.

Aarohi is a mom of a 3 year old and Software Engineer by profession, working with a reputed MNC. She has expertise in multiple domains like General Insurance, Telecommunication and Banking. Writing has always been her passion and also the reason that has pulled her to this platform with the intent of using her skills in a mutually beneficial manner.
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