First-time daycare tips? What to buy/skip, lunch-packing hacks, dropoff tips, ways to appreciate teachers, etc. My 1yo is starting in Jan and I want alllll the Rec League parental advice!

Question

Mo · Answer

drop them off at preschool and leave right away: keep your drop offs short and cheerful. yes they may cry, yes you may want to cry, but do it after you've left. in my experience kids tend to do better when you don't linger too much at drop off. say goodbye and run for it.

Sarah Beck · Answer

Ask your daycare teachers if they babysit: I adored the daycare my kids went to, and my kids had two favorite teachers there. I found out from other families that both teachers also babysat, and we've had them on our regular sitter list ever since. It was great when the kids were little because the kids (and us!) had sitters they knew and trusted (and had plenty of experience getting them to sleep!). And now that both my kids are no longer in daycare, it's special for them to have their old teachers come hang with them every once in a while! We love having this consistency in their lives :)

janelle · Answer

Try to be flexible !: Your child is outside of your care for maybe the first time and that can be hard on them and you ! I sobbed when I dropped my first off. But try to get out of the mentality that just cause something is different or hard that something is necessarily wrong. Keep drop offs short, send them in shitty clothes that will get trashed, be friendly with the teachers, expect sleep to be wonky, expect them to become machiavellian about their toys, trust your gut if something feels very off, and expect immediate sickness. All normal. I like to think of daycare as a whole team of people helping me raise my kids and I’m sooo appreciative. You got this 🤝