Whether you’ve been dreading the first day of daycare or counting down the days (no judgment!), it’s still a major transition that may feel impossible to get right. Thankfully, there are plenty of ways to prepare for your baby’s first day of daycare so that everyone—your little one and yourself included—can feel ready.

Preparing your baby

Your little one may not have strong opinions yet (at least about anything other than eating, pooping, and sleeping!), but it’s worthwhile to take steps to ensure that starting daycare is a good experience for them.

1. Visit the daycare ahead of time. 

Visualization is a very real tactic for preparedness. Set up some time in which you and your baby can be in the daycare space together.

Let them explore the toys in the playroom. Have them sit in the high chair for a snack. Pretend to take a nap in the nursery area, ideally in whichever crib is designated for them.

Allowing your baby to see, smell, and touch their new surroundings—with you there for added comfort—will help make daycare a familiar place on Day 1.

2. Establish new routines. 

Starting daycare shouldn’t feel like a flipswitch. Instead, make gradual changes over the course of several weeks leading up to your baby’s first day.

Reach out to your daycare provider to gather details on the daily schedule they plan to follow, including nap and feeding times, and then—if you’re able—begin adjusting your baby’s sleep schedule to align with what’s to come. By transitioning gradually, you’re helping your baby acclimate to their new routines. 

Another way to help your baby practice independence is to introduce self-soothing techniques, like distraction or the use of a pacifier, especially if they’ve exclusively relied on you to comfort them. 

3. Pack the diaper bag with intention.

They’ll only be at daycare for the day, yet you’ve got luggage fit for a two-week journey? It happens! It can be hard to know what to stash, but a good rule of thumb is to stick to the essentials with a few familiar, soothing items thrown in.

(But nothing irreplaceable, like a beloved heirloom blankie!) Of course, you’ll want to consult your daycare for their recommendations, but parents typically send bottles of breastmilk or formula, diapers, wipes, and some spare clothes on a daily basis.

Just be sure to label everything—you don’t want a beloved stuffie or onesie to get lost in the shuffle—and have the daycare bag stocked the night before so there’s less risk of forgetting things amid the morning rush.

Although it may be tempting to spend way too much money on ordering fancy, personalized labels, masking tape and a Sharpie usually do the job!

Preparing Yourself

Often, parents spend so much time worrying about how their baby will handle the first day of daycare that they forget to process their own readiness for such a milestone moment.

1. Acknowledge your emotions.

It’s not only OK to have mixed feelings about starting daycare, but it’s incredibly common and completely normal. Parenthood contains multitudes, and sometimes that means being both excited and anxious about this step.

Although no one should be made to feel shame surrounding their childcare decisions, guilt is a very real emotion that comes up at this stage.

If you haven’t, find a local parenting support group—ideally with similarly aged kids or with families in similar circumstances—so you can process this mental load with others in the same situation. Even better: connect with families who are sending their babies to the same daycare. 

2. Anticipate dropoff drama.

One of the biggest mistakes parents make when starting daycare is dragging out the first-day dropoff.

Often, this happens because parents don’t expect to experience separation anxiety themselves, and they inevitably feel a tinge of fear and sadness over leaving their baby. Saying goodbye ends up being more emotional, which causes unnecessary distress for the baby.

If your baby is in tears, sticking around only makes it worse, in most cases. The most successful strategy is this: As soon as you arrive at daycare, have a straightforward handover and make a quick exit. 

3. Speak up about your expectations.

Every daycare is different, with a wide range of approaches to development, sleep, and nutrition. And some daycares send a constant stream of status updates while others have more of a “no news is good news” policy.

Ideally, you found a daycare that meets your needs and communicates effectively, but it never hurts to advocate for your baby and to check in regularly as you build trust with the daycare caregivers.

More posts you might like:

• 13- to 15-month-old baby sleep guide
• 16- to 18-month-old baby sleep guide
• 19- to 21-month-old toddler sleep guide
• 22- to 24-month-old toddler sleep guide