What To Know About Starting Your Baby at Daycare

In the US, 32% of parents who require regular child care utilize center-based daycare for their babies. While most child care centers offering daycare for infants accept babies who are 6 weeks of age or older, many parents don't start their infants in daycare until they are a bit older.

If daycare is your child care option of choice, it's important to consider the different options for infant daycare and the pros and cons of each in addition to considering when your baby should start at daycare.

Read on to learn when most babies can start daycare, the types of daycare, when to start your daycare search, and what to look for in a daycare for infants.

When Babies Can Start Daycare

Most licensed child care centers accept babies for infant daycare as early as 6 weeks. But when to start daycare for your baby is a personal decision that will depend on many factors beyond the daycare center's policies, including:

• Whether you and/or your partner (if you have one) are eligible for parental leave
• The length of your and/or your partner's parental leave
• Whether your and/or your partner's leave is paid or unpaid
• Your finances
• Whether you have other child care options, such as family members

Although infants can often start daycare as early as 6 weeks, waiting a little longer can offer some benefits. For example, it allows time to establish a secure attachment with your child, complete umbilical cord healing, figure out feeding and sleep patterns, and adjust to a new life together.

But since many working parents in the US don't have access to paid parental leave and their families rely on their income, waiting until the baby is older to start daycare isn't always an option.

Additionally, some daycare facilities are not equipped to handle the special needs of infants born prematurely or with special medical concerns.

Types of Daycare for Infants

Depending on your location, you may have a few choices when it comes to daycare for your infant. Although child care centers, which provide care to groups of children, often do not accept babies younger than 6 weeks, other types of daycare providers may be willing to accept them at an earlier age.

No matter which type of infant daycare you choose, rest assured that the type matters less than the quality. Research has found that when the environment is healthy and safe, care is consistent, developmentally appropriate, and emotionally supportive, early child care positively affects children and families.

In addition, a study published in 2017 found that among young children in early child care centers, those who were given high levels of emotional and behavioral support showed increased social competence a year later. This positive effect was seen regardless of the number of days per week the children went to daycare.

Child care centers

Child care centers offer care and supervision at their facility for groups of infants and children, who are often divided by age.

Benefits of child care centers include:

• The center does not close if a teacher or assistant is sick or has an emergency.
• They must meet state licensing requirements for cleanliness and safety.
• Your child will interact with a variety of adults and other children, which helps them with social development.
• Your child will get used to a structured routine with everything happening at a set time during the day.
• There are usually multiple adults caring for children.
• You may receive a written account of your infant's activities.
• They may help connect you with other community resources.
• It can be more affordable than in-home care.

Downsides of child care centers include:

• More kids means a greater exposure to the risk of contagious illness.
• It may feel more institutional.
• It may feel less flexible.
• It may have higher staff turnover.
• Multiple caregivers may result in communication gaps.

Child care centers are the most formalized child care option. They usually have fixed drop-off and pick-up times, rules about whether sick children can be brought to daycare and extra fees for certain services. Also, some centers only provide full-time care.

In-home daycare

In-home daycares are similar to child care centers in that your baby will be in a group setting. However, they will be cared for in the provider's home and may be in a less structured environment than at a child care center.

Some people like this arrangement, as having a bit less structure can be more home-like than the schedule usually found in child care centers.

Advantages of in-home care include:

• They tend to be less expensive than child care centers.
• They must meet state requirements (if the state has them), although they are different than those for childcare centers.
• They'll be in a home-like environment where your baby receives attention from caring adults and may interact with children of different ages.
• It may be more flexible with your schedule, allowing you to drop off or pick up at varied times.
• Some in-home daycare providers offer part-time care.
• They may take infants younger than 6 weeks old.
• They may feel like an extended family.
• They may be more flexible in caring for infants with minor illnesses.

Downsides of in-home care include:

• Your child may only have one caregiver, who might be overworked.
• Caregiver illness or emergencies can disrupt your access to child care.
• A caregiver may not be experienced with all age groups.
• The caregiver may not be able to commit long-term.

Babies thrive in situations with a lot of one-on-one attention from a single caregiver, so in-home daycare can be ideal at this early stage. There are typically a small number of babies per caregiver, and the caregiver can respond to babies' needs quickly. 

Nannies

Nannies provide daycare for infants in your home. They can either live with you or come in on a daily or as-needed basis. A nanny can offer your child more one-on-one attention and individualized activities based on your preferences.

However, hiring a nanny is often the most expensive way to arrange care for your infant because you pay more for your child to have individualized attention.

A smart way to reduce the cost of having a nanny is to do a nanny share, in which you and another parent hire a nanny to care for both of your children in one of your homes. You still get attentive care for your infant but with less of a dent in your bank account.

Benefits of hiring a nanny include:

• You have greater flexibility with scheduling.
• You have more control over the kind of care your child receives.
• Your infant receives more individualized attention.
• There is greater consistency and continuity of care.
• It may be more convenient for you and your child.

Drawbacks to nanny care include:

• It tends to be more expensive.
• A nanny's illness or emergency might interrupt your workday.
• Nannies do not have to meet requirements for education or health certifications, so verifying qualifications and checking references is up to you.

Many parents who work from home choose to have their infants cared for by a nanny so their baby can be close by all day. With more home-based jobs available than ever before, nannies are becoming increasingly popular.

When To Start Searching for Infant Daycare

It's best to start looking for daycare providers well before bringing your baby home. Child care centers need the longest lead time, as they must strictly limit the number of infants they can accept at any given time. Many high-quality child care centers fill up quickly and have waiting lists.

If you know you will need to return to work within a certain number of weeks of your baby's arrival, begin scouting out daycare options early. This way, you can focus on arranging child care before you are also taking care of a newborn and getting ready for your return to work.

What To Look for With Daycare for Infants

Be sure to ask about the following when visiting an infant daycare or in-home child care provider for your baby:

• The staff's qualifications
• The ratio of infants to care providers
• The structure of the day and the hours they are open
• The center's licensing qualifications
• Whether they have space for your infant
• The cost of care and whether they participate in financial assistance programs

Babies need a clean and safe environment as they start to explore the world around them. The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) recommends a ratio of one adult to four babies in a group of no more than eight babies.

Infants can thrive in daycare settings if they enjoy attention, affection, playful interaction with caregivers, and rich language experiences. A quality caregiver will be sensitive to a baby's needs, feel comfortable expressing affection towards babies, and understand child development stages.

The first few days and weeks after your baby starts infant daycare may be difficult. You may feel sad, worried, anxious, guilty, or even jealous. All these feelings are normal, and as you become more comfortable with the child care provider and see that your baby is well cared for, you should begin to feel better about the decision to send your child to daycare. But if you have any misgivings, trust your instincts. You are not permanently committed to any child care situation, and it's essential to do what is best for you and your family.