[Jamiesquared]

So I am meeting with a daycare on Friday and was wondering what you think the most important questions are

Here is the info I already know too. There is a 2 week notice if I choose to stop using them, they are closed for 10 holidays, the toddlers who can walk and older children go outside at least twice a day and babies go out at least once, the price is $315 for 5 days, $227 for 3 days and $195 for 2 days and this is after a 10% discount from working in the same building (how do these prices compare to you if you are in a major city and comfortable answering this). I did call other places and got pricing but it was pretty much the same and the awesome part is that this daycare is in the office building I would be working in so I can take him outside for my hour lunch or breaks and they call you to come down if he starts meeting any big milestone or doing something really new.

Also here are some of my questions to you mommas with babies already in daycare:

1. If you formula feed what do you need to bring for the day?
2. Do they keep to your schedule or try to get them on their schedule? Naps, eating, bottles etc.
3. How long does it take to "drop them off" and "pick up" do I need to account for a quick running in or is it 15 mins, 30 mins etc.
4. Do you use the same diaper bag or do you have a larger bag to use for the daycare weekdays? Do you have to provide X amount of extra outfits, diapers, etc.

I am sure I will have more these are just off the top of my head

[lulu711]

I think that's a good price for a city daycare. The prices where I live range from 215/week to upwards of $400/week. I live in a more expensive area, but it is not a big city.
We hoped our daycare would put Scarlett on our schedule, but that hasn't worked out. Turns out she likes to disturb the other babies in the nap room, so they've had to work out an alternative schedule. So, while a place might say they'll stick with your schedule, it doesn't always happen. I would ask a lot of questions about where babies nap, what is the space like, are there other babies in there, dedicated crib, can they nap on demand, etc.

Our drop off is usually pretty quick unless I need to talk with someone about an issue. They typically don't want you to linger because it's more stress for the child.

I don't use a diaper bag for daycare. We take diapers and wipes about twice a month, and I have a small insulated cooler for bottles and food. Extra outfits live at daycare.

[zkat]

My situation is a little different because we use an in home daycare, but I will still answer so you can have it for reference.

1. We were 100% breastfeeding until last week. We are supplementing 6 oz a day with formula so I take pumped milk and the formula. Muriel provides bottles, sippy cups and solid foods.

2. She is the one that got him on a schedule but it is still baby led. He naps from 11:30 ish to 1:30 ish most days and we keep the same schedule on the weekends.

3. Drop off is longer, but it is my choice because I don't like to leave him. It could be as quick as 5 min. Pick up is a little longer so I can get the details of his day, change his diaper before the drive home etc.

4. She has her own clothes for him. We usually take him in his PJ's and she changes him as he needs it through out the day. She does all the laundry that is at her house. We do the laundry that he comes home in and we trade out every week. This is very unusual but it is just how she is. We usually buy a large box of diapers and take half to her house and half stay at our house. She provides wipes.

We pay $125 a week, but she is wayyyy under priced for our market. I live in Dallas and most of my co-workers pay $200 - $300 per 5 day week.

It is a huge plus that it is in your office building. I would love to run down and see him on my lunch breaks!

We pa

[lulu711]

I agree that w/ Kat that it's awesome he's in your building. I'm eating lunch at my desk right now, but I'd glady give that up for five minutes of Scarlett time. At our daycare, we provide all the bottles, lunch, sippy cup, daycare provides bibs and spoons. After one year of age, they provide food onsite if you choose that option, or you can provide food from home.

[Jamiesquared]

Thanks guys! I will def. ask about the crib situation because when I read online it seemed most day cares have dedicated cribs which is why they dont often do 2 or 3 days...so I wonder what happens when you do. Also it is interesting to hear the difference between in-home VS a center. I like the 2 week flexibility because my husband owns his own plumbing/heating remodel business so it tends to slow down a lot in the winter which would make him a SAHM dad with my mom helping 2 days a week as she is going to do that now. Also being in the same building is such a benefit it made me nix the idea of trying to get in-home full time cheaper. The car ride there and back, lunchtime, breaks make it worth spending the extra money for sure and it would make my decision to return to work that much easier.

What do you guys do in terms of who does what for the baby at night or in the morning? Do you DHs leave at the same time? How do you work out dinners

[lulu711]

DH leaves for work before Scarlett and I are even awake, so I do everything in the morning. He usually picks her up from daycare because he's finished with work earlier than I am (he's a teacher), and then when I get home from work, he makes dinner while her and I spend time together. I get her ready for bed while he does dishes and cleans up around the house, then we do some housework together after she's in bed. I've offered to trade bedtime routine for dishes, but he hasn't taken me up on it; I think he knows how much I love our bath/bed routine.

Before baby, I made dinner about 80% of time. Now I make dinner maybe two or three times a month. I feel bad that all falls on DH, but we're really still adjusting to the whole daycare, two working parent thing since the school year started.

[zkat]

Our routine is about to change because Chris's temp contract out in BFE ends on Friday. Next week will go something like this:

B waks up at 6:30ish, I will do his am diaper change, pack the milk cooler and Chris will take him to Muriel's around 7:15

I will do the pick up after work. Chris usually runs/works out before we get home and then starts the kitchen cleanup/dinner. We do dinner together and often Chris does bath while I run. Chris typically does bedtime while I pump.

[angeleyes04]

We also use a home daycare but here are my answers:

1. I exclusively pump for the twins so we prepare 6 bottles (3 for each baby) for the day. She also has 24 oz of frozen BM just in case. We also have to provide their baby foods, so we send enough food to feed both of them for the week.

2. The girls were on a pretty rigid schedule from the get-go and she has done an amazing job keeping it. Thankfully it worked with her schedule with the bigger kids, so she didn't have a problem accommodating.

3. Pick ups usually take longer just because we go over what they did that day, etc. We are the last family to pick up their kids (her families are mostly teachers and they pick up right after school), so we have more time to talk. It can get pretty hectic in the mornings because everyone else is dropping off their kids, so it is usually a quick hello, kiss the kiddos, and goodbye.

4. We bring her a box of diapers and wipes as she needs them. She always lets us know when she is running low. We dress the girls every morning and we did give her clothes to keep just in case of accidents. If someone poops up their back and she uses the spare outfit, we make sure to replenish her stash the very next day. She has 2 outfits per kid (Olivia included).

Her rates are really low because we live in a small town and she charges per hour. We pay her $800 a month for all three kids. Super cheap, I know.

Our back-up daycare is a center and their rules are more structured. We only have to bring diapers, wipes, and breastmilk and they provide everything else. They provide all the food, formula (unless your baby is on a special kind), and cribs. We pay $120 PER DAY when we take the girls there. We only use it for emergencies like if our lady closes because of illness and my MIL can't watch the girls.

This is how our day goes:

5:00 am - Wake up. DH gets bottles ready and I pump
5:30 - Twins wake up and have bottles. DH and I get dressed, ready for work
6:00 - Wake up Olivia and get her dressed
6:30 - Leave because we both start work at 7 - I always drop the girls off

4:45 pm - I pick up the girls from daycare
5:00 - Home and feed twins a bottle
5:30 - Feed twins solids
6:00 - DH comes home and start dinner (we rotate cooking)
6:30 - Get twins ready for bed (DH will do the bedtime routine if I'm pumping otherwise I usually do it)
7:00 - Twins go to bed and we eat dinner