Preparing a child for daycare?

I was thinking (after reading some of the posts on this forum) about adding some info to my handbook to set up the expectations of parents who are just beginning daycare. Probably with the age 10 to 12 month bracket in mind, since that is usually when a child will first start. But also, just in general.
What do you think all parents should be aware of when beginning a multi-child care situation? How can they best prepare their child? What are some things that you think they should know?
I am very interested in all of your opinions, thank you!!

The #1 best thing they can do is to teach their child to self-soothe at naps, IMO. I find it easier to help a young child adapt when they are well-rested. Everything else seems to fall into place then.

Start about 2-3 months before they will need care to start to transition their child to a daycare day routine. That means waking them and feeding them breakfast as if they were going to work, that means the naptime the child has in the morning is what the caregiver will be doing too so you can tell her what time seems to work. Have the child nap in a playpen in a room other than their bedroom. Put them down awake and without toys - we are not to have stuffed toys, etc in playpens during naptime. Let them get used to going to sleep. As soon as possible let your child start to do things for themselves such as feeding table foods, trying to hold a cup or at least holding their own bottle. You can cuddle with your child but let them hold it not you. Switch from on demand feeding to scheduled snacks and meals similar to a daycare day. Let your child learn to play for themselves and with themselves. It is fine to show them what a rattle can do or how to stack the blocks but then retreat and let them make the blocks do what they want them to do. Do not take your child for a walk so they can nap - outside time is playtime not sleeptime and is akin to rocking your child to sleep. Take your child to playgroups where there are other children and it is noisy so they learn that they can be ok in such an environment. Basically the closer you can make your child's day to what they will face when they start daycare the easier the transition will be for everyone. The caregiver you choose should be able to help you look at their schedule and decide where changes will need to be made and you can look at changes especially to the morning routine which of course effects the rest of the day's routine. It also makes the transition to work easier for mom if she is used to getting up and getting ready to go out the door even if she doens't actually go out the door.

I would have to agree with Emilies4 Guppies that the nap schedule is paramount. If the child can be on a nap schedule where they go down between 12-3 or 1-3 or 12-2 every day then everything else is workable

All very good points! Thanks so much, I have written up a little handout to give to "first time" parents, along with my other info.
Appreciate it!

Another point - don't hold your child all the time! A caregiver only have 2 hands, and can't hold the babies all the time - we have others to care for, and things to do like prepping food!

Not holding the child all the time is a big one for sure. If you can't put your child down with out them crying it will be twice as bad for the caregiver. Being content to be nearby is a task best learned in the comfort of the home before starting daycare.

Hello to all the Care providers out there!

I am a parent sneaking into the care providers' forum because I'd like to get some advice from the horses mouths', so to speak...

My 5yr old and 8 month old will be starting daycare in the fall. The baby will be a year old. I would like to know what I should be doing to prepare them for the experience.

Any advice you'd care to share is much appreciated.

A bit of an anxious mom.... :)

Hi Dee... funnily enough, we just discussed this topic in another forum! If you go to "daycare documents" on of the posts near the top, a few of us weighed in on what we think is important to know when kids begin care.
Firstly; thanks for thinking ahead! The earlier you begin getting your kids ready to be in a childcare environment, the better.
I think that one of the most important things you can do, is ensure that your child is doing things independently (even the one year old!). Your 5 year old is likely a-ok with this, but if they aren't then no time like the present. He/she should be able to eat and toilet on their own, play independently for a period of time and be able to take direction from an adult other than a parent. If they are super shy, begin introducing them to people and encouraging interaction, under your supervision of course! Both your kids should be comfortable in social situations, particularly with other kids. If not, try to visit the park or playgroups. It can be a little overwhelming to suddenly be surrounded by strangers if you have only ever been around mom and dad!
For your little one, even though he/she is your tiny baby right now, allow/encourage them to do things on their own, too. Eating independently (or at least starting to) including; holding a cup/bottle, feeding themselves finger food, and by that time they should be starting to figure out what a spoon or fork is for. Playing on thier own for a period of time; if they caregiver needs to hold your baby all day, there will be difficulties! And a HUGE one is self-soothing at nap/sleep times. Your provider will likely not have the luxury of rocking or holding your little one until they are asleep. In fact, it's doubtful that they will have the ability to sit with them quietly and give a bottle or some such thing. Around here, at quiet time, each child gets a diaper change, a quick snuggle and a song and then gets laid down. They must, therefore, be able to put themselves to sleep, so to speak. My advice is; anytime now, begin to teach your child to go to sleep awake and in different environments. A dayhome is rarely completely silent, with the same amount of darkness as your home, and your little one may be sleeping in a crib, playpen or some other arrangement. If he/she is only used to sleeping in their room, in their bed, with no sound or light, and a certain stuffy or blanket is necessary, they will have a harder time adjusting. Try putting them down in a playpen in different rooms of the house. Gradually increase the noise level, within some limits of course. And put them down awake but sleepy, with only a blanket. Some of my little ones use a soother, but I will admit that I am not a huge fan. Eventually, we will need to get rid of that also, so really we are just prolonging the inevitable!
It sounds like you care, and as a provider, that is important and appreciated. Good luck, and hope you find some info here that helps!!
:)