What to look for in a Daycare

as a preschool teacher:) I would suggest : looking to see if the children look happy?(thats the biggest one) do the teachers have time to spend with the children or is it like a factory....what is the programme like(are you after a structured environment or more sortof freeplay..obviously at 3 months its a little different:) )

Do the nursery teachers have a genuine love for children(lots dont seem too) ..are they happy with sticking to your routine? do they have a seperate area for under 2's/18 months?

some of these things are hard to see ..thats why i always preferred people to just drop in but lots of places like you to book in first.. I'm sure there's lots more that my preg brain cant think of right now:) personally i would go with your gut as well.. and lots of places have long waiting lists as well!

Hi Henna, I don't seem to be able to find any in my area yet. I will keep trying tho . It may be an option.

Sunnyhoney- I would definitely recommend homebased care, if you can find a carer if your area and that you get along with. Ella has just started homebased and we both love it- the educator is lovely and because she only has her 3 year old (and 6 year old during hols) at home she is able to spend more one-on-one time with Ella. Ella also loves watching the 3 year old and he is pretty good that sitting down and playing and talking with her. I also like the fact that she will stick to Ella's routine and because she is with her all the time is able to notice if Ella is more tired than usual and needs a little bit more sleep; also a bigger factor was that I could choose the individual carer (as opposed to in a daycare where there can be high turnovers).

Realise homebased care isn't for everyone and it does very much depend on the individual educator..but just an option

Madison goes has been at daycare for about two weeks now and she loves it. The centre is really friendly and homely. They didn't mind me just turning up to see how it felt before i had Madison.

I think its important that you like the feel of the place and can just turn up whenever to sus it out. Talk to the kids there and their parents if you can. A good daycare should let you do this. Also the one that Madison goes to had a couple of home visits before she started to get to know her and her routine which i thought was a great idea.

She is in a daycare in Mt Albert if you want details let me know and i can pm you.

I'd suggest you go to a few and then decide - and go with your gut feeling. You know what's important when looking after your bub - keeping them safe, dry, fed and entertained. Not too much to ask for eh
I'd also suggest visiting a couple of times more once you have a short list and visiting at different times so you can see what things are really like.

I didn't always have a pre-arenged time. I'd call them so they'd know to expect me on the day but most daycares were OK with me saying I'll drop in sometime in the morning/afternoon - my excuse was fitting the visit with baby feeds etc and it always worked