Returning to work with an infant is a particular kind of hard, and most of the advice written about starting daycare is really about toddlers. Babies settle differently.
Babies settle faster and parents settle slower
Under about eight months, most infants adapt to a new caregiver relatively quickly, provided their routine is honoured. Separation distress peaks later, roughly eight to fourteen months, which is when a baby has developed enough object permanence to know that you exist elsewhere and have left.
If you are returning to work at six months, expect the harder phase to arrive a couple of months into daycare rather than on day one. That surprises people and it is normal.
Meanwhile the parent is usually having a much worse time than the baby. That is also normal and worth saying out loud.
What we need from you
The single most useful thing is your actual routine, in detail, written down:
- Feed times and amounts, and how they take a bottle — temperature, position, pace
- Nap times, how long, and how they go down. Rocked? Patted? In the dark? With white noise?
- Their tired signals, specifically. Every baby has a tell and it is different for each one.
- What settles them when they are upset
- Where they are with solids, and any foods introduced or not yet tried
- Nappy sizes, creams, and any skin issues
We follow your routine rather than imposing ours. A baby room that runs to a centre schedule instead of the child's is doing it backwards.
What the first fortnight looks like
Days one to three. Often deceptively fine. Babies are frequently calm on the first days and then react later.
Days four to ten. The likely wobble. Shorter naps here than at home, more feeding, more waking at night. This is the settling, and it passes.
Week two onward. Naps lengthen as they get used to sleeping in a room with other sounds. Feeding regularises. You will start to hear about specific things they did.
Through all of it, expect a delayed reaction at home: more clinginess in the evenings, wanting to feed more overnight. Your baby is doing a lot of adjusting and you are the safe place to fall apart.
Pumped milk and bottles
Bring milk labelled with name and date. We store and warm it to your instruction and we never microwave it. Anything unused is sent home rather than kept.
If your baby has never taken a bottle from anyone but you, practise before the start date — with someone else giving it, ideally with you out of the room. It is much easier to solve at home than on a first morning.
What we send home
Every day: feeds with times and amounts, nap start and end times, nappies, mood, and anything notable. For an infant this is not a nicety — you need it to plan your evening and to spot a pattern.
Ask us anything, any time. There is no such thing as too many questions in the first month.
