Parenting is hard. It’s impossible to make the right decision, so what do you do?

Educate yourself and make the best possible choice for your children, your family, and yourself. No one should fault you for giving your best, even if others think that your best is not enough. Today we’re going to talk about one of these hard decisions that has no real right answer.

When is your child ready for daycare?

Instead of giving you a catch-all answer, we’re going to cover some different schools of thought and let you make the decision about who is best for your own family.

Average Age

The average age for starting daycare or preschool is within a child’s first year. However, as our economy struggles and people find livable wages more and more difficult, it’s common for families to start daycare as early as six to nine months of age.

So far there aren’t any wholly conclusive studies to suggest that there are any consequences to sending your child to daycare too early, but we’re going to cover some factors to consider before taking your munchkin to preschool.

A Child’s Stress

It may be weird to think about, but regardless of how small, your child can experience feelings of stress and anxiety. Plus, just like every other human being on this planet, they have a natural stress level that will rise and fall given specific situations. You (and your child) know best what situations are and aren’t stressful for them.

This doesn’t mean that daycare isn’t an option for a stressed out child. It just means that they might start later because it would be best to help by building them up to a daycare situation. A great way to do that? Start with short hours of babysitting to longer hours to half days and then, before you know it, everyone (yourself included) will feel better about going to daycare!

Get Comfortable

Much to your surprise, you may find that you have a harder time taking your little one to daycare than they have going. Take the time, before even introducing your child to the idea, to find a child care center that you love. Tour the facilities, meet the staff, talk with the director, and get to know the building and programs where you child will be spending their time. At A World of Discoveries, we encourage our parents to get to know us and how we spend our days because we want you to feel as safe and comfortable as the kids do!

Consider The Hours

It’s important to keep in mind how many hours you’d be putting your child into daycare. Studies have shown children do best starting daycare at a year old but don’t take well to being there all day until they’re three years old. Some suggest to wait putting children into daycare full-time, all day until they are three, if you have that option. A great alternative we’ve seen success with is a combination schedule of nannying/sharing child care with neighbors or friends and half days at daycare.

A World Of Discoveries

At A World of Discoveries, we believe in caring for your child as if they were our own. We understand the amount of time, energy, effort, and love that it takes to run a daycare properly. If you’re ready for little one to be in a child care center that goes above and beyond every day, call today for more information.