https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Sat, 23 May 2026 09:43:47 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/moms-with-infants-in-daycare-who-determines-a-routine-or-lack-thereof#post-80229 Thu, 23 Feb 2012 10:24:48 +0000 Cchoi4 80229@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I just toured a daycare yesterday. Their particular policy was at the infant age (0 - 14 months), they follow the baby's schedule. Eat, sleep, play, whatever the baby wants. (They had a 1 to 3 teacher to baby ratio). Then when they hit 15 months and go into the toddler class, they are put on a group schedule. The lady who gave us the tour said that it sounds like a big change but most of the time, they are able to get the kids to eat, sleep, and play at the same time. </p> <p>Every daycare is different so that is definitely something to ask questions on if/when you decide to go on a tour! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/moms-with-infants-in-daycare-who-determines-a-routine-or-lack-thereof#post-80225 Thu, 23 Feb 2012 10:13:41 +0000 daniellemybelle 80225@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@looch: Thanks for sharing that! I would love to read those materials to get a better idea of what the school would be doing with our LO, and I'm sure a SAHM would really benefit as well! But at $2,000, I don't think so, haha!</p> <p>@mrbee: That's a great point! I guess I worry about it more with an infant, but I'm sure you're right! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/moms-with-infants-in-daycare-who-determines-a-routine-or-lack-thereof#post-80162 Thu, 23 Feb 2012 02:41:29 +0000 mrbee 80162@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>One random thought: when we put Charlie into daycare, we were so nervous that he would not adapt to the daycare's eating and sleeping schedule. But he shocked us with his adaptability, and napped great the very first day! It took him a little while to eat comfortably there (he's not that great at eating solids even now), but after a little time he ate better at daycare than he does at home!</p> <p>I guess my general point is that a lot of kids shock their parents with their adaptability! Not every child is adaptable of course... but we sure were surprised at how easily he made the transition! Other than the separation anxiety that is... that took a few weeks to wear off. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/moms-with-infants-in-daycare-who-determines-a-routine-or-lack-thereof#post-80159 Thu, 23 Feb 2012 02:28:58 +0000 looch 80159@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>For the Montessori ladies, there is a program for babies 0-3 years. You can read more about it here...</p> <p><a href="http://www.montessoritraining.net/infant_toddler/course_content.htm" rel="nofollow">http://www.montessoritraining.net/infant_toddler/course_content.htm</a> </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/moms-with-infants-in-daycare-who-determines-a-routine-or-lack-thereof#post-79943 Wed, 22 Feb 2012 16:12:59 +0000 Andrea 79943@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@daniellemybelle: wow, that is great! and i am impressed at all the research you are doing! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/moms-with-infants-in-daycare-who-determines-a-routine-or-lack-thereof#post-79938 Wed, 22 Feb 2012 16:10:48 +0000 daniellemybelle 79938@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Andrea: @Lozza: @mrstilly: There are actually 3 Montessori schools in our area that take infants! Two start at 2 months, one starts at 6 months. They all have a 8:30-3 or 3:30 school day, as well, but two of the three offer after care. From what I could tell on their websites, at least two of them offer 3 and 4 day options. (I am embarrassed I know all of this considering we are so far from having a LO!)</p> <p>@mrstilly: I think your advice is good - if we are going to use daycare, we can't expect them to be clones of us. Better to find ones that fit what we are looking for the most, and then adapt to it. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/moms-with-infants-in-daycare-who-determines-a-routine-or-lack-thereof#post-79934 Wed, 22 Feb 2012 16:02:22 +0000 mrstilly 79934@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>In my area they don't offer montessori for infants. We chose an in home daycare based on the feeling we had meeting with the woman. DS was the youngest at 6 months and would remain the youngest for at least 9 more months, since only 2 can be under two years old and she had a girl just over one year when DS started.<br /> I guess I wasn't totally sure what to expect, as far as a schedule for DS. She fed him on demand, but he usually ate every 2 hours, so it was kind of set times. Sleeping was the hardest adjustment for me. She let him cry it out for naps until he got used to the schedule. Now, a few months later he puts himself to sleep at daycare and at home without crying at all. But at the time it was hard for me to handle. But she couldn't rock him to sleep quietly with 5 other kids to care for, even if they are older. In the end it has made our life easier, and he sleeps so well now. At daycare he takes 1 nap when the older kids nap, for about 2 hours. At home on weekends he will take 2 or sometimes 3 naps, but he won't sleep with the other kids awake at daycare. He bounces back from weekends with us and gets right back into his schedule, but he is in daycare full time during the week. </p> <p>I would find a day care that matches your values and then I would try to start matching their schedule at home. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/moms-with-infants-in-daycare-who-determines-a-routine-or-lack-thereof#post-79929 Wed, 22 Feb 2012 15:53:35 +0000 Lozza 79929@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My experience in looking into Montessori programs is the same as Andrea's- I haven't seen any for infants (most seem to start around 2 years). </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/moms-with-infants-in-daycare-who-determines-a-routine-or-lack-thereof#post-79928 Wed, 22 Feb 2012 15:50:04 +0000 Andrea 79928@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@daniellemybelle: there is a montessori school on my corner but they only start from 18 months. the hours are 9 am - 3 pm so that would have to work with your working hours, too.</p> <p>ETA - i am also not sure if montessori does part time programs since it is really like school and not day care - so it is more of a daily attendance thing but i am not 100% sure. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/moms-with-infants-in-daycare-who-determines-a-routine-or-lack-thereof#post-79913 Wed, 22 Feb 2012 15:29:22 +0000 daniellemybelle 79913@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Thanks everyone for the feedback! The consensus seems to be that we really need to investigate the providers thoroughly, and that the lower the teacher : infant ratio, the more likely we will be able to control LO's schedule. </p> <p>Much of why I am asking is also because I am hoping to work part-time if I do work, and have LO in daycare 3 days a week. It's really hard for me to wrap my head around full time work/daycare, so I feel like working part-time would be a good compromise. I'd bring in income but still be home with the baby 4 out of 7 days of the week. If that were the case, I'd definitely want it to be a smooth transition between home &amp; daycare.</p> <p>It's obviously still too soon to know what our options will be, but I like the idea of a Montessori school with an infant "classroom" the most. I feel like Montessori falls in line with our philosophies the most, and I also like the idea of LO being able to move up with their little friends into a more academic environment. Of course, Montessori is expensive, so we'll see. Anyway, does anyone have any experience with Montessori for infants? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/moms-with-infants-in-daycare-who-determines-a-routine-or-lack-thereof#post-79822 Wed, 22 Feb 2012 13:54:09 +0000 Lozza 79822@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I think you'll just have to interview a lot of different providers, and may well have better luck with a smaller in-home provider than a center (unless you find one like Amy's that is expressly AP-oriented).<br /> We've used two different daycares so far in LO's life. The first one had two teachers for 3 kids over the summer when LO was there (there were a couple more kids coming for the fall), and they were VERY communicative with us and pretty much willing to follow whatever schedule we wanted. They were fine with sleeping/eating on demand. (They wouldn't cloth diaper or babywear though, so those AP common practices would have been out)<br /> LO's current center is a lot more structured. There are 2 teachers for 5 kids, and they have set meal times and flexible but semi-structured nap times (there's nap time for everyone after lunch, and they have "quiet time" in the mornings to encourage napping for those kids who need/want it, but they don't force it... and if a kid is otherwise really obviously sleepy they'll often stick him/her in a stroller and wheel him/her around the hallways till the kid falls asleep).<br /> We are really lucky to have an LO who is incredibly chill. He's fine on a schedule, and fine off a schedule. (I think some kids thrive on a schedule and some really thrive off a schedule, but it doesn't seem to matter to him) So I think the nature (and age... I would actively WANT my two year old on a schedule with other kids, whereas I'd rather my 2 month old be able to eat/sleep on demand...) of your kid may be a good guide for this. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/moms-with-infants-in-daycare-who-determines-a-routine-or-lack-thereof#post-79815 Wed, 22 Feb 2012 13:39:33 +0000 mrs. wagon 79815@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I was a SAHM but my friend just looked into centers and chose one for her newborn. She's mentioned that she wants her daughter on some sort of a schedule before she enters daycare because their policy is to leave the babies in the cribs and not rock them to sleep individually. So it sounds like some centers have a set schedule themselves and the babies learn to adjust to it. </p> <p>I think home-based daycares with just a few babies would probably adhere to your own schedule... but that's just my guess, I haven't needed to look into that. By the time RJ went into daycare at a center at 18 months, he was at a single nap after lunch and he adjusted beautifully. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/moms-with-infants-in-daycare-who-determines-a-routine-or-lack-thereof#post-79812 Wed, 22 Feb 2012 13:34:59 +0000 looch 79812@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I think in this case, I'd look for a home based daycare instead of a center. I think there's more flexibility in schedules or lack thereof in a smaller environment. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/moms-with-infants-in-daycare-who-determines-a-routine-or-lack-thereof#post-79787 Wed, 22 Feb 2012 12:24:33 +0000 T.H.O.U. 79787@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I think it would be hard to find a center that allows for that. </p> <p>Our center follows our wishes but asks for a feeding and sleep "schedule". For example, they feed her every two to three hours and let her sleep when they think she's sleepy. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/moms-with-infants-in-daycare-who-determines-a-routine-or-lack-thereof#post-79778 Wed, 22 Feb 2012 11:59:40 +0000 amy 79778@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I would look for a daycare center that believes in your philosophies. Our daycare philosophy is based on Attachment based care giving. The infant room you pretty much control the schedule and they provide a daily sheet of when they ate, how much they ate, durations of naps and all diaper changes (when and what). Different centers will have different guidelines on the ratio of caregiver to child but in our center it was 1 to 2 which was very important to me with a max of 4 infants. So as the infants age out of the infant room one of the caregivers will also transition with them to the toddler room and a toddler teacher will transition down thus keeping at least one familiar caregiver in the transition. The attachment does end at 2.5 when the chile enter the early preschool program and has a new set of teachers but they to a transition period over a month and have the child spend a few hours each week in their new class. I really lucked out with this center, I didn't like the first center i had used for my first child when we lived back east. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/moms-with-infants-in-daycare-who-determines-a-routine-or-lack-thereof#post-79762 Wed, 22 Feb 2012 11:44:15 +0000 Andrea 79762@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I think it's most useful if the daycare has a schedule/routine to follow. Or else it will just be guesswork on their part, with the potential for you to be unhappy with their guesswork. </p> <p>When my LO started daycare at 6 months, I typed out a feed/sleep schedule for them to follow. Infants can have their own individual schedules but once they are 18 months+ then they no longer do that. They want everyone eating and sleeping at generally the same time. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/moms-with-infants-in-daycare-who-determines-a-routine-or-lack-thereof#post-79760 Wed, 22 Feb 2012 11:40:11 +0000 yoursilverlining 79760@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I would write down all your concerns and preferences and then just talk to the daycares when you go in to tour/interview them. The daycare we’ve picked emails you a daily status “what did baby do today” along with a couple of pictures of her enjoying the activities of the day, and charts in every time she eats/sleeps/diaper change and any activities she does. That info they provide would be easy to review and request changes to if you found it didn’t line up with what you were hoping from the daycare center. Not all daycare centers do this though, of course! And of course, when you have 1 person caring for 3 or 4 infants, not everyone's individual style preference can always be accommodated. </p> <p>If you are really strict about sticking to a certain parenting style like AP, or having a very rigid daily timeline, a small in-home daycare run by someone who also APs, or a nanny might be a better fit than a larger center.</p> <p>We’re not into AP so it’s not an issue for us – the center has a sort of schedule but of course, baby ultimately calls the shots. Hope this helps - I would just suggest interviewing lots of daycares and not being afraid to ask all your questions and let them know what you are looking for until you find a good fit. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/moms-with-infants-in-daycare-who-determines-a-routine-or-lack-thereof#post-79757 Wed, 22 Feb 2012 11:31:05 +0000 chopsuey 79757@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I'm so curious about this too! I'm a SAHM so I have no idea how daycare works!<br /> ' </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/moms-with-infants-in-daycare-who-determines-a-routine-or-lack-thereof#post-79741 Wed, 22 Feb 2012 11:03:43 +0000 daniellemybelle 79741@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>While I've always thought I'd be a SAHM, I am becoming more and more open to being a working mom. In thinking about child care, one of the questions that came into my mind is - How do you implement the routine/schedule/approach that you want to use when someone else is with LO most of the day? </p> <p>For example, if you AP and want your LO to feed on demand and sleep whenever they like. How can you insure that your daycare provider does this? Likewise, if you wanted to try out some sort of routine, do you just dictate this to your daycare provider? What if they have a routine for the other infants that this would conflict with? I'm very curious about how this is handled! </p>