I started at 14 weeks and called 10 in-homes and 8 centers. All had long wait lists and no openings, except for one in-home lady whose giant dog barked at us the whole time. No thanks! Many spots never even called me back, after I left a message.

We finally found a center that is close to us, had an opening for our anticipated time, and the rooms were colorful and large. The infant rooms in particular had lots of natural light, with only 8 infants per room. It’s church-based and about $205/week, formula or breakfast/lunch/snack included. I feel like we got lucky!

What has been your experience in your town/city? My area is really growing, with lots of families. I was still surprised at how stressful this was, with so few options!

My husband in particular was upset at how little support families get, as most of his Euro colleagues were shocked when he had to go tour daycares with me and was struggling with finding one.