Xander Week 20 - Day Care Isn’t All Bad…
January 29, 2007
Well, it has taken me a while to warm up to the idea of day care - and I would still much prefer to stay home with Xander if I had the choice. However, there are some nice things about having Xander in day care. His routine is much easier for the care providers to set than it is for me (I’m assuming that’s because of the lengthy experience they have caring for kids…). When Xander needed his nose suctioned out every hour and before feedings while he had his cold, I got to drop him off at day care, and then they were the ones who had to make him cry with the suction, not me (yay!)
I’m sure it’s not a new concept, and probably most day cares do this, but I love the little “Infant Gram” we get every afternoon. The Infant Gram tells us how many diapers Xander went through and when, how much he ate and when, and when and how long he slept for during the day. They also note Xander’s overall demeanor for the day (whether he was cheerful, content or fussy). So, instead of asking the care providers how he was, I have a more detailed report of how Xander’s day went. It makes figuring out when to feed and change him when we get home much easier, and since I’m a little obsessive, I’ve saved all the Infant Grams so far, so we can look back and see how Xander has been doing the past few weeks.
I read lots of guides and suggestions about how to choose a good day care provider. Since I live in a pretty rural area, I didn’t have much of a choice, and when looking for someone who would care for an infant, the pool becomes even smaller. I think that many guides overlook the fact that many families need to be practical and consider things such as proximity to home or work, cost, and availability. I also think that some sort of written communication between parents and care providers is quite helpful, such as an Infant Gram. Our day care also asks that we send Xander with a little note in the morning detailing when his diaper was changed last, when he ate last, and when he woke up that morning. It’s a little more work for us, but I like to think that it ultimately provides better care for my kid.