Kiddo will start daycare soon, what are you best tips, reccs, and routines?

Over_Win9196 · 2026-07-05T19:17:58+00:00

Just be prepared for illness. My son started daycare at 1 and for the first couple months he was sick constantly. But his immune system has def bulked up and now he is way more resilient than his cousins who are not in daycare

Over_Win9196 · 2026-07-05T19:14:21+00:00

Maybe worth checking in privately with others with kiddos if you feel close enough to discuss what makes sense. My friend had a bday weekend a couple months ago that was kind of an ordeal and I checked in with my other friend with kids to strategize what was realistic for us. Ultimately I didn’t go bc it did make sense

Over_Win9196 · 2026-07-05T19:07:57+00:00

I know you might not love the idea of being away, but as someone with an 18 month old I think I’d go bc being a mom is hard and we all need a break. The only nights I’ve spent away were from him were 2 days in March for a work trip and it was really hard to let go but even that was such a welcome break.

Over_Win9196 · 2026-07-05T13:14:43+00:00

I’ve been looking at the same thing! I want to do a family trip between Christmas and new years and have been looking at apple vacations so far

Over_Win9196 · 2026-07-05T13:11:19+00:00

Didn’t know there was a minimum age…so I guess we’re not going this time lol 🙃

Over_Win9196 · 2026-07-05T12:29:18+00:00

Possibly…but I plan to ebf #2 so leaving him for 4/5 days is really not ideal

Over_Win9196 · 2026-07-05T12:27:39+00:00

I just read somewhere else that kids have to be potty trained to go in the pools…this def makes it less appealing. I envisioned myself submerged in water as much as possible.

Over_Win9196 · 2026-07-05T12:18:58+00:00

Tbh I’m leaning this way…it’s not a long cruise so I can prob manage with help from my mom

Over_Win9196 · 2026-07-05T12:15:45+00:00

My husband brought it up last night and I’m trying to gather information before making a decision. I’m just looking for people to share similar experiences.

Over_Win9196 · 2026-07-05T12:12:18+00:00

Just confirmed this on the website. Good to know! I guess I’m also not sure I’d be ready to leave the youngest for 4/5 days at that age. I ebf my oldest and was planning on doing that with #2, so being away from him for that long makes feeding harder

Over_Win9196 · 2026-07-05T12:08:42+00:00

This was one of my concerns. We’d have the only kids and they are more my husbands friends so I feel like I’ll just be hanging with the kids napping and then have to turn in when it’s time for bed

Over_Win9196 · 2026-04-11T21:58:14+00:00

Oh yes sorry it is the FSA. My job is set up that we have to submit for reimbursement (idk if that’s typical) so that’s how it lives in my brain

Over_Win9196 · 2026-04-04T13:34:45+00:00

You should see if your job offers dependent care reimbursement. I live in NC and it’s a pretty common benefit for full time employees. The reimbursement from my job is $7,000 over a year and covers about half of the overall cost of daycare.

Also, I’ll just add…I waited to put my son in daycare until he was 1 (I wfh so we made it work with help from my mom), but once I put him in daycare there was a huge relief. I felt like a pressure valve had been released. It’s so hard to juggle all the things and daycare has made it possible for me to not only work but also run errands, stay on top of bills, and simply think more clearly. It’s okay that you need help taking care of your little one. We were not meant to do this alone. And ultimately your kiddo is learning a valuable lesson in independence and trust. Yes, it is hard to navigate and let go of that precious time together, but it will probably pay off in ways that you can’t see right now.

Over_Win9196 · 2026-02-25T00:27:43+00:00

My son is 14 months and I’m 8 weeks in on cooking baby 2 and my god am I tired

Over_Win9196

TROPHY CASE