Basic daycare items

I'm going back to work in November and putting the girls in daycare. I was wondering what are some basic items that they need and what they need two of (are two bags nessacary).

 

The only thing we provide at this point are diapers, wipes, and diaper cream, so I just take in a supply as needed. I also leave an one change of clothes there for each girl, and only have to change those out as they get used up. Our daycare provider provides all meals and snacks, dishes and utensils, etc. Before the girls were 1 year old, we did have to provide formula and baby food, but once they wer eon solid food we didn't have to provide anything.

So, we don't really take a bag every day; we just take things in as needed.

 

Your daycare should tell you this (ours gave us practically a handbook ), but FWIW, we keep the following in their cubbies:

3 changes of clothes per child
blanket and crib sheet (they wash them at school, I don't have to take them home)
loveys (I bring them home on weekends for washing)
extra jacket
water bottles or sippies
diapers (the teacher tells me when they're running low, and I bring more)

When they were infants, it was more complicated with the bottles & solids, but from 1 year on up, the school provides all the food. If your kids have allergies, you will need to be very sure the school knows exactly what they are allergic to (and how severely), and you'll probably need to provide food.

I do usually have two of everything, but the daycare teachers consider their extra clothes to be more or less interchangeable.

HTH!

 

I bought the girls each a small backpack at Wal-Mart, and had their name embroidered on it. They don't take it back and forth everyday, but I do keep their blankie & their change of clothes in it. They like to wear it home & to school on wash days, but other than that - it's too much of a hassle to take back and forth.

I usually buy a pack of pull-ups and leave it there (they only use for nap). We also take sippy cups with fresh milk for them everyday, but I think that will stop when they are moved up to the 3 yr old class in the fall. Then I think they have to wait for snack or lunch time, and drink out of a big-girl cup.

Since we just finished pt'ing, I would take a huge sack of extra undies & shorts, because it was easier than constantly replacing the one 'outfit' that I had in their backpack.

As far as food or snacks, the daycare provides everything.

 

Diapers and wipes as needed and 1 change of clothes each. Diaper cream, tylenol, or any other medication if they need it. They provide everything else.

 

We had to bring changes of clothes, outdoor shoes, diaper cream, sunscreen, sunhats, a thermometer, and tylenol. For the medicine and cream-type things, I just brought one that they can share. In the fall and winter they will also need rain boots and rain coat and other outdoor stuff. Every day we also have to bring their bottles full of milk.

To label everything, I bought a bunch of labels from mabel's labels (mabel.ca). There are different kinds for different items (eg. special shoe stickers, clothing iron-ons, and stickers for everything else). The stickers go through the dishwasher (on bottles) and don't wear down at all. You can use the coupon code "help" to get three dollars off your order. All the moms I know around here use them. However, in many cases a sharpie will also work just fine and is much cheaper.

 

I have to provide diapers, wipes, sippy cups, and blankets for naps. I also leave a change of clothes for each girl in their basket in case they need them. I take the blankets home at least once a week to be washed. I also take their cups home every once in a while for a good cleaning, otherwise their blankets and cups stay in their basket in their room at the center. Lately, they have asked the parents to donate a box of kleenex for each child since there are so many snotty noses. Otherwise, the center provides all food and beverages. If they need medicine, we take it and leave specific instructions on how to administer it. I get a "report card" each day and they will write on it when they need diapers, wipes, etc. I don't take a bag each day. I only take the girls, but sometimes they take a toy or blanket with them. Some morning they latch on to something and just won't let go. It isn't worth the fight to take it away, so they carry it in with them. They usually put it in their basket and we take it home at the end of the day. Oh ya, I also took a bottle of sunscreen for the days they get to go outside and play.

 

I used to work in a daycare/preschool and everything was provided except for diapers. You also brought your own Tylenol, or any other medication when needed.

 

The daycare will probably give you a list. Ours also had a book, that I can't find the link on line to get to you. We only take one bag for both of the twins.
The one thing we had to provide that no one has listed yet is a nasal aspirator (did I spell that right?) for each girl when they are under 1. I hate those things...

Good luck!

 

QUOTE(BettiePage @ Jul 23 2007, 09:30 PM) [snapback]341826[/snapback]
The only thing we provide at this point are diapers, wipes, and diaper cream, so I just take in a supply as needed. I also leave an one change of clothes there for each girl, and only have to change those out as they get used up. Our daycare provider provides all meals and snacks, dishes and utensils, etc. Before the girls were 1 year old, we did have to provide formula and baby food, but once they wer eon solid food we didn't have to provide anything.

So, we don't really take a bag every day; we just take things in as needed.


Same thing here. We use an lady down the street from us who is a daycare provider, so if you are using an actual daycare center, they might require something else. Just ask!

 

Wow, you are all lucky...I have to provide all of the food and drinks for my guys.

Every day I bring in a diaper bag for each that contains:
- 2 outfit changes
- 1 jar of Stage 3 baby food in case they get extra hungry or don't eat what I pack for lunch.
- 2 sippy cups of whole milk
- 1 sippy cup of 1/2 apple juice + 1/2 water
- Bowl of Cherios for breakfast/morning snack
- Bowl of Meat (like cut up chicken nuggets) + Veggie (like defrosted frozen peas)
- Bowl of afternoon snack (Goldfish, broken graham crackers, etc.)
- 1 container of Yo Baby yogurt.

When I say "bowls" I use the Gerber "Bunch of Bowls" are great: http://www.baby-wise.com/product_info.php?products_id=2475
They wash well in the dishwasher and the lids seal very tightly so no spills in the bag.

I also pack a blanket for naps which I wash once a week.

Then I bring in diapers, wipes, medicine, diaper cream, etc. as needed.

My guys are 13 months.

 

QUOTE(stover @ Jul 24 2007, 05:12 PM) [snapback]343196[/snapback]
Wow, you are all lucky...I have to provide all of the food and drinks for my guys.


Yeah, I was going to mention this. I am starting back to work next week and we found 2 daycares that had 2 openings for their age (That's the hard part around here. Everyone has 1 opening but not 2.) Anyway, one provides meals and the other only provides the morning and afternoon snacks. The one that doesn't provide any food was only $15 less per week! The one we chose, not solely for this reason of course) provides breakfast, lunch and 2 afternoon snacks.

We only have to supply diapers, wipes, at least one change of clothes, a blanket for nap time and a toy if they need it for nap time. I think I will actually get 2 backpacks with their names on them and keep several clothing changes in that so there isn't a bunch of restocking going on. I used to forget to restock when we did this before.

I would start calling daycares now, though, and getting on their lists. Fortunately I'm really excited about the daycare we have chosen but if I weren't, we'd be up a creek. But, this was all very short notice too.

 

I was just wondering if you have already found a daycare for your girls. I had a hard time finding one in the Moore/South OKC area that had two openings in the one-year old room. I called every day care on the list that is published by DHS in the Moore/South OKC area (south of 89th) and only found four that had current openings or would have them by the time I needed them. We visited all of them and then decided. I had to have a place by June 1st, but the one we found had immediate openings, so we took them and ended up moving the girls there on May 1st since my private babysitter had to quit.

 

We are looking at three high level ones in Midwest City since that is most likely where I'll be working( the only other branches is a) where my mom works so I can't work there or B) not needing any new people