These days, many families have two working parents. This means that they must find child care for not only their older children but their infants as well. Infant child care has always been controversial regarding its affect on the child. When you consider that the first year of a child's life sets the stage for their future development, many wonder if it is such a good idea to have them spending huge amounts of time with strangers.
Based on my research, I feel that it really depends on the facility that you send your baby to. Are they giving you and your baby the kind of service that will help your child grow and succeed? Good attention to specific family needs is very important, especially if this is an infant child care facility.
What are some of the most important questions for you to ask? I recommend questions such as:
Are your caregivers trained in infant specific child care and infant development? Does your staff undergo training in infant CPR & first aid? Does your facility offer infant mental development programs such as stimulation activities through baby massage and baby sign language. How long have you been in business and are you in good standing with the BBB?
These are all great things to ask your infant child care facilities to better determine which one is best for your baby. Educate yourself about the different kinds of programs out there. Remember that your baby is learning at a very fast pace right now and what they are taught in these first years will continue to be a part of their attitude and educational growth for the future.
You also may want to think about how long you'll need to keep your baby in an infant child care program each day. Is this something that you only need a few hours a day or are you needing 8 or more hours each day? This will play a big role on what kind of facility you choose. If you only need a few hours for instance maybe look into hiring a family member or someone that you know from a social area. This way the baby does not have to leave the comfort and security of your home. If you need longer term care make sure you are getting the best that is available in your area.
There of course are many good child care programs and facilities out there, but you want to always do your research in order for you to pick the very best for your baby. This development stage is very vital, and you want the center you choose to be very educated on infant child care, not just a day care in general. So educate yourself as much as possible that way you know that when you leave your baby in their care that you are leaving them with people who will educate and help develop your baby.