What to Pack for Daycare- For your Newborn and Toddler

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Returning to work and sending your child to daycare can be a crazy emotional ride. Even when you’ve been back to work for a while and are switching care providers, it is filled with so much anxiety! We recently started a new daycare this last month and after scouting, vetting, and interviewing several places, the night before the girls started I was still filled with so much anxiety. Will they like their new environment? Will my children thrive there? Will they get enough attention? Will they make new friends? Will their teachers love them? Leaving your child with anyone can be heart wrenching, especially when it’s the first time! Since we just made this change, I thought I would share some tips on making this an easy transition for you and your child.

 

Before making our decision, Matt and I have done the following with each daycare we've chosen. We've been at four daycares, which is more than I would like, but with seasonal changes (our first did only the school year and took summer off), and with the move, we've been through it time and again and I think we've learned more each change. Below is what we've done to help choose and transition a daycare, but it may not work for everyone. It's just some suggestions to help the transitions. 

- Matt and I checked out the daycares by ourselves first, and then later brought the girls with us to our top choices. I wanted the girls and their teachers to get to know each other a little bit before starting and without any distractions. Then we brought the girls during daycare hours to meet their classmates and observe and check out the class and its settings.

- If possible, see if you can take your children there for a half day a few days before starting, that way it’s not all brand new on their first full day. Having your children stay for a little bit of time, without you there with them, can help ease them into their new surroundings

- Front load, front load, front load. Children do so much better when they are introduced to something ahead of time and know what to expect. This strategy works great for Ellie- anytime we do something new that we worry about her reaction, we talk about what we’re doing, what will happen, and what to expect. For example, when we were having a baby we read lots of big sister books, practiced holding and being careful with babies using her dolls, explained that I would be holding the baby a lot and the baby will be sleeping in our room, etc. That way, it’s not too much of a shock to her when the event comes. For her new daycare, we talked about her new routine, what she’ll be doing in her class, etc. The first day had a bit of a rough start, but there weren’t any tears the rest of the week!

Here is a list of items I send with the girls to help make them feel comfortable and help them in a routine. Each daycare provider offers different things for your children, so your list may be different, mine has changed with each place and as they have grown.

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-They’re own bedding

My girls have sensitive skin (especially little Emma!) so I do prefer for them to sleep on bedding washed with our soap since I know it doesn’t irritate them, but another benefit is that it will smell like home! It will be comforting for them to have a familiar scent in a new place. I drop off a new sheet and blanket every Monday and take it home to wash each Friday.

- Stuffed animal/doll/toy
If your child is attached to anything or prefers something like a paci, teether, lovie, etc. be sure to pack it! It will help them feel at home and will make nap time easier for them. Our new daycare has lots of toys and entertainment for the girls, but if Emma is especially fond of a teether, I’ll bring it in. Ellie has a small baby doll she keeps at school just for nap time too. 

- Diapers / Wipes / Rash Cream
I've talked about this before, but we are a Huggies household. They fit the best for both of our girls and provide up to 12 hours of protection and keep baby's skin nice and dry. We also always buy our Huggies Snug & Dry in bulk, you save over $10 buying that way and the bulk box comes in three large packs that's easy to divvy up between home and daycare. There's also a Huggies Snug & Dry Ibotta offer starting today (3/9) for $7 off at Sam's club! We bring wipes and rash cream too to keep there. We buy wipes in bulk as well and drop off a box and large pack as needed. At our current daycare, we had to fill out a medication form for the diaper rash, but I want Emma to have what works best for her skin.

- Bottles / Cup / Food / Bibs
Every day I pack a lunch for both girls, but also keep rice cereal there for Emma. I make sure Emma has enough bottles of breastmilk each day and keep frozen milk there for an extra bottle, just in case. I also pack bibs at the start of each week and bring the used ones home each day. A bowl/spoon may be needed too for your baby's food.

- Change of clothes
Each girl has two changes of clothes that we keep at daycare. Two sets of tops, pants, undies for Ellie, and socks. I also keep a long sleeve jacket/shirt for each girl as well. I pack them in a large Ziplock with their names on each one.

Other tips are to label everything of your child's- it's easy to get mixed up with others and lost. If it's plastic, I write their names on it and for fabric, I just put their initials on the tags. Also, if possible, drop off the items that you'll be keeping there permanently or for the week before your first day. I also pack everything we need the night before.

Be sure to check out the Huggies Snug & Dry Ibotta offer starting today (3/9) for $7 off at Sam's club! 

That's everything we pack each week for the girls! Their new daycare is amazing and I'm so happy for their new environment, it's exactly what the girls needed and we've really enjoyed it. It doesn't get easier to make changes, but knowing your child is being well attended too eases the mind. I like to think that I've packed them for anything and are ready for all the fun. What do you pack for your little ones? What do you do to help make it easier?

Day Off Recap

Last week I had a day off during the typical work week and I did my best to photograph our day to share. I love taking a peek into other people's lives and Meg does great posts that share a typical day or morning of her life which I really enjoy. So, inspired by her here's a look at a typical week day off around our house.

Top // Very Jane Necklace (Old) // Jeans // Sandals // Sunnies // Old Navy Tote (old)
Ellie and I wake up around 7 and have eggs and toast for breakfast and we watch Mr Peabody and Sherman (such a cute movie!) while I do some clean up in the kitchen. After that, we're on our way out for a Target run for some goodies. It's getting hard to shop with Ellie in toe now, she wants to look at everything, touch everything, and say hi to every stranger. I went armed with an apple sauce pack, pretzels, and a bag of Hershey Kisses (which she found way too soon). 

Peplum Top // Shorts
After our trip we enjoy some strawberries and water outside in the sunshine. Ellie also is loving the Fubbles we picked up during the adventure. 

We're always listening to fun music in the car and Ellie is in love with a bunch of nursery rhymes right now and I was so excited to snag this CD for her Easter basket. On sale for $6.99 too! 

Essie Blossom Dandy  // Baby Lips in Pink Punch // TRESemme Sea Salt Spray // TRESemme Serum

I also picked up a few things for myself too... 

e.l.f. Brushes
After bubbles and a cheese quesadilla lunch, it was naptime! I took advantage of this time to finally get around to washing my makeup brushes. It's a task I hate doing, but love the feel of a clean brush afterward. I also need to do this way more often. 

Naptime is also the perfect time to catch up on some TV and catch some Zzzz's myself. 

Once naptime is over, we're back outside. It was such a gorgeous day and we love spending it outside together. We also found a big lizard Ellie is obsessed with. She looks for it everytime we go outside and is so upset and offended when she can't find it. I just tell her it went home to have dinner with his mommy. Which works for a few minutes before she starts looking for him again. 

I put on a childhood classic and give Ellie some Pirate's Booty while I start dinner. She loves all the mice and the singing, but mostly is playing with her Little People and watching what I'm doing for dinner. 

During this time, Ellie also learns how to take selfies. 100s of them.

Dinner plans change since Matt has to work a bit later, so Ellie and I have something simple and delicious- chicken apple sausages and steamed broccoli. 

We end the night with some brownie making and it's off to bed for her. Matt and I relax and watch some American Idol before we head off to bed ourselves.

It's a pretty standard day off around here, we also play a ton with dolls, fake food, coloring, and puzzles in our playroom.  We try and set up playdates or often head to the sports park nearby, but no matter what I always try and get us out of the house for our sanity.

Happy Hump Day! I hope you're all having a great week!

Weekend(s) Catch-Up

Since the holidays, our weekends have been packed! Now that they’ve started to slow down a bit (ha!) we’re been trying to get out more with Ellie as a family. A few weeks ago, we went to an outdoor mall by our home just to walk around and make a few exchanges. We set the app Map My Run on our phones to see how much we walked and we walked over 2 miles at the mall. I couldn’t believe it, it didn’t seem like you could really walk that much at just a shopping mall. While on leave, I walked almost every morning and I would like to do it after work, but it’s too dark right now to do so. It was nice to get out and about and get some walking in. We went really early to the mall and Matt and I split a smoothie and a pretzel and took our time looking around. It was nice to spend time with Matt outside of our house or at parties. I had a lot of fun shopping with him and Ellie. 

It had been really warm too due to a  heat wave and I’ve been living in my shorts and flip flops on Saturdays. Most of my shorts I couldn’t even fit over my thighs/butt since being pregnant and the last time I tried them on, I could pull them up, but not button them. I can button them now and wear them comfortably! Woohoo!! I was so excited about that, I floated on cloud nine all day. Breastfeeding for the win! I haven’t worked out at all post-partum and I’m waiting until I’m done nursing to do so because I’m afraid of it affecting my supply. I know they say it doesn’t need to and there are ways to still work out and nurse, but I’ve had an issue with my supply in the past and I’m too worried about doing anything to hurt it.

Matt and I have tried to also take turns taking Ellie out on our own as well on the weekends to give the other one time to themselves and with friends. It’s important to us both to take time to ourselves so we don’t lose ourselves to our role as parents. It’s been both hard and refreshing for me. I had a baby shower to go to and decided that Ellie and I should match for the first time. I know it’s super corny, but it was a lot of fun and I hope to do it more in the future. Maybe not so matchy-matchy, but coordinated at least. Even if I had a son, I think it would be fun to still match with him too. It was also the first time a lot of my sorority sisters got to meet Ellie and it was great to catch up with the girls. We even got a quick shot of all of us. 

Matt and I haven’t really eaten out much at restaurants, we tried it a few times and of course Ellie had a meltdown and cried the whole time. Now that she’s eating solids and can sit up using a high chair, it’s opened so many social doors for us. We can go out now with family and friends and she enjoys seeing everyone at table level and we just bring her homemade food, puffs, and mums for her to enjoy. I can’t wait for her to be able to just eat off of our plates- that will make life even easier!!

A few weekends ago, on my way to visit Matt’s sister and her family (Matt met me at her place), I stopped and picked up some goodies for Ellie. They were having 40% off the whole store and I had an additional 20% off coupon so I grabbed a few things in 12 months for her to wear this spring/summer. She’s wearing 9 months right now and I really like how Carter’s brand fits her and everything I have from them washes and wears well.

 

They had some super cute sandals, but I didn’t know what size to get her. Her feet are little, but they’re really chubby and I didn’t know what size she would be wearing in a few months so I just held off for now. I couldn’t resist these cute sunglasses for her, which she wore in the store, but hasn’t kept on since we left. I hope she takes to wearing them though, with her light eyes, I know she’ll be sensitive to the sun and I’d like to protect her eyes this summer. She also absolutely loved this mermaid doll  with a rattle we got and just giggles and smiles every time we play with it with her. They had a matching towel to go with it that I think needs to show up in her Easter basket.

I've never been more anxious or excited for Fridays to come in all my life since having a family. The transition to work was luckily pretty easy for me, but I still have days where I want to call in sick and just cuddle and play with Elle bell all day. I hope to stay home or work part time in the future, but for now I'm doing what's best for our family. 

Matt and I have also done really well with making dinners at home every day. This year we wanted to have more healthy, well-rounded meals and it has gone really well. We make chicken, pork chops, fish, lasagnas, green beans, zucchini, and asparagus most nights. We're not re-inventing the wheel or anything, but it's been great to plan our meals ahead of time and not be scrambling on what to have when we get home. This past week we challenged ourselves not to eat any candy, no snacking after 8pm (except for fruit/veggies, which we never ended up doing), and to drink only water after 8 as well. It was really easy to follow and not eating candy was going great until day 4 and I had such a hard time! I made it through the week though and packed some Sour Punch Kids with my lunch today. It was just a challenge to see if we could do it and it was a success!

Hope all of you had a great weekend and may this Monday start off with a bang for your week!