Starting a new daycare... harder on Mommy?

There is always something hard about being a Mommy. Sometimes it is leaving your child at daycare, feeling guilty because you are leaving him for 9 hours a day. And then sometimes, on top of that, you feel weird about the daycare itself and get the feeling that it isn't good enough for your baby.

I recently went through this excruciating feeling that my daycare wasn't what my baby deserved. I kept thinking, "He seems happy, mostly, but there are so many kids in such a small place, and no lesson plans...." The more I spoke with my mom friends who had their kids at other daycares, the more it was made clear to me that my care wasn't what I wanted.

I put my two weeks in at my old daycare, once I found a new one, and the last day my son had at the old daycare, I came in to pick him up and none of the caregivers had any idea that it was his last day! I couldn't believe the director hadn't told them! They were heartbroken, and had to rush around and find all of his things (which I don't think I got all of them anyway).

How does a Mom know if her baby's daycare is a good one or not? If they seem clean and he isn't crying when she gets there, and they seem to love him? Well, here are a few things I have learned in the year I have been a mother: 

Your daycare may not be a good one if: 

*It doesn't have a lesson plan (meaning they either have a lazy teacher, or no teachers that have an actual education in Early Education)

*None of the teachers have a degree in teaching

*Whenever you walk into the room, the teachers are all standing, and either congregated together or at least not interacting with the children

*When there are babies that are crying, and in the 5-10 minutes you are there, the daycare ladies don't even notice that no one else is helping the baby, and no one moves to take care of him/her.

*When there are communication problems, such as the director not telling the staff that a child is leaving their care (!!)

*When your baby is constantly tired at home, but they tell you he doesn't need that second nap that you have been constantly telling them you want him to take!

Some reasons to love your daycare:

*If they have a crib especially for your child so that you don't have to worry about whether or not it is getting cleaned in between kids sleeping in the same spot.

*Lesson plans and menus readily available for you to peruse.

*Hand washing before and after eating, after changing diapers, even when they are a year old!

*Lots of toys that are age appropriate for the kids to play with.

*Teachers are down on the floor playing with the kids even at the end of the day and can give you a smile and still seem patient as ever, even though they spent 9 hours with at least a few very energetic kids!

*The more communication, the better!

I'm not an expert about daycares... yet..... but I am learning fast that there is so much more to finding a daycare than what is on paper!