tips to finding and staying with a daycare center.

As an old daycare center employee I know the importance of finding the right daycare and knowing you can trust the people and the center with your child/children. I left the daycare center I was at due to the number of violations I was finding and when I left I also reported them. So here are some tips to try to help you find a daycare that is safe and you can trust.

1. Don't be afraid to ask to see background checks or even for information to run your own.
2. Always ask questions not only to the staff but to parents and even older children as well.
3. Always check for reviews on the daycare and remember no reviews can be bad reviews.
4. Don't be afraid to look around on your tour, how are they storing food, what is the child staff ratio, are the activities safe, and is the play area outside safe.
5. Don't be afraid to call the state and check on the centers license and any background on the center when it comes to complaints.
6. Ask neighbors weather it's people who live or work around the center what they witness at the center and if they ever see anything unusual.
7. Always  be aware of everything going on.
8. If you don't feel comfortable or things don't seem right chances are it's for a good reason never doubt your instinct.
9. Check the safety of cribs, highchairs, bottle making area, sinks, changing area, and make sure any doors are secure and your child can't get out of the room without being detected.
10. Always make sure the center is secure and has safety proceedures in place and ask them what they do to make sure nobody else can leave with your child.

Once you find a daycare remember you can change your mind if your not happy with the center. Things you need to watch for once in the center are:

1. Is your child always in a clean diaper when you show up
2. The center is suppossed to log feedings, diaper changes, any bumps or bruises so never be afraid to ask for copies of these and for safety measure always do a head to toe check with the teachers upon drop off and pick up and document any marks on your child for safety reasons
3. If new staff is comming in don't hesitate to ask questions
4. If there is a high turn over rate I would be asking why. There has to be a reason if staff and children don't stick around long.
5. Is your child acting strange when coming home or does your child fight going to daycare? There has to be a reason why DO NOT JUST ASSUME IT'S SEPERATION ANXIETY.
6. You have a right as a parent to call or stop in and check on your child take advantage of this.
7. Always listen to what your child is trying to tell you because a daycare will cover up for staff, children, and parents but your child will not.

So there are my tips for daycares. You have to make sure you can trust who your child is with and that your child is safe. 

4 and 5 weeks.

The 4th week went great we took our little girl on her first family vacation to Kinney Minnesota and Chisom Minnesota to see her Grandpa and Grandma and it was a blast she just loved being outside. That week the off clip on's and bug netting became our best friend to keep the bugs away and then on days we were out all day and didn't know if shade would be much of an option we used Aveeno baby sunblock. Don't worry every one her Dr approved it said it was better then a sun burn. It seems to me like she might love the outdoors as much as her mommy and daddy do. And yes her grandparents loved her and enjoyed being with her and we are hoping to make the trip again soon.

I will admit I was a little worried about taking her on her first trip so before we could even go I made the hubby check were the nearest hospital's and everything were just in case. I also made him check on how many stops were along the route and the longest times in between places to stop just so I could prepare. But with the right preparation and having everything we needed the trip was all in all pretty easy and we had a wonderful time.

And now this 5th week hasn't been to bad she is staying awake more and really expressing herself and her and daddy seem to have a lot of fun while mommy is at work. It was hard for me to go back to work and leave my little girl home but I have to work to make sure my baby girl has everything her little heart wants and everything she needs. Having my little girl has really changed me for the better and I couldn't imagine life without her. She has completed me and made me the luckiest women in the world. I just can't wait to see what the next big milestone will be. As she has been holding her head up for short periods on her own and has started to hold her own bottle at times.

I must admit though it is kinda funny when your not moving fast enough and she gets mad because then she will start to scream and head butt you and sometimes it can be funny. I just love knowing that no matter how bad of a day I have had I can see her smile and it makes it all worth while and makes me feel ten times better. It just makes me wonder how some people can forget about the love there children offer.

3 weeks and 4 days

My baby girl is going on 1 month old soon already and I have really learned a lot this past month like how fast they grow and how quickly they can advance in a lot of skills. How to tell what her cries mean and give her all the things she wants and needs. My baby girl is the most important thing to me and is such a good baby.
My little girl is getting bigger and bigger each day and all I want to do is be with her and watch her because she is constantly surprising us with the things she does. And my husband has been the greatest daddy to her he possibly can be. He enjoy's being with her and taking care of her and it is just so cute watching them together.

However It's hard to believe that this early on she is already holding her head up for a few minutes at a time and even holds her bottle alone for little bits of time. She is getting so big already and I can't wait to see her grow more. All I know is anyone with kids or having kids need to take there time with their baby and enjoy cuz it goes way to fast.

2 weeks and 5 days

This is how long it has been since I had our perfect little girl and although I am still getting use to her schdual and still trying to figure out what her cries mean it has been the best time of my life. I spend hours just watching her as she is staying awake more and trying to interact more it is amazing to me how I carried this little girl for so long feeling all her movements from inside and then on June 27th she was in my arms and now she is just growing fast.

I was a little dissapointed and said when I had to give up breastfeeding because I wasn't producing enough milk for her and after trying all the tricks to increase milk supply I was still not having any luck but she seems to be doing great on formula and is really growing. She was 7 pounds 8 ounces and 19.5 inches at birth, three days later she was 6 pounds 12 ounces and on June 11th at her 2 week appointment she was 7 pounds 12 ounces and 20 3/4 inches long and then June 15 th at another appointment she was a whole 8 pounds 7.5 ounces and 21 inches long.

It's hard to imagine how big of a difference just a few days can make with a new born and I don't want to miss any of it. This is my first baby and she is my little blessing after being told for 3 years I would never be able to have kids and after having 1 miscarriage. I am so blessed to have my wonderful daughter and could not ask for more.

Mine and my husbands lives have changed but it's been in the best way possible. We could not be happier to have a family and be raising our little girl together and giving her all the love she needs. And I love watching him with her because most of the time he don't want to let her go and just wants to be with her. He has been so great taking care of her on days off and sitting up with her at night so I can get some sleep. I couldn't have asked for a better dad for my little girl.

And even in almost 3 weeks I have learned we will have some trials with our little girl and nights were she don't want to sleep or is up more often but when I look at her and see her big smile and wonderful face I know it is all worth it. I can't imagine not having my daughter and I know all I can do is be the best mother to her I possibly can and always be there for her no matter what and give her all the love imaginable.