From what age can children be sent to childcare centres in Australia? The answer is from 0 years old (there is no minimum age to start childcare!), which means newborns can be sent to childcare centres. Doesn’t it feel more cost-effective than hiring a nanny to take care of the baby, and there are so many teachers taking care of the children? Indeed, the teachers here are very professional and full of love.
However, we personally recommend sending the baby to childcare after 100 days, because parents need to have a familiarisation and understanding phase with their own baby, and effective communication with the teacher is also necessary!
What do you to pack for Daycare in Australia
What should you bring when sending a baby in the Nursery stage to childcare? (The following are our personal suggestions, except for breast milk and formula, which might be provided by all childcare centres. For parents who are more particular, you can refer to the following):
- A large bag or backpack
- Breast milk or formula (remember to divide the amount for each meal)
- Bottles, cups for drinking water, and pacifiers
- If there is supplementary food (it is best to specify whether it is for morning tea, afternoon tea, or lunch), it is not necessary as the childcare centres provide food.
- Bed sheets and blankets can be placed separately in a bag and brought back for washing every week.
- If the baby has a favourite toy, you can put 1 or 2 in the bag to comfort the baby.
- Diapers, about 2-3 pieces a day, mothers can calculate how many they need in a week (if you have specific requirements for wipes, you can bring your own, but most childcare centres have wipes with alcohol), eczema cream, etc.
- At least two sets of spare clothes should be placed in the bag.
- Name tags, both Hippo Blue and TinyMe offer name tags, and they can be used on all items that your child takes to daycare or school. As the items belonging to children often look similar, it’s important to label them clearly. If you want to save some money from buying pre-printed labels, you can also print labels for child care using your own thermal label printer, you just need to make sure you get a thermal label printer that is compatible with the type of thermal labels you have.
Creating a routine schedule is important
The most important thing is to write a routine schedule on a piece of paper and put it in the bag, or stick it on the bag. Many mothers usually send an email and dictate the schedule to the teacher (not recommended), so it is best for parents to write down the schedule, including sleeping and feeding time, allergies, and special circumstances!
During the first month, parents should communicate more with the teacher about the baby’s situation, and not just take the baby away. Understanding the child’s situation can help the teacher take better care of the baby, and make the baby’s day more enjoyable.