daycare mama's with infants . . .

what does your morning routine look like?

does you LO get a bottle before you drop them off? what time do you get up, and do you wake your LO? i dont get how this is going to work, and I go back to work on 1/4

Re: daycare mama's with infants . . .

I was long gone by the time DS went to daycare - DH dropped him off - but yes, he got him up, got him dressed, gave him a bottle and brought his cereal to daycare for them to feed him there.

ETS: Once Colin was older he got his milk and waffle or pancake and a banana at home. Then he went to school and ate whatever they had for breakfast too But the point is, he ate at home b/c he needed the food, not just the drink, before he went. But you have a ways for that, he was probably 10-11 mos old before we had to start that routine.

Message edited 12/11/2009 2:55:18 PM.

Re: daycare mama's with infants . . .

Oh... the first month or so when Mason went to daycare mornings were so tough. DH helped out b/c he goes to work later.
At think the first month he used to get up between 1 and 3 AM for a bottle then I'd give him one about 6 AM and told daycare he was good till 10 AM... then every 4 hours there.

Soon he was sleeping later so he'd get up around 4 - 5AM (that was the toughest since it's hard to go back to sleep for a short time after only to wake up again, get ready then get him up)...

Now... it's perfect (he's 6 mons)
Gets his last bottle at 7:30PM... sleeps 12 hours (or would if I didn't wake him).
I get up at 5:55AM... enough time to shower, makeup, quickly dry hair, dress... put bottles together (we have it ready the night b4 and baby food is already there), put my lunch together, put it in the car and warm it up. Go and wake up Mason... quickly change him while he's half asleep with his paci. Put him in the carseat and he'd go back to sleep. We get there and I give them a bottle to feed him immediatly.
That's been the best sched so far so no more bottles b4.

Re: daycare mama's with infants . . .

At the time DD used to get up around 5am, so I would give her a bottle, then I would dress her and put her back to sleep. Then I would get ready and we'd leave the house at 6:30 - 6:45am.

Re: daycare mama's with infants . . .

My DD and DS both started daycare around the same age (4 mos). I would get ready in the morning and then go and wake them up get them dressed and feed them (I Bfed, but if I wasn't I would proably send a bottle if had to wake up) Then take them to daycare (I gave them a schedule that we followed during the day but realized that it might change a little to make it work with all the children). I only woke DD or DS if they weren't already awake.

Re: daycare mama's with infants . . .

thanks for all the replies!!!!


anyone else?!


i think the thing thats got me confused right now is DD STTN but goes to bed at different times everynight. she fell asleep last night at 11pm, woke up at 7am

some nights shell fall asleep at 12, get up at 9

others shell fall asleep at 9, get up at 6

i guess once we start getting up at the same time everyday shell *hopefully* fall into more of a bedtime routine

Re: daycare mama's with infants . . .

great question! DS starts daycare 1/4 and doesnt wake up the same time everyday so im trying to figure this out too.

Re: daycare mama's with infants . . .

James goes down at 9 and wakes up at 5. I feed him, burp him and put him back down. He falls right back to sleep. I get myself ready, go out and start the car, put his bottles and a freezer pack in the diaper bag, put the bags in the car, pick him up out of the crib at 6:45, throw a sweater on over his PJ's, put a hat on him and stick him in the car seat and away we go. We're on the road by 7.

It's hectic, but it works for us. When he starts real food, the sitter will be feeding him breakfast.

Re: daycare mama's with infants . . .

Posted by sweetsurprise09

thanks for all the replies!!!!


anyone else?!


i think the thing thats got me confused right now is DD STTN but goes to bed at different times everynight. she fell asleep last night at 11pm, woke up at 7am

some nights shell fall asleep at 12, get up at 9

others shell fall asleep at 9, get up at 6

i guess once we start getting up at the same time everyday shell *hopefully* fall into more of a bedtime routine

Re: daycare mama's with infants . . .

Posted by LeShellem

Posted by sweetsurprise09

thanks for all the replies!!!!


anyone else?!


i think the thing thats got me confused right now is DD STTN but goes to bed at different times everynight. she fell asleep last night at 11pm, woke up at 7am

some nights shell fall asleep at 12, get up at 9

others shell fall asleep at 9, get up at 6

i guess once we start getting up at the same time everyday shell *hopefully* fall into more of a bedtime routine

Right now, I would work on you getting a schedule for night and put her down the same time everynight. Once there is done, you will see what time she wakes up naturally or if you will need to wake her for a bottle before daycare. We never gave a bottle before daycare. If DS needed to eat we would let the daycare know that he needed a bottle right away.

Re: daycare mama's with infants . . .

when ds first went to daycare I was thinking I would have it so that his first bottle was given to him by them...then my mom said to me one day..."what if all the parent's are thinking like you and then your kid is hungry at daycare, waiting for his bottle." that made my decison clearer

Re: daycare mama's with infants . . .

It seems like you never get a routine down but you do, it ends up ok!

I have two so this is my morning.

5:15- 5:30(depending on whether DH is here to help or on the road and I am alone)- Get up, shower, and get dressed
6:15- get DS up if he isn't already(usually is) and get him dressed and give him a bottle(helps that he feeds himself now)
6:30- get everything ready by the door- my lunch, DD backpack, anything I need that day. Sometimes if DH is home and can watch the kids, I pack the car
6:40- Get DD up, turn on Caillou, and pray she will get dressed without a fight.
6:45- beg DD to brush her teeth and comb her hair
7:00- either load a semi-dressed DD in the car with messy hair and DS who is crying because he needs to get in his carseat(this is if I am on my own)
7:10- If DH is home, leave with just DS and head to daycare. If he is away, drop DD at pre-school and go to DS daycare to drop off.
7:30- fight for a parking spot in the faculty lot, and start my day.


Sounds crazy and hectic and it usually is but it all ends up ok and I am generally on time for work!

Re: daycare mama's with infants . . .

When AJ was younger ..

Yes we woke her up early. God help me but it was sooo early considering our general lack of sleep anyway. She did NOT STTN. Her 3am or 5am feedings would kill us.

We’d wake her up at 6am sharp everyday. Go in and quietly, gently talk to her. Changing her usually got her a little more awake then we’d hold her and talk to her or turn on the TV to get her attention. Then we’d feed her and she’d usually be sleepy again by the time we dropped her off.

My hubby would drop me off at the train station then take AJ to daycare so she rode with me and I know that the morning bottle made her sleep enough to fall asleep right after he dropped me off.

After awhile, we phased that out. We let her sleep until the last possible moment. We can even change/dress her without her waking up. Then put her in the car and off we went. She’d wake up a lil but not a lot.

Now she’s 15mo old and gets no morning bottle and sleeps through the change/dress/AND hair combing (ponytails)! hahaha

Re: daycare mama's with infants . . .

At 3 months, Abby was woken at 5 (she took a long time to feed from a bottle), had a bottle, and we dressed her and was at day care by 6:45.

Now she wakes at 6, she has a bottle and we are out by 6:30.

Re: daycare mama's with infants . . .

My kids go to in home care. My son is 3 months

I wake up at 5:45 , do my wii fit for 30 minutes (If I decide to "sleep in" until 6:15, I will do the wii fit at night)

I get into the shower at 6:15, wake the kids up at 7 to leave by 7:20....KJ always wakes before 7 to eat, sometimes at 5:30, sometimes 6:30

Re: daycare mama's with infants . . .

My alarm goes off at 4:30 and I nurse/dream feed Ann (she's sleeping in our bed by then - I usually bring her in from her crib between 1-2AM when she fusses - it used to be another feeding), then pump until 5AM, let the dog out & give her a cup of food and jump in the shower.

If it's a Tuesday or Thursday, I wake her up at 6AM so we can be out the door by 6:15 and at daycare when they open at 6:30 so I can catch the train at 6:58.

If it's MWF, I need to leave the house by 6:30 to catch a 6:48 train (station closer to my house) so if she's still asleep, I let her be and DH takes care of changing/dressing before he drops her at daycare. If she's awake when I get out of the shower or am getting dressed, I'll change/dress/play with her until I need to leave.

We bring 5 bottles to daycare and more often than not she comes home with one (DH usually picks her up between 4:30-5:30). They feed her some cereal and as of now 3 frozen fruit or veggie cubes. As far as a schedule, I just let them do whatever works with the day. And it seems to work out that I get to give her a bottle when I get home (around 7PM).

Message edited 12/11/2009 4:11:37 PM.

Re: daycare mama's with infants . . .

I leave for work way before DS goes to day care. I leave at 6 am and he wakes up at 7 am. DS is 6 months and gets a bottle and cereal with fruit before DH drops him off at day care.

Re: daycare mama's with infants . . .

I started back when DS was 4 months. He was getting up for a bottle at 2-3:30 AM, so I would drop him off and he'd have his first bottle there.

I get up at 6:15, shower, get ready, change him, and we're out the door at 7:15, drop him off at 7:30, and at work by 8.

The biggest problem for me (other than him waking up 5-10 times a night for the binky) is that he is unpredictable waking up in the AM. Sometimes I need to wake him up to change him, and other times he is up at 5. It's hard to keep him occupied if he is up when I am getting ready. I try to leave him in his crib with his mobile on, but he'll start fussing after 5 mins, and he'll fuss watching me, so....