The time has come for your growing son or daughter to go to daycare for the very first time. This is an exciting time for your child to say the least! They get the opportunity to socialize, indulge in mind-expanding crafts, move their bodies, and ultimately grow their personalities.
While daycare is an undeniably exciting place for your child to go, you don’t want them to go there underprepared! That is precisely why we have devised the ultimate daycare preparation and packing list so your child is ready to make the most out of their daycare experience!
1. Extra Clothes
First things first, accidents happen. By packing extra clothes for your child, he or she will be ready to tackle any accidents that befall their clothes. We recommend two to three extra outfits, which include underwear, shirts, pants, and socks. Place these outfits in resealable and leak-proof bags so the bags can be used to store the soiled clothes for easy transport home.
You should also consider the weather when packing clothes. Pack the appropriate garments for the weather/season, such as pants/shorts, long sleeve or short sleeve shirts, jacket, etc.
2. Daycare Clothing Labels
While you won’t be packing these in your child’s daycare bag, we highly recommend you put daycare clothing labels on their clothes. While you want them to go to daycare prepared with the right clothes, you also want these clothes to return home when your child does!
When selecting the best daycare clothing labels for your child, we cannot suggest Sticky Monkey Labels enough. Their options are laundry-safe, weatherproof, tear-resistant, and extremely durable all while coming in unique and attractive designs! They also can either be ironed on or stuck on to your child’s clothes.
With these handy-dandy labels, your child’s clothes won’t get mixed up with another child’s, as they will properly and clearly display their name and will return home with your son or daughter!
3. Proper Footwear
Just when you think the shoes are safe, they are not! Don’t forget to pack an extra pair of shoes for accidents. If your child is at the potty training age, even those shoes can get wet when an accident happens. And on wet days even the smallest of puddles demand a stomp or two. When packing their extra pair of shoes label them clearly with our variety of shoe name labels. We even have labels to help them learn their left from their right foot.
4. Milk Bottles, Water, Juice, and Snacks
Before sending either your baby or toddler to daycare, they shouldn’t go without their necessary nourishment. Make sure they have their milk bottles, water, juice, and snacks – whatever they need to quench their thirst and satisfy their hunger! Our meal and milk name labels will help you clearly mark each snack and what type of milk is in their container along with their name.
5. Diapers and Wipes
Whether your child relies solely on diapers or just tackled potty training, you should still pack enough diapers and wipes. The daycare may or may not supply these, so better safe than sorry! Extra underwear can clearly be marked with daycare clothing labels.
6. Nap-Time Needs
Don’t let your child be unprepared for enjoying their much-deserved nap time. Most daycares require a nap mat aka. Bedroll with a blanket and pillow attached that you bring in weekly and they send home at the end of the week for laundering. We like to use two oversize name labels placed back to back over the carry handle because daycare workers can’t miss the name this way. And applied this way, the labels are safe to launder.
7. Medication and Sunscreen
If your child has medication requirements, don’t let them go without these! But, ensure that they are out of their reach and that the employees at the daycare in charge of administering their medication know what to do. Our mini name labels are great for clearly marking medications with their name.
You should also have them bring sunscreen in order to protect them from the sun if they will be going outdoors.
8. Pacifier and Other Self-Soothing Items (Blanket, Toy, etc.)
Certainly don’t forget to pack their self-soothing items so that they can feel comforted even when you aren’t there. These items could include pacifiers, security blankets, toys, stuffed animals, and others.
When you are looking to amp up your mom (or dad) organization game, trust in no one other than Sticky Monkey Labels. They have high-quality labels and organizational tools any parent or guardian can (and should) use to make parenting just that much easier! Give them a call today at 1-888-780-7734.
