? for Daycare Moms

[AvasMama]

Ava is starting daycare in two weeks ( :( ) and I am wondering what you pack in your baby's daycare bag. Also, do you have a separate bag for daycare or do you just leave your regular bag there and take it home every day?

If you do have a separate bag for daycare, what do you have? I am thinking of giving up my beloved Lands' End small black tote for Ava's DC bag, but of course, then I would have to buy a new everyday bag, now wouldn't I? :)

Robyn & Ava (1-15-04)

[josephmama]

I have a bag exclusively for day care. The bag is nothing fancy. I always include 3 changes of clothes including onesies, a jacket, hat for the sun, 3 bottles, a bulb syringe for his nose, 2 pacifiers, and 2 blankets, an extra pair of socks, and a taggie small blanket for the crib. At DS's day care the crib sheets are provided, and you donate a half dozen bibs and washcloths. Blankets come home with DS every friday to be washed. I bring in a can of formula and a pack of diapers when needed. I keep a separate diaper bag in the car with diapers, wipes, extra outfit, etc. that stays there for our errands for the week. The temperature at day care changes so I pack layers, and a hat for outdoor walks and playtime since it's sunny here and DS is bald. HTH!

[robmab719]

The only thing I take in Avery's daycare bag is bottles and an emergency burp cloth (in case she spits up en route). She has her own bin at daycare where I leave diapers, wipes, diaper rash ointment and a change of clothes, and her teacher lets me know when I need to replenish those supplies. They use disposable bibs there, so no need to take those.

I have a separate bag for daycare that's just big enough for three bottles and has insulation to keep them cold. I put the bottles in the fridge when I get there and leave the bag in her bin so that when DH picks her up he can use the same bag to bring her empty bottles home.

I would NEVER leave one of my nice bags at daycare! (Too afraid it wouldn't be there when I got back.) I keep my nice bag (Mothership for now) in the car so that we always have extra diapers, wipes, toys and our adjustable pouch with us...just in case.

[vpalmer]

Robyn,

We don't take a diaper bag to daycare, although some parents do so. We take her basic supplies (diapers, extra change of clothes and pacifier) and store them in a platic bin with her name on it which is replenished on an as needed basis. After that, the main issue is milk. I pumped at work and sent EBM in bottles daily. I had a little insulated bottle bag that came in a freebie diaper bag from the hospital or Baby Fair. It held three 4 ounce Avent bottles nicely. Parents that used formula would send a large can of formula and just send bottles to daycare daily or weekly.

Veronica
Mom to Eva
Born on 6-12-03

[lfp2n]

Ditto the above, I think most daycares have bins or cubbies with all your baby's own stuff like clothes, pacifiers and Desitin. We bring in half a cartoon of diapers from Sams which they label up with initials and store there as needed. So the only thing that goes back and forward everyday is that small insulated bag from the free diaper bag with bottles in it.
Still if you need an excuse for a new bag I'm sure you COULD leave it there!!

Lucy

[Melanie]

Do you still have the hospital freebie bags? I recall when touring a daycare that the children had bins, but I think some also had those type of diaper bags that were just left there.

[jamierush]

I used my freebie similac bag and just brought it to and from every day.

When A was first in daycare at 4.5 months, i just kept a spare outfit, a diaper or 2 and wipes, just in case we stopped somewhere on the way home and needed a diaper. 2-3 Bibs and an extra burp rag (i had a big happy spitter).

It also had an insulated bottle bag which i used EVERY day. One we started solids i would carry to daycare too. I also left a bottle of tylenol and some lotion in that bag.


I had to bring my bottles and containers home to wash.

I loved that bag, i swera it was so functional. Anyway I did have a seperate weekend bag that I used but during the week I just stuck with that one.

[DeborahM]

I had a separate diaper bag just for daycare. It made things a lot easier to have my regular diaper bag loaded up for our outings and his daycare bag. When I got home I'd put together his bottles for the next day (I pumped) and stick in the fridge then go thru his daycare bag, take out the dirty bottles and get it ready for the next day as well as my Mendela pump. So in the morning all I'd have to do is remember to grab the bottles from the fridge and my ice packs for the pump before heading out the door. I needed to make it routine and simple!!! I was really working on very little sleep!

I used the freebie bag we got from the hospital. Like most of the other posters, DS had a bin for extra changes of clothes and diapers and we'd bring in more supplies as needed. I brought EBM in bottles, any medicine, pacifier, nasal bulb syringe and an extra bib daily so the hospital bag was the right size for this. When he started eating solied food I added jars of baby food.

I'd suggest giving your daycare a call and they can certainly give you a good list of what you'll need to leave there, bring daily, etc.

Deborah
Mom to Thomas and soon-to-arrive baby girl