Being both a sleep consultant and qualified head infant teacher, I am here to give inside knowledge, answer these common worries, and hopefully give you a boost of confidence before making those first steps towards starting childcare. 

It is often a misconception that Childcare Centres have set daily routines that all children are required to follow, but often (particularly within infant spaces) ratios are lower in order to provide individualised care for each child. Care routines around sleeping and feeding may be followed as closely as you do at home, and can be adjusted through regular conversations and updates with teachers each day. 

Often infant spaces will have a ‘key teaching system’. Key teaching practices are where a teacher has a set group of ‘key children’ of whom they are their primary teacher. This is particularly beneficial in your child’s first few weeks to avoid them being passed around to many different adults, but instead provides the opportunity to bond with one person, and build a safe and trusting relationship where their needs are met consistently throughout the day. This may also be your go-to person if you have any questions or concerns, or just to catch up with at the beginning and end of each day.

With all these great practices and values in place, you may expect your child to eat, sleep, and play as they do at home, but it is important to ensure your expectations are realistic as transitioning into childcare is a huge learning experience. Undergoing a busy day out of home, alongside many other new children is likely to be a completely unfamiliar experience and will require a period of adjustment. Another huge change is to the sleep space. Away from their potentially quiet, solo sleeping quarters at home, children in childcare share a sleep space which comes with more adjustments: a new room, a new bed, new noises, and new adults! Bear in mind it may take your child a few days or even a few months to attune to this big change, and that is okay!