If you’re expecting a baby, there’s a good chance daycare is already somewhere on your mental to-do list—even if your due date still feels far away.
Maybe you know you’ll be returning to work after maternity leave and will need full-time child care, but you haven’t started looking yet. Or maybe you’re still early in your pregnancy and wondering whether it’s way too soon to start researching daycares.
Here’s the thing: finding daycare often takes much more time, research, and planning than new parents expect.
And when you’re already preparing for a baby, managing work, planning maternity leave, and trying to figure out what life will look like after your little one arrives, the last thing you need is another overwhelming project.
Knowing what to expect before you begin can make the daycare search much more manageable.
Think of this as the advice a veteran working-mom friend would give you over coffee—the things she wishes someone had told her before she started calling daycares, joining waitlists, and scheduling tours just a few months before going back to work.
Here are 8 things every working mom should know before starting the daycare search.
1. Not All Daycares Are the Same
One of the first things you’ll discover is that “daycare” can mean many different things.
For babies and toddlers, two of the most common options for working families are child care centers and home-based daycares. As your child gets older, preschool and Pre-K programs may become additional options.
But the differences don’t stop there.
Programs can also vary significantly in their daily routines, classroom structure, teaching philosophies, caregiver styles, and expectations for children.
You may come across programs influenced by various early childhood educational philosophies, including Montessori, Reggio Emilia, HighScope, play-based learning, developmentally appropriate practice, or a combination of several approaches.
You don’t need to become an early childhood education expert before choosing daycare. But understanding the basics can help you recognize what you value most.
Think about what matters to your family: Do you want lots of outdoor play? A structured curriculum? A smaller, home-like environment? More child-led learning? Strong kindergarten preparation?
Knowing your priorities will make it much easier to narrow down your choices.
2. Daycare Is Expensive—So Budget Early
You’ve probably heard that child care is expensive.
But until you start requesting tuition rates, it can be difficult to appreciate just how much daycare could affect your monthly budget.
Infant care is typically particularly expensive because babies require lower caregiver-to-child ratios and more hands-on care. Prices can also vary dramatically depending on where you live, the type of program you choose, and how many days per week your child attends.
In some higher-cost areas, full-time infant daycare can easily cost $2,000 per month or more.
And tuition isn’t necessarily the only expense.
Ask prospective programs about:
- Registration and application fees
- Deposits
- Annual enrollment fees
- Supply fees
- Meals and snacks
- Late pickup fees
- Tuition increases
- Charges during holidays or daycare closures
When you’re preparing your maternity-leave and post-baby budget, start researching local daycare prices early. Even a rough estimate will give you a much more realistic picture of what your expenses may look like when you return to work.
3. Daycare Waitlists Can Be Shockingly Long
This is one of the biggest surprises for many first-time parents, as it certainly was for me.
You might assume you can start searching a month or two before maternity leave ends, choose your favorite daycare, and enroll your baby.
Unfortunately, it often isn’t that simple.
Popular daycare programs can have waitlists lasting months—and sometimes much longer, particularly for infant classrooms where spaces are limited.
That’s why starting early can make such a difference.
If you know you’ll need child care after maternity leave, you don’t necessarily have to wait until your baby is born to start researching programs.
You can begin by identifying potential daycares, asking about availability, learning how their waitlists work, and finding out whether you need to pay a fee or deposit to hold a future spot.
Starting early gives you options. Waiting until the last minute may leave you choosing based on availability rather than what you actually want.
4. Quality Should Be High on Your Priority List
When you’re comparing daycares, it’s easy to focus primarily on logistics.
How much does it cost?
How close is it to home?
What time does it open?
Can I make it there before pickup?
Those things absolutely matter—especially when you’re trying to get yourself and a baby out of the house every morning and still arrive at work on time.
But quality matters too.
Your child may spend a significant portion of their waking weekday hours in child care. The caregivers, environment, routines, interactions, and experiences they have there become an important part of their early childhood.
Look beyond beautiful classrooms and impressive websites.
Pay attention to things like caregiver interactions, staff turnover, cleanliness, safety practices, teacher-to-child ratios, communication, emotional warmth, and how children are treated when they’re upset or struggling.
Convenience matters.
Affordability matters.
But so does feeling confident about the environment your child will experience every day.
5. Don’t Rely on One Source of Information
A daycare’s website is a great place to start your research—but it shouldn’t be where your research ends.
Remember, the website is marketing.
Online reviews can be useful too, but they don’t always tell the entire story.
Try to gather information from several sources before making your decision.
Check your state’s official child care licensing database, child care resource and referral agencies, accreditation organizations, local parenting groups, and recommendations from families you trust.
You may also want to explore resources from organizations such as Child Care Aware of America, the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), and the National Association for Family Child Care (NAFCC).
The goal isn’t to find a daycare with absolutely zero negative comments.
Instead, you’re looking for patterns.
Are parents consistently happy with the teachers?
Do people repeatedly mention poor communication?
Does the daycare have high staff turnover?
Are there recurring safety concerns?
The more information you gather, the better equipped you’ll be to make an informed decision.
6. Check Licensing and Inspection Records Yourself
This deserves its own section because it’s one of the most important—and sometimes overlooked—parts of daycare research.
Before enrolling your child, look up the facility’s licensing and inspection history through your state’s official child care agency whenever those records are publicly available.
These records may include information about inspections, complaints, violations, corrective actions, and licensing status.
And don’t automatically panic if you see a violation.
Daycare regulations can be extremely detailed, and violations can range from relatively minor administrative issues to serious health and safety concerns.
Pay attention to what happened, how serious it was, whether the problem was corrected, and whether you notice a pattern of repeated violations.
If something concerns you, ask the daycare director about it during your tour.
You don’t have to rely solely on what a facility tells you. Do your own research.
7. Daycare Tours Take Time—But They’re Worth It
Once you’ve narrowed down your options, schedule in-person tours whenever possible.
Photos can make almost any daycare look beautiful.
A tour lets you see what the environment actually feels like.
How do teachers interact with the children?
Do the children seem comfortable?
Does the classroom feel chaotic or calm?
How are babies comforted when they cry?
Are teachers engaged with the children or mostly talking among themselves?
Does the facility look clean and safe?
How does the director respond when you ask difficult questions?
Most importantly, how do you feel while you’re there?
Try to tour several of your top choices so you have something to compare.
And give yourself enough time to do it. Between work schedules, daycare tour availability, commuting, and appointments, touring multiple facilities can easily take a couple of weeks.
8. Think About Your Work Schedule Before Choosing Daycare
You may be months away from returning to work, so thinking about your post-maternity-leave schedule might not exactly be at the top of your list.
But your work schedule will play a major role in determining whether a daycare actually works for your family.
Think realistically about your typical day.
What time do you need to be at work?
What time do you usually leave?
How long is your commute?
Do you occasionally work late?
Who will handle drop-off and pickup?
A daycare that closes at 5:30 p.m. might sound perfectly reasonable—until you realize your workday ends at 5:00 and your commute takes 45 minutes.
Also ask about late-pickup policies, holiday schedules, weather closures, teacher-development days, and what happens when the daycare closes but your workplace doesn’t.
You don’t need your entire post-baby routine figured out yet.
But you do need enough information to make sure your daycare’s schedule works with your real life—not your ideal one.
Start Your Daycare Search Before You Feel Ready
There’s already so much to think about when you’re preparing for a baby.
Daycare can easily become one of those things you tell yourself you’ll figure out later.
But if you know you’ll be returning to work after maternity leave, starting your research early can save you a tremendous amount of stress later.
You don’t have to choose a daycare tomorrow.
Start small.
Learn what options are available in your area. Compare prices. Check waitlists. Read inspection reports. Make a list of your priorities. Schedule tours when you’re ready.
Most importantly, remember that you’re not searching for the daycare that looks the most impressive on paper.
You’re looking for a safe, nurturing, reliable place where your child can be cared for—and a child care arrangement that makes your life as a working mom a little easier, not harder.
The earlier you start, the more time you’ll have to find the right fit for your baby, your schedule, your budget, and your family.
- Why Is It So Hard to Find Child Care? A Working Mom’s Guide to Navigating the Child Care Crisis
- Are Child Care Enrichment Programs Worth It? What Working Moms Should Know
- Preschool Teacher Qualifications: What Working Moms Should Look for When Choosing Child Care
- 7 Reasons to Switch Daycares—Even If Nothing Is Seriously Wrong
- 5 Serious Signs It May Be Time to Switch Daycares
