Ways to Feel More Comfortable When Sending Your NICU Baby to Daycare

For many post-NICU families, daycare provides innumerable benefits: new friendships and enrichment opportunities for NICU graduates, connections with other parents, the ability to return to work… but that does not mean that the decision to send your NICU grad to daycare is easy. 

It may help to talk to your child’s pediatrician or care team before their first day, to ask for suggestions on how to make daycare as safe and fun as possible. They may recommend additional vaccinations or may provide a checklist for daycare workers. They can offer strategies to keep your NICU grad well and can be a support if you’re ever worried or nervous. 

Don’t hesitate to visit the daycare ahead of time and meet with your child’s future caregivers. See your child’s class and classroom, connect with their teachers, and do a ‘gut check’. Share however much of your story as you feel comfortable and ask them as many questions as you need. The right provider will want you to feel at ease: they will be willing to reach out about illnesses in class, send you pictures or updates, monitor milestones if you ask them to, or be extra careful about germs. If you don’t get a good feeling from a provider, listen to your intuition: take time and talk to as many daycares as you need to in order to find the right fit for your family. 

Do not forget to take care of yourself, Mama! Returning to work is not easy and leaving your NICU babe in someone else’s care can be stressful. There is no right or wrong way to feel. Honor your journey and do not be afraid to advocate for what you need to! People may share uninvited opinions, may offer unhelpful advice, or say hurtful things: do not be afraid to set firm boundaries with those who require them. You know your NICU grad best: you will always make the decisions that are in their best interest. Hold true to this knowledge, Mama. You can do this.