At what point in your pregnancy do you start contacting daycare centers?

TIA!!

Re: At what point in your pregnancy do you start contacting daycare centers?

Well, I'm 35.5 weeks and we just went to look at our first day care center last week. I'm going in 2 weeks to look at another one.

Re: At what point in your pregnancy do you start contacting daycare centers?

I started looking when I was about 7 months pregnant. We put a deposit down on a daycare 5 months before our start date. The waiting lists may be longer on LI, but we didn't have any issues with finding spots in daycares in CT.

Re: At what point in your pregnancy do you start contacting daycare centers?

I'm 32 weeks, and I have 2 in mind I plan to look at in the next week or two.

Re: At what point in your pregnancy do you start contacting daycare centers?

When i was 4 months pregnant in 9/07, I was looking at a couple of daycares and one of them had a wait until 1/09!!!! Yes - my DS who is now 11 months would have been able to get in now! I say sooner than later, especially with infants b/c they need more providers with infants and therefore they have less openings.

Re: At what point in your pregnancy do you start contacting daycare centers?

I was about 4 months. I am obsessive about just about everything and wanted to make sure my twins got in. There are waiting lists on some of the centers and I was lucky to get them locked in.

Re: At what point in your pregnancy do you start contacting daycare centers?

i'm starting to research them now - at 18 weeks...but i'm also afraid to do more than price comparison right now...my job is going through layoffs - so i don't to lock myself into something i don't know that we'll be able to afford...

just seeing those prices is enough to cause heart failure...

Re: At what point in your pregnancy do you start contacting daycare centers?

Do it ASAP. I was due in December '07, went to check out the place I use in October '07 and they told me the first opening was in Dec. '08. They ended up being able to get him in in Oct. 08, but it was a long wait.

I also know now that they probably keep a few spaces available for parents who already are there who get pg with another child before they take all brand new people.

I signed up even though it was going to be over a year, because we would have only lost the $100 registration fee if we didn't sign him up. For me, it was worth $100 to keep my place and we did end up using them.

Message edited 1/9/2009 3:41:56 PM.

Re: At what point in your pregnancy do you start contacting daycare centers?

Karen, I am starting now. I hear that the waiting lists for September might even be all filled up already!

Re: At what point in your pregnancy do you start contacting daycare centers?

Re: At what point in your pregnancy do you start contacting daycare centers?

I am 17 weeks today and I started contacting places via phone or email this week. We will start looking at places within the next month. We are looking for child care beginning in Sept.