Settling Into Daycare: Childcare Professional Dasjha Answers Your Questions
Starting daycare brings up a long list of questions most parents don't have answers to until they're already in the middle of it. We spoke with Dasjha, a childcare professional specializing in baby daycare and helping infants settle into a childcare setting, to get some clarity on what actually helps.
What's the Best Age to Start Daycare?
Counterintuitively, younger babies often adjust to daycare more easily than older ones. "They have not yet developed stranger anxiety or the same awareness that mum or dad is leaving, so separation anxiety is often less of an issue," Dasjha explains. In her view, around three to four months tends to be a good age to start, before that awareness fully develops.
How Long Is It Normal for a Baby to Cry at Drop-Off?
Crying during the settling-in period actually happens less often with younger babies. Interestingly, Dasjha notes that parents sometimes find the separation harder than the baby does, and babies can pick up on that emotion.
Usually, the crying doesn't last long. During intake, daycare staff typically ask what normally comforts a baby at home, a dummy, a comforter, a specific song, and try to use the same methods at daycare. Familiar comfort strategies carried over from home tend to make the transition noticeably smoother.
Is One Day of Daycare a Week Enough?
According to Dasjha, one day a week is often just a little too little. "We regularly see babies having to get used to the environment all over again each week," she says. Her recommendation is at least two days a week, ideally with a day in between, giving babies enough consistency to properly settle rather than restarting the adjustment process weekly.
What Helps a Baby Feel Safest With a New Caregiver?
Dasjha sums it up as the three R's: rest, cleanliness, and regularity. These form the foundation of a good baby daycare group, following similar daily rhythms to what the baby has at home, providing consistent, familiar caregivers whenever possible, and creating a calm environment with minimal overstimulation.
What About Babies Who Only Fall Asleep at Home With Help?
This is one of the more common challenges daycare staff navigate. For babies used to falling asleep while breastfeeding, some daycares ask parents to bring in a small cloth carrying their familiar scent, which can be surprisingly comforting on its own.
For babies used to being rocked to sleep, Dasjha describes a gradual approach worked out together with parents: starting with rocking in a dark room, then transitioning to holding the baby while placing them in bed with a supportive arm, gently stroking their tummy or bottom, and eventually just keeping a hand nearby as they settle. The goal is reducing the support step by step, so the baby learns to fall asleep in their own bed while still feeling that a caregiver is close.
What Dasjha Wishes Every Parent Knew Before Day One
Her clearest advice: really prepare your baby for daycare in advance, rather than waiting until the last minute. A few concrete things that help:
● If your baby only sleeps in a carrier, moving pram, or car, gradually practice other ways of sleeping beforehand
● If a breastfed baby will need a bottle at daycare, practice bottle-feeding in advance
● Let your baby regularly spend time playing or lying independently on a flat surface
"It may all sound obvious," Dasjha says, "but childcare professionals cannot magically change routines overnight." Babies also find daycare days genuinely tiring, their senses stay active all day with new sounds, smells, and people, so ongoing communication with caregivers matters throughout the adjustment, not just on day one.
She also points out that daycare centres follow safety policies and regulations that may differ from home routines, so certain sleep practices or items used at home may not be permitted in a daycare setting.
Dasjha's Extra Tips for Parents
● Let your baby spend time independently on a safe, flat surface at home, so playing and lying independently is already familiar before daycare starts
● Avoid too much time in a baby bouncer, it doesn't encourage free movement and play the way independent floor time does
● Choose simple toys without lights, sounds, or batteries, giving babies more room for their own imagination and exploration
Most importantly, as Dasjha puts it, starting daycare is new and exciting for both babies and parents, and good preparation genuinely makes the transition easier for everyone involved.
The Takeaway
Daycare adjustment comes down to a few practical factors: starting at an age where separation feels less daunting, choosing a schedule with enough consistency to avoid restarting each week, and preparing routines at home in the weeks beforehand rather than the days before. None of it guarantees a tear-free first day, but it does make the whole transition, for babies and parents alike, considerably smoother.
At MyRoyalKids, we know daycare bags need to be just as prepared as babies do, which is part of why our wipes are designed to be gentle enough for the frequent changes
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