Getting on DC daycare lists — timing?

[Anonymous]

I just found out I’m pregnant with my first! I remember reading on here at some point that DC daycare spots are so hard to get that you need to be touring and getting on lists basically as soon as you get a positive test. In your experience, is that true? It feels ridiculous to be calling around this early, let alone going in person. If it matters, we’ll be looking around Dupont/Adams Morgan.

[Anonymous]

It's true.

[Anonymous]

Yes, absolutely. And you might feel silly, but it's par for the course for them.

[Anonymous]

Just get on the lists now.

[Anonymous]

Yes, it's true. Get on the lists now. Do you have ideas about what lists to get on?

[Anonymous]

Yes, it's true!

[Anonymous]

OP here. Thanks to everyone for responding. To the PP who asked if I have ideas about what lists to get on, no, I have no idea what I’m doing and would be grateful for any suggestions or guidance!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thanks to everyone for responding. To the PP who asked if I have ideas about what lists to get on, no, I have no idea what I’m doing and would be grateful for any suggestions or guidance!

I'm that PP. I had kids who went to both Huckleberry Cheesecake in Dupont and David's Stars in Adams Morgan. We had great experiences at both places, but it was a long time ago. I definitely remember Huck following their waitlist strictly while at David's Stars, I got a lot of mileage out of showing up personally and getting current families to recommend us to them.

[Anonymous]

Start calling around and get on waitlists. Also, continue to follow up and call every month or so as you get closer to the start date. The most persistent/interested get the spots.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Thanks everyone for being so kind and helpful to a clueless FTM!

[Anonymous]

If you are for sure going the daycare route- NOW. Like yesterday.

If you are considering a nanny, you have tons of time.

[Anonymous]

I spent a lot getting on daycare wait lists and then once my first was born I realized how much I hated daycare for an infant. Your perspective may shift. And a lot of these places will just take your 50-100 dollars and never offer you a spot unless you follow up incessantly.

After a few months of daycare with a sad baby who did not nap there and was constantly ill with RSV, flu, etc. we ended up switching to a small home day care and then a nanny share and were much happier with that set up. If you can afford daycare you can afford a nanny share and you may prefer that once your baby is here - plenty of women do.

[Anonymous]

I’m still on waitlists and my kid is over 2. I’m not sure some places actually keep a waitlist.

Make a list of places, get on their waitlist, and then call periodically to ask when they anticipate their next opening for an infant. I think they just want to fill spots so the first person to call when they get an opening gets it. Maybe some centers are more organized.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I spent a lot getting on daycare wait lists and then once my first was born I realized how much I hated daycare for an infant. Your perspective may shift. And a lot of these places will just take your 50-100 dollars and never offer you a spot unless you follow up incessantly.

After a few months of daycare with a sad baby who did not nap there and was constantly ill with RSV, flu, etc. we ended up switching to a small home day care and then a nanny share and were much happier with that set up. If you can afford daycare you can afford a nanny share and you may prefer that once your baby is here - plenty of women do.

Plenty of women prefer a daycare for the reliability. We had a nanny share and the nanny was a flake. Never again.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I spent a lot getting on daycare wait lists and then once my first was born I realized how much I hated daycare for an infant. Your perspective may shift. And a lot of these places will just take your 50-100 dollars and never offer you a spot unless you follow up incessantly.

After a few months of daycare with a sad baby who did not nap there and was constantly ill with RSV, flu, etc. we ended up switching to a small home day care and then a nanny share and were much happier with that set up. If you can afford daycare you can afford a nanny share and you may prefer that once your baby is here - plenty of women do.

Sure, you may want to switch to nanny share or nanny or choose to SAH. But if you're not on daycare waitlists now you'll HAVE to take on of those options because you've pre-emptively taken daycare off the table. Get yourself on a few waitlists, OP, but feel free to keep thinking about different options for childcare. (FWIW I wanted daycare and have been very happy with my kids in daycare. Managing a nanny is not for me, never mind that I don't have space for it.)