How Early Did You Enroll Your Baby in Day Care

[Anonymous]

How far along in your pregnancy were you when you signed up for daycare? Am due in April and am wondering whether I should sign up now. We are in the Rockville/N. Potomac/Rockville area.

[Anonymous]

To be fair we we live, work and were looking in downtown to closer to downtown DC. We signed up when I was 6 weeks pregnant and planning on taking a four month maternity leave. We got our first space when baby was 13 months old.

[Anonymous]

I live in Alexandria and DD goes to an in home daycare. We signed up 2 months before DD needed to start daycare.

[Anonymous]

Last time I signed up when I was around 8 weeks pregnant (October). Got off the waitlist a month before I went back to work from mat leave (August). I am due again in April 2018 and signed up for my second child back in September. My daycare (in my fed agency's building) always has a waitlist for infants.

[Anonymous]

Depends on the area. In Arlington, if you want a center, a center director said to me, "pee on the stick, call your mother, and then call me.". I actually called her first - I waited a while for my mom.

In this area, for a center, it's never too early.

[Anonymous]

I was 7 weeks pregnant.

[Anonymous]

First trimester (after 8 week appointment) in military daycare; received slot when baby was 4.5 months old.

[Anonymous]

For my first, I didn’t get on waitlist intik 20w in Arlington. I lucked out because our center had only been open 5mo at the time and the waitlist was small.
Second kid, even with sibling preference, I told the center at 6w. There were too many pregnant bellies walking around to count on preference getting me a spot.

That said. I started looking for an in home daycare in July for a Sept spot when our older one started preschool and found one. Loving the in home so much more than the big center experiences

[Anonymous]

The day after the pregnancy was confirmed. There's an excellent daycare across the street from my office, and it's the only place I wanted to send my DD - so I took the application process/timing very seriously. She started exactly 1 year after we conceived.

[Anonymous]

As soon as I got pregnant with both kids. I didn't get off the waitlist for my priority place with my first until about a week before we were due to start, and with my second it also took awhile. Depends on how in demand the centers are where you are looking to enroll.

[Anonymous]

It depends on what type of day care you want. For a center, sign up asap.

For one daycare center (at my office) I signed up when I was five months pregnant and we were on the wait list for 2.years...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To be fair we we live, work and were looking in downtown to closer to downtown DC. We signed up when I was 6 weeks pregnant and planning on taking a four month maternity leave. We got our first space when baby was 13 months old.

Same here, but we got a spot when the baby was six months old. Fortunately, my husband was already planning to take two months of paternity leave after my maternity leave ended, so the timing ended up perfect.

[Anonymous]

6 weeks pregnant. Still didn’t get a spot until she was 4 mos.

[Anonymous]

If you want a center, sign up YESTERDAY. Go on all the lists you think would be feasible for commute.

For a family in-home childcare provider, you'll need to wait until a few months before you need care.

[Anonymous]

Yesterday. Seriously? in this area, as soon as you've peed on a stick and it says yes is when you get on those waitlists.