What your under-five should wear, and take, to childcare. 

BY HEJIRA CONVERY, KINDICARE

JANUARY 24, 2023

It’s officially 2023, and after a nice break over Christmas, it’s time to get down to the practical business of preparing for childcare!

This won’t be too challenging if your early learner has dressed and packed for drop-off many times before.

However, if you’re new to the whole childcare scene, it helps to have a little inside info about what to bring – and what to leave at home.

Your service can get you up to speed on exactly what your child needs, but Casey Reynolds has some great pointers for all parents who are embarking on early learning.

Casey is Educational Leader at Goodstart Albany Creek Dawn Road in Queensland, and her top tips are as follows!

1. Dress your child in simple, comfy clothing.

Although you might be tempted to roll out some designer duds or special hand-me-downs for this exciting new chapter in your child’s life, Casey says simple is best and comfort is key.

“Ideally, I would recommend children come to care in old or cheap clothes,” she explains. “We don’t want them to be worried about ruining their favourite clothes or messing up an expensive outfit, and although we do try to limit fabric damage by using water-based products and providing art smocks, messy play is part of the childcare day.”

Keep things simple with fastenings, too.

Your child needs to be able to move freely in their clothing, and Casey says, “If your child is toileting, dressing them in clothing they can get themselves in and out of easily is preferred, to allow them as much agency as possible.”

This means tiny buttons and impossible press studs aren’t the best choice for a day of care, but elastic waistbands and stretchy fabrics make things do-able.

Your child also needs comfortable shoes to launch into every early learning activity.

Casey says, “If your child is walking, their shoes or sandals should fit correctly, stay on well and have good grip.”

2. Pack plenty of spare clothes.

Little people can motor through many changes of clothes in one day, especially when they’re learning skills, like independent eating and toileting.

For this reason, it’s important to pack not just one change of clothes, but a few.

Casey says, “I cannot stress enough how important spare clothing is to have, and this spare clothing should match the weather.”

“During summer, we advise our parents to provide t-shirts that cover children’s shoulders to ensure sun safety, and ask them to avoid singlets or any tops that are cropped. During the rainy season, we remind parents to bring spare socks, gumboots and raincoats. And during colder times, a variety of jumpers and layers are essential.”

3. Choose a practical hairstyle.

How you do your child’s hair is totally up to you, but if your little one has long locks, Casey says, “Tying hair up and away from their face is always helpful.”

It’s easier for your child to focus on learning and play without hair in their eyes, and if nits do go through your centre, an ‘up do’ may make it less likely that a bug will crawl into your child’s hair (though we make no promises!).

4. Label everything.

Belongings can easily go astray with lots of little people in the mix, so make sure all your child’s clothes and other belongings are clearly labelled, for quick identification.

Your child’s name can be ironed on, stamped on, or just written in permanent marker – whatever works.

5. Keep toys at home.

Casey says comfort items, like dummies or soft toys, are good to pack if your child will be sleeping, resting or needing comfort at care.

However, she says, “I would avoid letting your child bring in toys or anything outside of a comforter from home, as such items are often the source of arguments and can cause more harm than good. They can also easily go missing in the centre if not labelled, and this causes upset, too.”

6. Bring whatever else your service asks for!

Every service does things their own way, so take the time to read your welcome pack and drill down on your service’s expectations around things like food, drink, sun protection, bottles, nappies and wipes.

For example:

- Some services ask parents to pack food, while others, like Goodstart Albany Creek Dawn Road provide breakfast, morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea.

However, Casey says, “We do have many children that stay late and bring in a snack or dinner if required to have later in the evening.”

- If your child will be sleeping or resting at care, you may be asked to pack a cot sheet, top blanket and any comfort item they need.

Casey says, “We do prefer sleep bags over blankets for our Nursery room to be SIDS Safe, and we let parents knows that comforters are always removed from the child’s cot once they’re asleep to be SIDS Safe.”

- You might also be asked to pre-prepare bottles if your child requires milk or formula feeds during the day.

Casey says, “We request that our parents supply the number of bottles their child will need, each filled with the required volume of cow’s milk, or water and formula.”

Filling bottles with milk alternatives, like almond milk, may also be an option, but this is something you’ll need to check with your service, as some places are nut-free.

- A water bottle is a must-have for childcare, and Casey recommends one that’s non-leaky and easy for your child to use.

- Sun protection is also essential, and Goodstart Albany Creek Dawn Road provides a hat and shirt on enrolment for all children, and also provides sunscreen.

If a hat isn’t supplied by your service, it’s important to pack one, and Casey says, “Most services will ask that you put sunscreen on your child upon arrival. Educators will then keep up with sunscreen application throughout the day.”

These kinds of practical preparations help to ensure a smooth start to early learning, and your service is there to provide all the information, answers and advice you need.  

Casey recommends that you go along to a few ‘stay and plays’ before care formally starts, to familiarise your family with the place and its people.

And don’t forget to finalise all paperwork before your child’s first day, to ensure a bureaucracy-free drop-off!

This article contains some great tips to ensure your child’s first day is a success, and to learn more about Goodstart Albany Creek Dawn Road, search KindiCare.

The service is also very active on social media, and they join a rising number of centres with a TikTok presence.

This article tells you all about TikTok, and to find Casey’s centre on TikTok, search Goodstart Albany Creek, Dawn Road or dawnroaddreamteam.