WHAT TO PACK FOR DAYCARE

I’ve been getting a lot of questions about what to pack for daycare. I don’t know if there’s a season for starting daycare, but it definitely feels like there’s a lot of babies starting according to my DMs! (And if you want to know more about why we chose daycare, I go into our thought process here. A year later, we are still SO happy with our decision.)

So this post is me sharing what we send to daycare, but note that every daycare is 100% going to have their own preferences and lists of things. I would wait until you get a welcome packet before you buy anything– just in case. (I was actually a little overwhelmed when we first got ours because it felt like so many things to make sure we had, but now we’re in a good groove and it is pretty straightforward.)

WHAT TO PACK FOR DAYCARE

TOTE // Our daycare actually has kids send their things in at the beginning of the week and then we get their bag back with all their belongings at the end of the week to wash. We actually mostly send him in with reusable grocery bags, but I’ve noticed other parents sending in canvas totes so I think we might switch!

CRIB SHEET // I have a couple of crib sheets that we rotate through (makes it easier for laundry purposes to have multiple). They nap on little mats now versus cribs, but still send in a crib sheet to put over it.

BLANKET // Love this midi size blanket! Super cozy and, in my opinion, works for different temperatures so I feel like Jack sleeps extra comfortably.

WATER BOTTLE // An essential as far as what to pack for daycare! For the infant classroom, he used these cups. Now that he’s in the toddler room though, we send him in with more of a thermos.

LEGGINGS // We keep a couple of sets of spare clothes at daycare. I’ve been keeping leggings at daycare instead of pants as the backup because I don’t have to switch out the sizes more often. I don’t have him wear leggings really at all anymore, but for spare clothes it makes the most sense.

T-SHIRT // I bought this set of shirts and didn’t love a couple of colors so those became his spare t-shirts 😜

SOCKS // I’m realizing now I probably should have a few pairs of socks in the classroom….. making a mental note to send some in! These are our favorites.

MITTENS // If it’s super cold, he goes to daycare with mittens but I also have a spare set in the classroom, just in case.

SUNSCREEN // They are really good about putting sunscreen on the kids when they go outside. This is the best sunscreen for families! While technically this is for what to pack for daycare, I highly recommend it for any occasion.

SUN HAT // I send him to daycare every day with a winter hat when it’s cold, but during the warmer months I just keep the sun hat there so they can use it. Honestly these look a little dorky, but we are a very pale family and have to take sun protection seriously.

IRON ON LABELS // This isn’t really included in what to pack for daycare, but anything cloth that I send in gets an iron-on label. These are so cute and easy to apply.

CUP LABELS // I am obsessed with these because I can quickly slide them on and off for cleaning and they also add a little “grip” for little hands.

WATERPROOF LABELS // I put these on just about everything too. From his packs of diapers and wipes, cups, etc. Anything hard basically.

WIPE CASE // This might be unique to our daycare but we sent in an extra wipe case to store his wipes in. I am really including this just to mention that we, obviously, send in any/all diapering products.

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