When is the right time to start daycare?

There isn't one universal answer. Some families need care from six weeks. Some wait twelve months, some twenty-four. We've watched all those choices play out, and what we can offer is what we've actually seen.

The earliest we take babies

Six weeks. That's a regulatory minimum, not a recommendation. Most babies who start with us at that age have parents going back to work after the maternity leave they could afford rather than the one they wanted. We don't comment on that. We do try to make it easier.

What we tell first-time parents starting that early: the first two weeks will be hard, and that's normal. The drop-off is for you, not for them. By week three or four, most babies have a routine here and a couple of educators they look for at the gate.

The most common starting ages

In our Joeys Room (0–2 years), we see two clusters of new starters:

• Around 6 to 8 months. Often parents going back to work after extended leave. The baby is sitting up, can hold a bottle, and is interested in faces other than family. Settling in usually goes smoothly.
• Around 12 to 14 months. Walking, sometimes a few words, often coinciding with an end-of-leave date. Slightly more separation anxiety, but also more capable of holding a routine.

Neither is "better." They're different starts, with different challenges.

What actually matters more than age

How you prepare them for it

Children don't fail at daycare. Adults sometimes set them up to find it harder than it needs to be. The orientation period (we offer two free orientation visits before the start date) is for the family as much as the child. Both of you need to know the room, the educators, the kit-bag rhythm.

Whether they can sleep somewhere new

Sleep is the single biggest predictor of how the first month goes. Babies who have only ever slept in their cot at home, with their specific routine, find a room of cots harder than babies who've slept at grandma's, in a pram, in a carrier. If you've got time before they start, helping them sleep in a couple of different settings is more useful than reading anything we send you.

How you say goodbye

The hardest version is the lingering, ambivalent goodbye. Children read it as they're not sure I'll be OK here, so maybe I won't be. The easier version is a clear, warm, brief goodbye, even if it produces tears. Tears at drop-off usually stop within five minutes. Lingering doubts last all day.

You're welcome to call us at any time during the day to check on your child. Most families do, in the first week, and then stop because it stops being needed.

Older starts

Children starting with us at three or four (a common age, especially when families come from a different centre or move into the area) settle in their own way. They can articulate what's strange. They can say which educator they like and which child they're confused by. The challenges are social, not biological.

One thing we'd flag: a child starting at three or four into a long-running peer group has to find their place in friendships that have been forming for years. We pay attention to this and are deliberate about pairing new starters with the right children.

What we don't recommend

Starting daycare in the same week your family is moving house, your partner is starting a new job, you're traveling, or anything else big and disruptive. Children handle one big transition. Two simultaneous ones are much harder than two staggered.

If you can give us at least two weeks of just-daycare, before any other change, the start tends to go much better.

Practical things to bring on day one

• A spare set of clothes including socks (two sets for under-twos)
• Sleep comforter if your child uses one
• Labelled water bottle
• Bottles or expressed milk if relevant (the Joeys Room has a fridge and steriliser)
• A photo of family if your child likes one in their cot
• For under-twos, we provide all the nappies and wipes; you don't need to bring those
• For everyone, we provide all daily meals and sunscreen, so no food packing

What we'll do on the first morning

We'll greet you both at the front gate. One of the educators from your child's room will walk you in, take a quick handover (how was the night, anything we should know), and start the day with your child. We'll keep you in the loop on the Eikoh app through the day. We'll call you if anything is concerning.

Pickup tends to be the moment everything settles for parents. Your child will tell you, in whatever language they have, that something happened today. That's how it starts.