by Summer Tierno

Created on: October 20, 2009   Last Updated: October 21, 2009

Having a baby changes everything. Once you bring your bundle of joy home, you may wonder if you will ever be able to go back to work. If you were working prior to becoming pregnant, you may believe that you will pick a daycare and return to the work force six weeks after your baby is born. Once that time comes, however, it may be difficult to decide on a daycare in which to place your baby.

In order to make the process of picking a daycare easier, you should begin early. Touring some daycare centers before you even have your baby will give you a great advantage. Whether you decide to start the process before or after your baby is born, there are a certain criteria - according to parenting.ivillage.com - that you should look for when deciding on a daycare.

How to choose:

Are they licensed? You will have to decide if this is important or if you are okay with an unlicensed person watching your child in their home.

Are they CPR certified? If something were to happen to your baby, you want the people at the daycare to be able to take care of her.

Do they perform background checks or fingerprint their employees?

Is the daycare regularly inspected? This is important to make sure the daycare is up to code. Ask for references. Find out if others are happy or unhappy with the daycare. You may find out some good - or bad - things about a particular daycare. Visit the daycare twice, without warning. This way you can see how the daycare is really operated when no one is expecting a visitor. Observe how they treat the other children. You want to feel as though your baby would be treated the way you want her to be treated.

Do you like the vibe there? Most people can feel a positive or negative vibe in the daycare. Go with your gut feeling. If you feel like something is off, it probably is.

When you have to go back to work, not being prepared to take your baby to a daycare can be emotionally traumatic to you. There is no reason to let it get this far. Start early and do your research. Whether you decide on a small, intimate daycare in someone's home or a large daycare at a center, don't settle. Keep looking until you find the right place and the right person to take care of your baby.

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