Childcare Center
Group care in a center-based setting, often with multiple classrooms, teachers, and structured hours.
Childcare & Returning to Work
Going back to work after having a baby can bring a strange mix of logistics and emotions. There is childcare to find, schedules to figure out, bottles and bags to prepare—and sometimes a very real ache about being away from your baby. This guide is here to help with both sides of the transition.
You can feel ready to work and still miss your baby. You can wish you could stay home and still appreciate your career. You can feel both at the same time.
Earlier than feels necessary
Finding care can take time
Childcare availability varies widely, and some programs have long waitlists. If you know you will need care, starting the search early can give you more options and more time to find a setting that feels right for your family.
- 1. Decide what you need: Consider your work schedule, commute, budget, baby's age, location, and how many days or hours you need care.
- 2. Explore your options: Look at childcare centers, licensed family childcare homes, in-home care, relatives, or a combination depending on what is available to your family.
- 3. Check licensing and inspection information: Requirements vary by state. Use your state or territory's official childcare resources to check licensing status and available inspection information.
- 4. Visit: When possible, visit programs you are seriously considering rather than choosing based only on a website or photos.
- 5. Get on waitlists: If a program feels like a possible fit but does not currently have space, ask about its waitlist and expected availability.
Different families, different fits
There is more than one way to do childcare
Family Childcare Home
Care provided in a home setting, often with a smaller group of children and sometimes mixed ages.
Nanny or In-Home Caregiver
Care provided in your home, which may offer more individualized care and scheduling flexibility but can cost more.
Relative or Trusted Caregiver
Care from a grandparent, family member, friend, or another trusted person.
Combination Care
Some families use different arrangements on different days or combine family help with paid childcare.
There is no single childcare arrangement that is best for every family. Safety, reliability, affordability, schedule, caregiver quality, and your child's needs all matter.
Before you enroll
Ask more than “Do you have an opening?”
Safety & Licensing
- Are you licensed or legally license-exempt?
- Can I review your licensing and inspection information?
- What background checks and training are required for caregivers?
- What is your procedure for emergencies?
- How do you handle safe sleep for infants?
Daily Care
- What does a typical day look like?
- How are naps handled?
- How are bottles, breast milk, formula, and eventually solid foods handled?
- How do you soothe babies when they are upset?
- How often are diapers changed?
- How much outdoor or floor-play time do children have?
Communication
- How will I hear about feeds, naps, diapers, and my baby's day?
- Who should I contact with questions?
- How do you communicate accidents, injuries, illness, or unusual behavior?
Policies
- What are your hours?
- What happens if I am late?
- What is your illness policy?
- What happens when the program closes?
- Do families pay during vacations, holidays, or closures?
- How much notice is required to leave the program?
Cost
- What is the tuition or caregiver rate?
- Are there registration fees or deposits?
- Are meals, diapers, supplies, or activities additional?
- When and how is payment due?
Look, listen & notice
Pay attention to how the space feels
Caregiver interactions
Do caregivers speak warmly to children and respond to their needs?
Supervision
Are children actively supervised?
Environment
Does the space appear clean, safe, organized, and appropriate for the children's ages?
Children
Do children generally appear comfortable and engaged?
Staffing
Ask how many children each caregiver is responsible for and what happens when staff members are absent.
Your questions
Do you feel comfortable asking questions, and are the answers clear?
A beautiful facility is not the same thing as quality care. Pay attention to the caregivers and how children are treated.
Before the first day
Practice the parts you can
You cannot completely prepare a baby for a new caregiver, but you can make some of the practical pieces more familiar ahead of time.
- practicing bottles before childcare begins if your baby will need to take one
- letting another trusted caregiver practice feeds
- becoming familiar with the provider's nap routine
- labeling bottles, clothing, and supplies as requested
- asking what you need to send each day
- sharing information about your baby's routines and soothing preferences
- completing forms and medication authorizations ahead of time when applicable
Your baby's routine at childcare may not look exactly like the routine at home. Some adjustment is normal.
The emotional part
The decision can be practical and still feel emotional
Leaving can be harder than the checklist. You can trust the person caring for your baby and still feel sad leaving. You can make a practical decision and still feel emotional about it. You can also need to reevaluate a plan when the schedule, childcare situation, or your family's needs change.
Missing your baby does not mean childcare is wrong. Enjoying time at work does not mean you love your baby any less. A decision can be loving, thoughtful, and still feel complicated.
Practical suggestions
- Give yourself extra time.
- Ask how updates work.
- Create a simple goodbye.
- Expect emotions such as relief, guilt, sadness, excitement, anxiety, and enjoyment.
Before your first morning back
Make the logistics easier on future you
- Confirm your return date and schedule.
- Confirm childcare start date and hours.
- Plan your morning timeline and commute.
- Decide who handles drop-off and pickup.
- Prepare work clothes and essentials.
- Ask your employer about schedule changes or workplace policies that affect you.
- If pumping, discuss pumping breaks and space before returning.
- Decide what needs to be prepared the night before.
- Create a backup-care plan if possible.
- Put pediatrician, childcare, work, and emergency contacts somewhere both parents or caregivers can access.
Feeding + work
Plan for pumping before your first day back
If you plan to express breast milk at work, having the logistics worked out before your return can make the transition easier.
- Talk with your employer about where you will pump.
- Discuss how pumping breaks will work with your schedule.
- Think about how you will safely store expressed milk.
- Decide how you will transport pump parts and milk.
- Keep backup supplies at work if practical.
- Consider practicing with your pump before returning if you have not used it regularly.
Federal rights note
Under federal law, most nursing employees are entitled to reasonable break time and a private place other than a bathroom to pump breast milk at work for up to one year after their child's birth. Some state or local laws provide additional protections.
It shouldn't all live in one person's head
Return-to-work logistics are family logistics
Returning to work often adds another layer of planning: bottles, bags, laundry, childcare communication, drop-offs, pickups, sick days, appointments, and backup care. Decide who owns these responsibilities instead of letting them automatically fall to one parent.
Conversation prompts
- Who handles morning preparation?
- Who does drop-off?
- Who does pickup?
- Who washes and prepares bottles or feeding supplies?
- Who communicates with childcare?
- Who stays home when the child is sick?
- What happens if one parent has an inflexible workday?
For more support with making family systems easier to manage, see Routines & Organization.
It will eventually happen
Have a sick-day plan before you need one
Childcare illness policies can mean unexpected days at home. Knowing the plan ahead of time can reduce the scramble when the call comes.
- who can leave work more easily
- whether parents can alternate sick days
- whether remote work is possible
- whether backup care exists
- how much paid leave each parent has
- childcare rules for returning after illness
- how pediatrician appointments will be handled
Follow your childcare provider's illness policy and your pediatrician's guidance. This page is not medical advice.
Trusted resources
Helpful places to learn more
ChildCare.gov — Find & Choose Quality Child Care
Official guidance for finding childcare, comparing programs, checking quality, and choosing care that fits your family.
View resourceChildCare.gov — Choosing Quality Child Care Tip Sheets
Practical checklists for what to look for, listen for, and ask when visiting different types of childcare programs.
View resourceU.S. Department of Labor — Pump at Work
Official information about federal workplace protections for employees who need to express breast milk at work.
View resourceEEOC — Pregnant Workers Fairness Act
Official information about federal reasonable-accommodation protections related to pregnancy, childbirth, and related medical conditions.
View resourceDisclaimer
This resource is for general educational and informational purposes only and is not individualized legal, employment, childcare, medical, or financial advice. Childcare needs, workplace policies, and legal protections vary by location and individual circumstances. Verify current information and guidance with the appropriate official resources or qualified professionals when making decisions that affect your family or work situation.