Becoming a new mom is overwhelming in so many ways, and one of the most stressful challenges is figuring out daycare, all while wishing you could afford to stay home with them forever. Where do I send my baby? How do I know it’s a good place? How can I trust a complete stranger to take care of them? Not to mention all the other anxieties— like what do I bring? How do I know if they have everything they need? The guilt of wondering if they’ll feel abandoned. 

Not being from the area we currently live in, we really had no idea where to start. We asked around about the options in our town, but the population is only 600 people so there were not a lot of options. We reached out to the one daycare in town and were quickly placed on the waitlist—no idea when we’d actually get in. 

So we started looking at backup options. We explored the daycares in the town I work in, but wanted to limit the amount of time on the road with a little one. Still, options were scarce, and we  couldn’t afford to be too picky. Luckily we secured a spot at an in home daycare, but a few months before my due date, she announced her own pregnancy and was going to be closed for six weeks. Could we have made it work? Probably, but it would have been tough. We started looking around again. 

We had heard good things about the daycare in the next town over. The only problem was it was in the opposite direction from my work. But honestly, if it meant finding a daycare we felt good about, I was willing to take an extra 15-minute detour on my commute. 

Turns out— it was the best decision we made. These women love my baby like their own. They have made me feel comfortable since day one, asking what I thought were silly questions as a first-time mom. And it makes leaving her there so much easier when she’s genuinely excited to be with them. She runs into their arms every morning, smiling, and ready to start the day. That makes all the difference.

When the day comes and we have to leave this daycare  and move on to one that fits with our school schedule and transportation needs, I know it will be one of the toughest days for all of us. I know I wouldn’t be where I am as a mother without the incredible support and care these women have given us. I’m so thankful for them and that gratitude will stay with me forever. 

As for the daycare in our town, I’ve given up hope. We’ve been on the waitlist for over a year and a half, and we’re still nowhere near the top. We’re not sure what we’ll do when it’s time to start preschool, but for now, we’re just going to enjoy every single day at our current daycare, knowing how lucky we are to have found a place that feels like home.