1. Diapers - In our infant room, we ask the parents to provide us with 1 pack of diapers for us to have for the child through the week and we let them know once the number of diapers is below 6, so that they know they will need to get more for the following week to have there. Your daycare center should let you know how often diaper changes are done. At the one I work at, we change the babies every 2 hours unless of course he or she feels wet or is dirty, then we change them right away.
2. Can of formula or bags of breast milk to store in the freezer to thaw out as needed with a bottle to keep at the daycare center. In our infant room, we have a cabinet that we use to keep each child's formula in with their first and last name on it, and once it gets to below the half way point we let the parent know that we're running low on formula so they know to bring some in the following week. If you breastfeed, your daycare facility likely has a freezer that you can store a gallon bag full of breast milk bags, so that when it's time for a feeding the daycare provider can thaw 1 bag per bottle for your child.
3. Baby rice / oatmeal or baby food - If your child is on cereal or baby food, let your daycare provider know and you will need to provide enough to last through each week, so that they can feed the proper amount in a feeding for your child, such as fruits and vegetables.
4. Burp cloths - If you'd like your child to have their own burp cloth at the daycare center, simply write his or her first name on the bib and give it to the provider to place in the child's bin with their stuff to stay there.
5. Blanket - If you'd prefer your child to have their own blanket with them at the daycare, write his or her first name on the tag and give it to the provider to place in the child's crib. I know at the daycare I work at, we ask the parent(s) to take the child's blanket home each Friday or if they are only part time to take it home on their last day of the week, to clean.
6. Bottle - If you'd like to take a bottle into your child's room each day, just be sure to provide them with enough bottles to last your child through the day, whether it's formula or breast milk. If you would like the provider to keep the bottle there, just ask them to write his or her name on the bottle for you.
7. Change of clothes - Of course there are times when your child may have what we call a blowout and the clothes get dirty when it's diaper changing time, so be sure to provide them with 2 - 3 outfits or sleepers for him or her to have in their bin at the daycare center. They will be sure to let you know when you have to take the clothes home to wash.
