She is only able to take four months off from work.

So that means she needs care for an almost-newborn baby, and really soon. Here are the questions her and her husband are debating:

• Do they start looking for care now, or wait until it’s closer to the time they need it?
• The pros and cons of home, centre and nanny care for such a young baby
• Will a newborn be more expensive to car for? If so, how much?

Any advice for her?

I’ve sent her the links from the resource page for parents on the site, which includes great links on questions to ask potential childcare providers, and how to decide what is right for your family.

Personally, I think she should start looking ASAP, as finding care for a baby so young may prove to be difficult when a year or older is far more common. I’d think a nanny would be the best bet, at least for the first few months until the baby is older. Which raises the question of a live-in or live-out person.

Anie’s going to be checking in her for your tips and suggestions, so please leave a comment below for her.

Thanks for sharing your expertise!

She and her three boys are avid campers (seriously, they went winter camping last year. Like in the snow and everything), so last year we got her a $25 gift card to Moutain Equipment Co-op.

Julia isn’t much of a girly-girl, so my inital instinct to treat her to a manicure/pedicure doesn’t go (plus one of her sons actually laughed when I suggested it). I’d really like to get her something just for her, as she devotes so much time to her daycare and her own kids that I think she deserves and needs it.

Suggestions?

Caregivers, what gifts have you received in the past? Any favourites jump out at you?

Parents, what have you given to your daycare providers?

We try to either get out for some shopping or lunch or special snack (she loves “Hortons” for a muffin!) or do a craft together.

The Internet is a goldmine of arts and crafts sites, and I’ve shared our favourites on a new links page called Crafts & Blogs. Check them out!

MaryP’s recent craft post on making trees using all the beautiful falling leaves inspired Lucy and I’s creation yesterday. My tree trunk and sky aren’t as pretty as hers, but we love it just the same!

There’s a brand new page with interesting day care reads, including a recent CBC report and Statistics Canada numbers.

Under links for providers, look car seat safety websites for traveling with kids.

And there are tons of places to play and visit under local stuff to do.

Enjoy! And please email or leave a comment with any of your favourite and regular sites.

(I’ve been writing about Lucy and our family’s wonderful (and sometimes wacky and sad) childcare searches and experiences — with Daycare Debbie, Julia and Shelby — for years. Read it here.)

Although absolutely necessary when looking for the special person (or centre) to be, almost, your surrogate, it doesn’t make it any less stressful.

Just like interviewing for a job, one of the most helpful tips I read about before beginning the search was to be prepared and know exactly the questions to ask a potential provider.

There’s a wealth of information for parents online, often broken down by type of childcare, too. Here are our favourites:

• About Kids Health (from the Hospital for Sick Children): Questions to ask for infant/toddler care, preschool care, and school-age before-/after-school care
• Ontario Ministry of Children and Youth Services: Childcare choices and questions
• CBC news in-depth on daycare: Questions parents should ask
• BC Health Guide on choosing childcare: Questions, plus how to decide between a home and centre
• The search is on: A lengthy but worthwhile read from the Brantford Expositor

Any favourite sites or resources to share? Leave ‘em below!

A new town meant finding new daycare for Lucy: The second search in just over a year. Outdated listings from a local resource centre (no fault of their own…just understaffed to update it!), scrawling names and numbers off tattered, hand-written ads on mailboxes and grocery store bulletin boards.

Ugh.

But from that grunt of displeasure – like all great ideas – sprouted a wistful dream.

And now, this. We’re here. Not just I, because Durham Region Daycare would not be without a husband fed up with bitching (“Do something about it, then!”), a tech-savvy sister (“Do it! I can build it!”), blindly optimistic parents (“You can do it, Honey! But what will it do?”), and the most supportive and honest batch of Mom Friends ever (“That slogan is good, but…”).

I sincerely hope this site makes it easier for everyone: For parents to find the special “faux Mom” (as I’ve dubbed the two wonderful ladies who’ve watched my daughter) or enriching centre to look after their child(ren), and for providers to quickly and proudly advertise their businesses and fill openings.

Today we’ve launched the first half of Durham Region Daycare.

Before we unleash the site – and search function – to parents, we need providers! So, now begins the task of spreading the word to them. You can help by passing our website on to your provider, to other parents and family members. Oh, and signing up for the newsletter here.

Tell them that daycare centres, home care providers and nannies who join this month – before we fully launch – get in for half price. That’s six months, a year or two years of advertising for, well, peanuts.

Their listing goes live when we do: Mon., Sept. 8 (or earlier, if possible…).

Let the countdown begin…