The thought of leaving your little one behind to start work can be so heartbreaking, but really you need to return to work, build a career, get that needed promotion and of course live a balanced life. Hence getting a good crèche/daycare centre might be your best bet if you are not particularly fond of having a nanny.

While searching for an appropriate crèche, it is important that you do a thorough search because you do not want your little one in bad company or have your precious baby catch a contagious disease which might take its toll on your neatly arranged life.

A good daycare/crèche should be clean, sanitary, childproofed and well stocked with sturdy books and toys that are age-appropriate. The building and rooms should be spacious, with adequate lighting and well-ventilated. Floors, walks, walls and the kitchen area should be clean, food preparation areas should be far from toilets and diaper changing stations, dustbins as well shouldn't be left unattended to. Staff should wash their hands regularly and after every diaper change. A CCTV camera in strategic places indoor and outdoor should also be a top priority.

It is important to also get a crèche that values close, loving, interactive relationships with babies, the ratio of caregiver to babies should be 1:3. If a group has six infants, one for every four if a group has eight babies. Such a crèche should also have a strict visiting policy and not allow parents untethered access to babies, in fact, all parents and visitors should be made to wash their hands, put on protective wears such as disposable gowns, shoes and caps to reduce the risk of infection transmission.

Make sure you’re comfortable with the childminders and tell them all they need to know about your baby such as his/her sleeping pattern, if he is teething or whether he ate breakfast in the morning
Most importantly, rely on your motherly instinct, no matter how good a particular crèche looks, if it doesn’t feel right, don’t get pressured to drop your baby, start the search early, so you can get a crèche that gives you that eureka feeling!