By Hunter Shelton
Updated 12/17/2025
This article discusses looking for child care options outside of utilizing your existing network of friends and family.
Child care should be simple, right? You just need a safe, fun, educational, affordable place to watch your new baby while you work. Surely, that type of daycare exists!
Reliable, affordable child care options do exist, but it can take a lot of work to find the perfect fit for your newborn. Fortunately, I recently went through the process of finding an infant daycare. Here are all my tips and tricks for finding a dependable solution for you and your baby.
There are pros and cons to every child care option. Most moms choose from three types of care: a daycare facility, in-home daycare, or a nanny.
Child care facilities are licensed businesses, accountable to the state for their educational and safety practices. These centers generally have a large staff and serve lots of children. Your child may start in infant care and be able to migrate to different classes as they get older.
The downside is that your child may not receive as much individualized attention as the other types of daycare. Touring the daycare can help you get the feel of what it is like. Don’t be afraid to check out multiple facilities and go with your gut. This gives you an opportunity to meet the team and ask questions. Remember, you are interviewing them, so don’t be afraid to ask the hard questions.
These daycares are often small, and are run by a few individuals out of the caregiver’s home. Licensing requirements for home-based daycares vary by state.
The benefit of in-home daycare is that you may find someone who fits your unique needs and provides quality time for your child. Some of these facilities practice certain methodologies of teaching that more corporate daycares do not provide, such as the Montessori method. They can also be more cost effective.
The downside is that it is located in someone else's home, and you may have to dig deeper to be confident that it is a safe environment for your child.
The final option is to hire a nanny, au pair, or babysitter. The benefit of this is that your child will be receiving quality attention from someone you specifically chose for the job.
The downside is that it can be quite expensive. To offset the cost, some people “nanny-share,” or have a nanny watch two or three kids from different families at once.
I highly recommend scoping your nanny or au-pair through an agency or a website that runs background checks. Yes, there is an upcharge for the verification, but these individuals will be in your home taking care of your little one, so it’s worth the extra step.
In addition to the three most common types of daycare, there are a plethora of other unique child care options available to you.
You can explore alternatives like community-based co-ops for sharing child care as well as apps designed to match you with sitters that your neighbors are using.June Care even matches families who need child care with local stay-at-home moms who can provide care.
It can feel overwhelming to sort through so many choices, but if there is a specific option that interests you, it’s important to do the research!
Let’s face it, daycare for an infant child isn’t cheap. Use She Might’s baby cost calculator to find out what you are able to afford. If paying for child care is a concern, here are a few ways you can offset the cost:
There are subsidies to help families who need safe and affordable child care, but they vary by state. Child Care Aware is a nationwide network of affordable child care resources. You should also look to see if your town or county provides any subsidized child care opportunities.
Ask if your child care center offers a diaper club or if it’s included with the tuition. Most daycare centers include diapers within the tuition package or offer unlimited diapers and wipes for a small fee per week while they are at daycare. This is a significant savings to purchasing your own diapers, even if you ended up purchasing a generic brand at a cost savings club!
I know, we all start by looking online. But sometimes the internet gives you too much information that isn’t helpful. Ask your OBGYN or pediatrician if they know of any local agencies, non-profits, or religious institutions that help support moms with the financial burden of child care.
If you qualify for nutrition assistance or other state benefits, or if your child has a diagnosed disability, you may also be eligible for free or low-cost child care. You can check with your state’s agency to find out how to apply or visit the Head Start website for a list of centers in your area.
The first thing Idid was ask my neighbors, co-workers, and friends what child care they used and what they liked about it.
Myclose community offered lots of useful advice. My mother encouraged me to look for a licensed center that was National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) certified. My co-worker recommended picking a child care center instead of a nanny for the socialization aspect. My husband’s coworker was excited about considering a nanny-share with friends who wanted their kids in a smaller community with the flexibility of in-home care. Each member of our parenthood tribe provided great things for us to think about..
Once you’ve chosen the care provider you would like to use, you can start to visit or host the people who will be spending their days with your child. It’s a good idea to see the center in action and get a feeling for the environment.
When you visit, whether it’s virtual or in person, I highly recommend coming stocked with a list of questions and a place to write down your answers. Asking the same standardized questions is incredibly helpful when comparing locations. Inquire about sick policy, weekly rates, how they handle potty training, and how long their infant teacher has worked in that room. A mother’s intuition is best. Trust it
If something doesn’t feel right, walk away. I found a center that met my criteria: Iloved the teacher, the center director was awesome, it was near a police station, close to my home, and close to my child’s pediatrician. However, by the time my son had been accepted, the child care center had major staff turnover. The new staff was not as responsive to my emails, nor did they offer me the opportunity to meet with them. Two months before I was supposed to return to my job, I was scrambling to find care!
After searching, interviewing, and comforting myself with chocolate—I found a program! It turned out that this program was even better than the first. It was incredibly stressful to switch my daycare plan at the end of my maternity leave, but trusting my gut was essential for me to feel comfortable with leaving my son at daycare.
So, here is my #1 tip on finding child care in a pinch: persevere. It is emotionally exhausting, but if you persevere and focus on problem solving, you will find a child care solution for your baby.
To help you start your search, the She Might team has some resources we use and like:
Bambino Sitters is an app designed to help families find trusted sitters in their area through their existing network of friends and neighbors. Both parents and babysitters complete multi-tiered background checks to ensure safety and trust. Using the app is free, and sitters list their rates directly in the app. There is a small service fee for each "sit" so Bambino can keep their app running.
The June Care company works by connecting working parents to stay-at-home parents. Providers are vetted, and you can virtually meet families to discuss t schedules and expectations before agreeing to child care. Using the app is free, and providers set their rates based on their availability. There is a small service fee when booking.
As always, you are the expert on your life. These resources are only a few of your options. Take what is helpful and do your own research. And if you’ve had a great experience with another resource that you think should be shared in this article, you can email us at hello@shemight.com. We are wishing you well on your parenting journey, whatever that looks like!
Finding child care is no walk in the park, but you can do it! You can find childcare that you love and is within your budget. Remember to survey your community, research your options, visit, trust your intuition, prep for your first day, and enjoy watching your little one learn.
Being a mom is challenging. Don’t be afraid to invite a community to help you raise your child with less stress as you pursue your dreams.
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