Returning to work after maternity or parental leave gets much easier when you don’t try to change everything on the same Monday morning. Before your first day back, it helps to have three things in place: reliable childcare, a routine your child has had time to practise, and a backup plan for days when your usual childcare isn’t available.
If your child is starting daycare, give yourself some transition time where possible. Practising separations, getting familiar with the daycare routine, and preparing bottles, meals, clothing, transportation, and pickup arrangements beforehand can make the first working week much less chaotic.
You don’t need a perfect transition. You just need a plan that works for your family.
Start Early: Line Up Childcare Before You Return
One of the biggest things you can do before returning to work after maternity leave is secure childcare early.
Don’t assume you’ll be able to find the right daycare a few weeks before your return date. Availability can vary by location, age group, schedule, and provider, so start researching childcare well before you need it.
Before choosing a daycare, confirm the practical details that will affect your workday:
- Opening and closing hours
- Drop-off and pickup procedures
- Fees and registration requirements
- Meals and snacks
- Nap routines
- What parents need to provide
- Illness policies
- Late-pickup policies
- How educators communicate with parents
Also think about the commute.
A daycare may look perfect until you realize that dropping your child off adds 30 minutes to your morning commute. Try the actual drive around the time you’ll normally be travelling.
We mainly offer two daycare options for parents: drop in childcare for flexible care and Regular hours childcare for consistent routines.
A Timeline for the Weeks Before Your Return
You don’t need to overhaul your routine months in advance. For many families, gradual preparation is easier than changing everything at once. The exact timing will depend on your child’s age, your childcare arrangement and your return-to-work schedule.
Here’s a practical timeline you can adjust to your situation:
| When | What to Work On |
| 4–8+ weeks before | Confirm childcare, work arrangements, transportation and backup care |
| 2–4 weeks before | Start adjusting sleep, wake-up, meal and nap routines where necessary |
| 1–2 weeks before | Practise separations and let another trusted caregiver handle parts of the routine |
| Final week | Prepare daycare supplies, clothing, bottles/meals and your work essentials |
| First week back | Keep mornings simple and leave extra time for unexpected delays |
If your daycare offers orientation visits or a gradual-entry period, taking advantage of them can give your child some time to become familiar with the environment, educators and routines before your first full workday.
And if your child needs time to settle, that doesn’t automatically mean something is wrong with the daycare or that they aren’t ready. Adjustment looks different for every child.
Practising the New Morning Routine
Ideally, your first morning back at work shouldn’t be the first time everyone attempts the new routine. Do a few practice mornings beforehand.
Wake up around the time you’ll need to wake up for work. Get yourself ready, prepare your child, pack the daycare bag and leave the house. You might quickly discover things you hadn’t considered.
Maybe breakfast takes longer than expected. Maybe your baby needs another feeding before leaving. Maybe getting a toddler dressed takes 20 minutes instead of five.
Those are much easier problems to solve during a practice run than at 7:45 a.m. when you have a meeting at 9.
Prepare the night before
You don’t need to turn every evening into a preparation marathon. Just remove the decisions that tend to slow mornings down. Lay out clothes, prepare the daycare bag, check what food or bottles need to go with your child, and put your own work essentials somewhere you won’t forget them. Then build some buffer time into the morning.
A schedule that works only when absolutely everything goes right probably won’t work for very long.
Helping Your Child (and You) Adjust to Daycare
The transition to daycare when returning to work can feel like two transitions happening at once.
Your child is getting used to new people, surroundings and routines. At the same time, you’re getting used to spending a large part of the day away from them again. Some children settle quickly. Others may cry at drop-off or need more time.
Separation anxiety is a normal part of development for many young children, particularly during infancy and toddlerhood. Consistency can help children understand the pattern: you leave, they stay with a trusted caregiver, and you come back. A few things can make that pattern easier to learn:
Practise short separations beforehand. Let your child spend time with another trusted caregiver without you.
Create a simple goodbye routine. A hug, a kiss and the same short goodbye can become predictable and reassuring.
Keep your goodbye predictable. A short, consistent goodbye can help your child understand the routine. If your child is already very upset, ask the educators about the approach they recommend for your centre.
Keep goodbyes warm but relatively short. Staying for a long time after saying goodbye can sometimes prolong an already difficult separation.
Talk positively about daycare. For older babies and toddlers, simple language such as “You’re going to daycare, and I’ll come back after your afternoon snack” can make the routine more predictable.
Try not to measure success by whether your child cries at drop-off.
A difficult goodbye, followed by a happy day of playing, eating, and interacting with educators, is very different from a child who remains distressed throughout the day.
Ask your educators how your child behaves after you leave, not just during the goodbye.
Our childcare programs are designed for every early learning stage:
Backup-Care & Sick-Day Plans
This is the part of a back-to-work checklist for a new parent that’s surprisingly easy to forget. Your normal childcare arrangement won’t work every single day.
Your child may get sick. The daycare may have policies requiring children with certain symptoms to stay home. You may get stuck at work. Your regular pickup person may suddenly be unavailable. Figure out your Plan B before you actually need it.
Ask yourself:
| Situation | What’s Our Plan? |
| Child wakes up sick | Who can stay home? |
| Daycare calls during work | Who can pick up quickly? |
| Parent can’t leave work | Is another authorized person available? |
| Regular pickup person is unavailable | Who is the backup? |
| Child needs to stay home for multiple days | How will parents divide care? |
| Unexpected work meeting runs late | Who can make pickup before closing? |
If you have a partner, talk about sick days before the first illness happens.
Will you alternate days? Does one person have more flexible work arrangements? Can grandparents or another trusted caregiver realistically help?
Also, check your employer’s policies and available leave or flexible work options rather than waiting until you need them.
Your backup plan doesn’t have to cover every imaginable emergency. It just needs to answer the most likely question: “What do we do tomorrow morning if our child can’t go to daycare?”
Managing the Emotional Side
Going back to work after parental leave isn’t only a scheduling change.
You might be excited to return to your career and still feel sad about leaving your child. You might enjoy your first uninterrupted cup of coffee at work and then spend lunch looking at daycare photos. Those feelings can exist at the same time. Try not to judge the entire childcare arrangement based on the first few drop-offs. Give yourself and your child time to develop a new rhythm.
It can also help to ask your daycare how they communicate during the day. Depending on the centre, parents may receive information about meals, naps, activities, or their child’s settling-in. At the same time, try not to spend your entire workday checking for updates. The goal is to gradually reach the point where your child knows daycare is a safe and familiar part of their routine, while you feel comfortable focusing on work, knowing they’re being cared for.
If separation remains unusually difficult or you have concerns about your child’s behaviour or wellbeing, speak with your child’s healthcare professional rather than relying only on general advice.
Return-to-Work Checklist (Printable)
Use this checklist during the final weeks before going back to work.
Childcare
☐ Childcare placement confirmed
☐ Start date confirmed
☐ Daycare hours checked against work schedule
☐ Drop-off and pickup people decided
☐ Backup pickup person authorized
☐ Fees and payment arrangements confirmed
☐ Daycare illness policy reviewed
☐ Emergency contact information updated
Daycare Preparation
☐ Required clothing packed
☐ Extra clothes labelled
☐ Bottles, food or feeding supplies prepared if required
☐ Diapers and other supplies ready if required
☐ Comfort item packed if permitted
☐ Medication procedures discussed if applicable
Routine
☐ Morning routine practised
☐ Wake-up schedule adjusted if necessary
☐ Feeding and nap schedule discussed with daycare
☐ Commute tested during normal travel time
☐ Extra morning buffer added
Work
☐ Return date confirmed with employer
☐ Work schedule confirmed
☐ Flexible-work options discussed if needed
☐ First-week meetings and commitments reviewed
☐ Pumping or feeding arrangements discussed if applicable
Backup Plan
☐ Sick-day responsibilities discussed
☐ Backup caregiver identified
☐ Emergency pickup person identified
☐ Employer leave options checked
☐ Daycare closure plan discussed
You don’t have to tick every box weeks in advance. The goal is simply to avoid discovering important gaps on your first morning back.
Our daycare centers are mainly located in these Calgary communities:
Preparing for Daycare With Clever Daycare
Returning to work is a big transition for the whole family, and choosing childcare that fits your routine can make the process easier.
At Clever Daycare, we support families as children become familiar with new routines, educators and classroom environments. Our team can help you understand our programs, daily schedules, age-specific care and what to expect as your child settles into the centre.
If you’re returning to work and looking for childcare in Calgary, contact Clever Daycare to learn about current availability, program options, and what to expect during your child’s transition.
Book a tour to meet our educators and see the environment for yourself.
FAQ
When should I arrange childcare before returning to work?
Start researching as early as you reasonably can. Childcare availability can vary considerably, particularly for certain age groups and locations, so don’t rely on finding a suitable space immediately before your return date.
How early should my baby start daycare before I return to work?
There isn’t one ideal number of days for every child. If your daycare offers gradual entry or orientation visits, having some transition time before your first full working day can make the change easier to manage.
Should I practise leaving my baby before daycare starts?
Short, age-appropriate separations with trusted caregivers can help your child become familiar with the idea of you leaving and returning.
What if my child cries every morning at daycare?
Crying at separation can be normal, particularly during certain developmental stages. Ask educators how quickly your child settles after you leave and how they behave for the rest of the day.
Should I sneak out if my child cries when I leave?
It’s generally better to create a predictable, brief goodbye routine rather than disappearing. Consistency helps your child learn what happens when you leave and that you will return.
How can I make mornings easier when going back to work after parental leave?
Prepare as much as practical the night before, practise your morning routine in advance and give yourself more travel time than you think you’ll need during the first few weeks.
What should I pack for my child’s first day at daycare?
It depends on the daycare and your child’s age. Ask for the centre’s own packing list, which may include extra clothing, feeding supplies, diapers, outdoor clothing and permitted comfort items. Label anything the daycare asks you to label.
What happens if my child gets sick after I return to work?
Your daycare will have its own illness policies. Know them before your child starts and decide who can leave work, handle pickup and provide care when your child needs to stay home.
How long does it take for a child to adjust to daycare?
There’s no fixed adjustment period. Some children settle quickly while others need more time. Look at how your child is doing throughout the day rather than judging the transition only by drop-off.
How can I prepare emotionally for returning to work after maternity leave?
Give yourself realistic expectations for the first few weeks. Staying connected with your daycare, establishing predictable routines and allowing time for both you and your child to adjust can make the transition feel more manageable.
