There is no single start age that is right for every family. The decision depends on your baby’s needs, the program’s minimum age, your work or other commitments, and whether you have found care you trust. Peek-A-Boo’s published infant program begins at 6 weeks and serves babies through 12 months.
Starting well is less about picking an ideal date from a general rule and more about preparing a safe, clear handover. Use this guide to plan the timing, ask about feeding and sleep, share important information, and understand what should be confirmed before the first day. If your baby has an individual medical need, include your healthcare professional in the planning.
Work backward from the date you need care
Begin with the date when care becomes necessary, then allow time to speak with the center, visit the infant room, complete enrollment, and obtain any required records. The minimum age a center serves is only one part of the timing. You also need a confirmed place and a schedule that works for your family.
Write down the hours you need, including travel. If you have a partner or another adult sharing drop-off and pickup, compare both schedules. Consider what happens if one person is delayed. Peek-A-Boo is open Monday through Friday from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., but families should confirm the arrangements for the specific infant place rather than assuming every detail from those opening hours.
Do not wait until the last possible day to ask about availability. At the same time, do not assume an early inquiry guarantees a place. Ask how the center records interest, what is needed to move forward, and when the start date is confirmed. Keep a backup plan until the enrollment arrangements are agreed.
Use age as an entry requirement, not a judgment
A program that begins at 6 weeks is saying when it can consider a baby for that program. It is not saying that every baby should start at 6 weeks, or that starting later is better or worse. Families make different decisions because their circumstances are different.
Avoid turning the timing into a test of parenting. Instead, ask whether the care can respond safely to your baby’s feeding, sleep, comfort, and health needs. If your baby was born early, has a medical condition, or needs particular support, discuss the details with the pediatrician and the center. Individual advice is more useful than a general website answer.
Also check how the program handles the upper end of the age range. If your baby will soon turn one, ask about the room they would enter and the transition to toddler care. The date of a birthday does not answer every question about staffing, availability, or routines. A clear conversation helps you understand the plan rather than trying to infer it from the age label alone.
Visit the infant room before deciding
A visit should let you see the room your baby would use and speak about the routine. Look for attentive adults, a clear arrangement for sleep and play, and a calm explanation of how individual needs are handled. Ask how staff remain aware of the group while feeding, changing, or comforting one child.
Ask who will be responsible for your baby, how staffing is arranged, and who you should contact with a concern. Peek-A-Boo follows DECAL’s applicable supervision, staff-to-child, background-check, and training requirements. The tour is a chance to understand how that translates into the day your baby will experience.
Do not feel that you must make an immediate decision because a room looks welcoming. Write down the answers that affect safety, schedule, and communication. If you need time to discuss them with another adult, take that time. If a question remains unclear, ask for the procedure or written instruction before enrolling. A careful decision is a better start than relying on assumptions you later have to unravel.
Talk through feeding in detail
Describe your baby’s current feeding routine and any guidance from your healthcare professional. Tell the center what milk or formula your baby uses, how it is supplied, and whether there are feeding concerns. Ask the team for its instructions on preparation, labeling, storage, and the items you should bring.
Be specific about amounts, timing, and the cues your baby shows, while recognizing that a care plan should respond to the child rather than force a rigid routine without discussion. If your baby needs a medical feeding arrangement, do not rely on an informal note at drop-off. Ask how the required instructions and permissions should be documented.
When discussing solids or other changes, include your healthcare professional if advice is needed. The center can explain its procedure, but it should not replace individual medical guidance. Before the first day, check that caregivers have the same current information as the family. Keep the handover focused on useful facts, such as a change in feeding or an important concern, rather than assuming a previous conversation will cover every later update.
Ask how safe sleep works in the room
Sleep is one of the most important infant-care questions. Peek-A-Boo follows Georgia’s safe-sleep requirements and places infants on their backs to sleep unless written physician instructions provide for another position. Tell the team about your baby’s current routine, but expect the center’s safety rules to govern the sleep environment.
DECAL’s health and safety resources include infant safe-sleep information. Ask the center to explain where babies sleep, how sleep spaces are kept safe, and what items you should and should not send.
A familiar object that is used at home may not be appropriate in a care sleep space. Confirm the rules before packing rather than discovering them at the first drop-off. If your baby has an individual medical instruction, discuss the required written documentation ahead of time. A sleep conversation should make the plan clear without promising that a baby will sleep on an exact schedule or quickly settle into a routine.
Prepare health information and emergency contacts
Ask for the infant enrollment packet and parent handbook. Confirm the required immunization documentation, health details, emergency contacts, and authorized pickup information. If anything is missing or needs updating, ask when it must be provided. Keeping documents organized can prevent a start date from being delayed unnecessarily.
Tell the center about allergies, health conditions, and any instructions it needs to understand before caring for your baby. Explain who should be called first and how to reach a backup. Keep phone numbers current, especially if your workplace has limits on personal calls. If an emergency contact changes, use the center’s procedure to update it rather than assuming a casual message has reached everyone who needs it.
Ask what happens when a baby is sick and how medication is handled. Peek-A-Boo follows Georgia health and medication rules and requires written permission except where the law otherwise authorizes medication. Families still need the center’s specific illness and return-to-care instructions. Planning this early is easier than trying to resolve it on a rushed morning when your baby is already unwell.
Plan communication before the first handover
Ask what the team normally shares about feeding, sleep, changes, and the day. Confirm how those updates reach you and whom to contact if you need a more detailed conversation. Do not assume a text service, app, or live photo feed is included. The important point is a clear, agreed way for information to move between family and caregivers.
For the first day, prepare a short summary of current routines and anything unusual that morning. A recent difficult night or a feeding change may be useful. Keep the information accurate and relevant, and use any form or process the center requests. A long informal message is less helpful if important facts are hidden inside it.
Decide how you will ask about concerns after starting. A specific question, such as whether the baby settled after a feeding, is easier to answer than asking whether everything was perfect. Caregivers can share observations, while medical or developmental concerns should also be raised with your healthcare professional. The relationship works best when everyone understands the limits and purpose of the updates.
Make drop-off and pickup predictable
Before starting, confirm where to arrive, what to bring, and how the baby is handed over. Allow extra time for the first morning without assuming the center offers a gradual schedule. Ask whether any introductory arrangements are available and have them confirmed before putting them in your plan.
Have bags, labels, and documents ready the night before where possible. Keep drop-off information focused on your baby’s current needs. If another adult will collect your child, ensure that person is on the approved pickup list and understands the identity checks. Peek-A-Boo releases children to authorized people and documents arrivals and departures.
For parents, separation can bring strong feelings too. A clear routine does not erase that, but it can reduce uncertainty. Know when and how you can contact the team and what response to expect. Avoid promising yourself that the first week will feel easy or follow a fixed adjustment timetable. Review concerns with the center and make practical changes based on your baby’s needs rather than comparing your experience with another family’s.
Check the cost and the backup plan
Peek-A-Boo’s published infant tuition is $165 per week. Confirm the current rate, any additional fees, payment timing, and the schedule included before enrolling. Ask how the center’s written policy applies to holidays, absences, and any later change in schedule. These questions are about clarity, not an assumption that a particular charge exists.
Make a backup plan for times your baby cannot attend. Identify an adult you can contact, think about work arrangements, and keep the relevant phone numbers accessible. Ask the center how closures or schedule changes are communicated. It is difficult to invent a workable backup at the moment a family needs it.
If cost assistance is important, ask the center which options can apply to the specific care you need and consult the relevant program about eligibility. Do not treat the published rate as a guarantee of assistance or assume the center participates in every funding arrangement. The care decision is strongest when the place, schedule, budget, and backup plan are all based on confirmed information.
Review the start after your baby has joined
Once care begins, pay attention to the information shared and raise concerns clearly. A change in routine does not by itself tell you whether the placement is right or wrong. Ask what caregivers notice, compare it with what you see at home, and seek medical advice if a health or developmental question needs it.
If an arrangement is not working, name the practical issue. It may be a communication gap, a schedule concern, or a detail in the feeding plan that needs clarification. Review the enrollment documents and speak with the team rather than trying to resolve a complex need through rushed messages at pickup.
For a closer comparison of providers, read our infant care options guide. To discuss a start at Peek-A-Boo, contact the team with your baby’s age, preferred start date, and care hours. The goal is a safe and informed handover, not an ideal start age that every family has to follow.
Questions parents ask
What is the youngest age Peek-A-Boo serves?
The published infant program begins at 6 weeks and serves babies through 12 months. Contact the center about the current room, available spaces, schedule, and any individual needs before arranging a start.
Is there one best age to start infant care?
No single age fits every family. Consider the program’s minimum age, your baby’s health and routines, your commitments, and a confirmed place. Ask your healthcare professional about individual medical concerns.
Will my baby need to follow the same routine as everyone else?
Discuss your baby’s feeding, sleep, and comfort needs with the infant team. Peek-A-Boo describes individual routines in its infant program, while safety requirements still apply. Confirm how those needs will be handled before the first day.
How do I request an infant-room tour?
Contact Peek-A-Boo with your baby’s age, desired start date, and schedule needs. The team must confirm tour arrangements and availability; an online request does not reserve a place or confirm an appointment.
Plan your next step
Explore Infant Care, or request a tour to discuss your child’s age, schedule, and current openings.
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