What to Pack for Daycare
Knowing what to pack for daycare saves a lot of morning stress. At our St Ives centre, the bag is small: a named water bottle, bedding for rest time, a hat, spare clothes, a comfort item, and formula if your baby needs it. Meals, nappies, wipes and sunscreen are already covered. This guide breaks the list down by age.
Every centre asks for slightly different things, which is why packing lists online rarely match what your centre actually needs. The biggest difference is what is included in the fee. Where meals and nappies are provided, the daily bag is light. Where they are not, you are packing lunch, snacks and a day's worth of nappies every morning.
The first week is when most families over-pack. By the second, you will know exactly what comes home dirty and what never leaves the bag.
This page is written for families at our centre, but the age-by-age lists and labelling tips work anywhere. Start with what we provide, then check the list for your child's age, and use the printable checklist the night before the first day. More practical advice is in our guides for new childcare families.
What we provide so you do not have to
We provide every meal and snack, nappies and wipes, and sunscreen, all included in the daily fee. That means no packed lunches, no nappy stockpile in the car and no sunscreen in the bag. What families bring is the personal kit that helps a child feel at home: bottle, bedding, hat, clothes and comfort item.
We provide
- ✓Five meals and snacks, from early breakfast to a snack before home time
- ✓Nappies and wipes, all day
- ✓Sunscreen for outdoor play
- ✓All art, craft and learning materials
You bring
- 1A named water bottle
- 2Bedding for rest time
- 3A hat
- 4Two or three spare sets of clothes
- 5A comfort item
- 6Formula, if your baby needs it
Because everything else is covered, the daily bag can be as simple as a small backpack. Many families keep a second set of the essentials at the centre, such as a spare hat, so nothing is forgotten on a rushed morning.
Food stays at the centre for a reason. We are a Nut Aware service, so outside food only comes in when it has been arranged with us, which protects children with allergies.
If your child has an allergy or special diet, tell us before they start and we will plan meals with you.
See the full list of what the day includes on our daily fee page.
What to bring for babies
For babies, bring formula or expressed milk if needed, a labelled bottle, bedding for the cot, two or three changes of clothes, something soothing from home like a dummy or a small blanket, and a hat for outdoor time. Nappies, wipes and meals, including solids once your baby is eating them, come from us.
Formula works best pre-measured in a labelled container, so educators can make each bottle at your baby's usual times.
If you provide expressed breast milk, label it with your baby's name and the date, and hand it straight to an educator for the fridge.
Bottles should be clean, assembled and labelled on the body and the lid. Bring enough for the whole day, as bottles go home each evening to be washed.
Pack more spare clothes than you think. Babies can go through two outfits before lunch.
Bring a dummy in a labelled case if your baby uses one to sleep. A spare is even better.
Read about the baby room's routines on our nursery room page.
Baby bag
- Formula or expressed milk
- Labelled bottles
- Cot bedding
- Three spare outfits
- Dummy or comfort item
- Hat
Little hands, labelled thingsWhat to bring for toddlers
For toddlers, pack a named water bottle, bedding for rest time, a hat, two or three spare outfits including underwear and socks if toilet training has started, and a comfort toy. Closed shoes that your toddler can manage make climbing and running outdoors safer and easier.
Toilet training changes the bag. Add extra underwear, trousers and socks, and a plastic bag for wet clothes.
Pack clothes you do not mind getting dirty. Toddlers paint, dig, pour and climb, and a favourite outfit is safer at home.
Choose clothes that are easy to pull up and down. Elastic waists beat buttons and belts.
A comfort toy helps at rest time. Choose one that can cope with a wash if it comes home muddy.
Sleeping bags or a small blanket for rest time are both common for toddlers. Ask what the room uses, so bedding fits the rest bed and suits safe sleep practice.
Skip the toy box. Favourite toys from home can get lost or cause tears when shared, so keep it to one comfort item.
Toddler bag
- Named water bottle
- Rest-time bedding
- Hat and closed shoes
- Spare outfits, undies and socks
- One comfort toy
What to bring for preschoolers
Preschoolers need a named water bottle, bedding for quiet time, a hat, one or two spare outfits, and a comfort item if they still use one. The bag itself matters more now: a backpack your child can open, pack and carry is good practice for school.
Let your child pack their own bag, with you checking. It builds the independence teachers look for in Kindergarten.
Preschoolers often like to bring something to share for news time or a project. Check with the room first, and keep anything precious at home.
Shoes with velcro rather than laces let children manage on their own after sport or outdoor play.
Think about lunchbox skills even though lunch is provided. Practising with containers at home on weekends builds the independence your child will need at school.
A spare outfit is still worth packing. Painting, water play and sand are daily events.
Pack for independence as well as comfort. Bottles your child can open, lunch-style containers for practice at home and clothes they can put on alone all feed into a confident start at school.
Many preschoolers rest rather than sleep. Bedding still matters for a comfortable quiet time after lunch.
Our school readiness checklist has more self-help skills to practise before school.
Labelling everything
Label everything your child brings, including the bottle, the lid, the hat, each piece of clothing, shoes, bedding and the comfort item. With many children in a room, lots of hats, bottles and jumpers look the same, and a name is the quickest way for educators to return things to the right bag.
Iron-on or stick-on name labels last longest on clothes. A laundry marker works in a pinch.
Label both the bottle and its lid, because they often part ways.
Write your child's name inside shoes, not just on the outside, because outer labels scuff off quickly on the playground.
Put a name on the bag itself too, with a tag or keyring, so it is easy to spot on the hooks at pick-up.
Mark the comfort item clearly. A lost teddy at rest time is a big deal for a small child, and a named one comes back fast.
Check labels every few months. They fade in the wash, and clothes get handed down between siblings.
Most often lost
- Hats
- Water bottle lids
- Jumpers and jackets
- Single socks
Named and foundSeasonal extras
Seasonal extras depend on the weather. In warmer months, pack a hat that shades the face, neck and ears and light clothes that cover the shoulders. In winter, add warm layers and a jacket for outdoor play. On wet days, extra socks and a change of shoes are worth their weight.
Cancer Council's SunSmart advice recommends a hat that shades the face, neck and ears whenever the UV index is 3 or above, which in Sydney is much of the year.
Sun protection matters most from spring to autumn. We supply the sunscreen, so the hat is your part.
Cooler mornings and warm afternoons are common in Sydney, so a light jumper that can come off is often more useful than a heavy coat.
Layers beat one thick coat. Children warm up quickly once they start running, and a jumper is easy to take off.
Outdoor play happens most days, so plan for mud. A spare pair of shoes or socks in a named bag saves a soggy afternoon.
Hot days call for a second water bottle or a larger one. Children drink more when they are running around outdoors, and bottles are refilled through the day.
Check the bag at the change of season. Last term's clothes may no longer fit or suit the weather.
Printable checklist
This checklist lists everything to pack for daycare at our centre, filtered by your child's age. Tick items as you pack them, or print the list to stick on the fridge. Questions about anything on it? Call us on (02) 7238 8668.
Packing, answered
Do I need to bring nappies?+
No, you do not need to bring nappies to our centre. Every child who wears nappies gets them from us, wipes too, at no extra cost. If your child needs a particular brand or cloth nappies for a medical reason, talk to us before they start and we will work it out together.
Do I pack lunch?+
No, you never need to pack lunch; it is one of five meals and snacks served each day. Because we run a Nut Aware kitchen, food from outside only comes in by arrangement. The exception is formula, which families bring for babies who need it.
What about bedding?+
Families bring bedding for rest time. For babies that means cot bedding, and for older children, bedding for rest time. Label it and wash it regularly at home, so your child always has something clean and familiar that smells of home.
Explore our St Ives childcare centre.
Pack light, start well
See the rooms and ask us anything about the first day.