Research has shown that the best age for a child to start daycare at is at least 12-months-old.

If you're looking for infant care, keep in mind that most daycare facilities with infant programs accept babies as young as 6 weeks.

2 years old: A child this age will take two to three weeks to adjust to drop off. 3 years old: Children switching daycares may only take a day or two to adjust, but a child who has never been in daycare before may take up to a month to feel comfortable at drop-off.

Some children settle happily in their new child care centre within a few days or weeks. Others get upset and cry, even after the first few weeks. And some children settle at first and then get upset later, when the novelty of the new environment has worn off.