What should a daycare daily report include for infants and toddlers

The five things parents read first

One state rule spells out the short list that most daily sheets are built around. Texas Health and Human Services, in its Minimum Standards for Child-Care Centers (rule 746.2431, December 2025 edition), says a center must give each infant's parent a daily written or electronic report that contains the times the infant slept, the times and amount of food consumed, the times of diaper changes, the infant's general mood for the day, and a brief summary of the activities the infant took part in.

Those five items answer the questions parents actually have at the door. Did she sleep, and for how long? Did he eat, or will he be starving by six? Is the diaper rash any better, and when was the last change? Was it a good day? What did they do? The Texas guidance explains why the report matters for babies in particular: infants cannot tell their parents how the day went, so the caregiver has to, and a report lets parents supplement the day's meals and activities at home.

Two more lines are worth adding. One is a photo or two, which turns a list into something parents look forward to. The other is a short note for anything that does not fit a box, such as a first word, a new food tried, or a reminder that the spare clothes bag is empty.

Is a daily report required where you work

It depends on the kind of care and on where you are, and the rules are not as uniform as the templates suggest. In Texas, the center rule above is mandatory, but the matching rule for licensed and registered child-care homes (747.2331) says the opposite: a home provider is not required to give an infant's parent a daily written report. The state recommends it anyway, noting that children benefit when caregivers share any significant information with parents.

In England, the Department for Education's EYFS statutory framework for childminders, in force from 1 September 2026, does not prescribe a daily sheet. It does require childminders to enable a regular two-way flow of information with parents and carers. It also sets specific same-day duties: parents must be told on the same day, or as soon as reasonably practicable, when a medicine has been given, when the child has had an accident or injury and any first aid, and when physical intervention has been used.

Nannies working for one family usually agree the format directly with the parents. In every other setting, the rule that counts is the one from your own state licensing agency or national regulator, not a template's claims.

This guide quotes published rules from Texas and England as examples. It is not legal advice, and it does not tell you what applies to your setting. Requirements differ from state to state and country to country and are revised over time, so confirm them with your licensing agency or regulator.

How much detail is enough

Times and amounts beat adjectives. "Ate well" tells a parent very little. "Lunch at 11:45, ate most of it" tells them how hungry the child will be at pickup. The same goes for sleep: a start time and an end time let the parent see the length and the hour, which matters more for an evening routine than whether the nap felt long.

For diapers, the time and whether it was wet or soiled is the useful part, because a run of soiled diapers or an unusually dry afternoon is exactly what a parent wants to know about. For mood, two or three points in the day work better than a single word for the whole day. A child who was happy all morning and tired after lunch had a different day from one who was tired from the start.

Activities need one line, not a lesson plan. The EYFS framework for childminders states that there is no requirement to keep written records of day-to-day observations of children's progress, so the daily report does not need to double as a learning journal. A line such as "painting, park walk, story time" and a photo of the finished painting is plenty.

Infants and toddlers need slightly different reports

For babies, feeding is the center of the report. Texas requires home providers caring for an infant who is not yet ready for table food to obtain written feeding instructions signed and dated by a parent or health-care professional, and to review them with the parent every 30 days (rule 747.2321). The daily report is where the parent sees how the day matched those instructions: when each feed happened and how much was taken.

Sleep looks different too. The same Texas standards say each infant must have a nap period that lets the infant keep their own pattern of sleeping and waking, supervised by the caregiver. A report that records each nap's start and end time shows parents that pattern from day to day.

Toddlers bring toilet learning. Record toilet trips next to diaper changes, so parents can see whether the new routine is sticking at your house as well as at home. Meals become more about how much of a normal meal was eaten than about bottles, and activities and mood tend to fill more of the page.

Records that sit alongside the daily report

Some information has to live in a formal record as well. The EYFS framework requires childminders to keep a written record each time a medicine is given and a written record of accidents, injuries and first aid. Information about allergies and dietary needs must be obtained before a child starts, and basic details such as the child's date of birth and emergency contacts must be recorded for every child. A friendly line in the daily report is a good way to tell parents the same day, but it does not replace those records.

Photos need a plan too. Under the same framework, a childminder's safeguarding policies must cover how mobile phones, cameras and other devices that can take and share images are used. Childminders who are only on the Early Years Register, or registered with a childminder agency, do not need written policies, but they must be able to explain them to parents and inspectors. Parents must also be given access to all records about their own child, subject to data protection exemptions.

Common daily report mistakes

Writing it from memory at the end of the day. By pickup time, a nap that started at 12:40 becomes "around one", and the 3:00 snack disappears. Note each item as it happens and the report writes itself.

Burying the important line. An accident, a medicine or a worrying change in appetite should not sit between the painting and the park. Tell the parent directly at pickup, keep the formal record your rules require, and use the report as the written follow-up.

Splitting the day across channels. Photos in one chat thread, nap times in another message and a paper sheet in the bag means the parent has to rebuild the day. One page per child per day is easier to read and easier to keep.

Changing the layout every day. Parents learn where to look. If sleep is always in the same place, a parent can check it in a few seconds. TinyReport is built around that habit: you tap each meal amount, nap start and end, diaper or toilet trip, mood and activity as it happens, and five minutes before pickup it becomes one page you send as an image or PDF that parents open without an app.

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