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When my son first started crèche, the contract we signed had a list of items parents were expected to provide. I made sure I had everything ready. It’s all spelled out in the contract, after all! Now that he’s in his second year, I know that what’s on the official list and what you actually need for daycare aren’t always the same thing.
This guide covers what the crèches in France typically provide, what parents might be asked to bring, and what I send in for my son.
📌 Note: Every crèche has its own policies, so use this article as a starting point and check in with your daycare before buying anything. Policies can vary between private and public daycares, between different childcare options in France, including full-day crèche versus halte-garderie, and from one town to another.
What Do Crèches in FranceTypically Provide?
Daycares in France commonly provide:
- Diapers
- Basic care products
- Infant formula
- Lunch and snack
- Bibs
- Cribs/cots
- Toys and activity supplies
Provided supplies are incorporated into the fees that you pay to the daycare provider. The daycare usually only has one brand available when it comes to diapers or infant formula. If your child has an allergy or other accommodation that requires a specific brand to be used, then you would need to supply it. However, if that’s the case, you generally won’t benefit from any kind of deduction to your daycare tuition. My son is potty trained, for example, but our tuition is not reduced even though he no longer uses the daycare’s diapers.
While it’s certainly not a nationwide mandate for French daycares to supply diapers and meals, it is extremely common across both public and private daycares. That being said, smaller structures such as micro-crèches, crèches associatives, and crèches parentales, as well as those only providing part-time care, might have different practices when it comes to diapers and meals.
If your child drinks breastmilk, it’s important to check with the daycare regarding their policies. They likely have specific protocols regarding storage and breastfeeding on the premises.
What to Bring to Crèche: My Essentials
Change of Clothes
Every child will need a change of clothes at some point, whether it’s because they had a blowout, they threw up, or maybe they just splashed around like a whale in the child-size sink and now they’re soaking wet.
➡️ By the way, our crèche bags up clothes in a plastic bag when they become wet or soiled.
My son is potty-trained, so in his classroom cubby, I leave:
- 2-3 bottoms (pants/shorts based on the season)
- 2 pairs of underwear
- 2-3 tops (2 short-sleeve and 1 long-sleeve)
- 1 sweater/sweatshirt
- 1 pair of socks
I didn’t originally have socks stored in his cubby, but they came in handy one day when one of the socks he arrived at daycare in went briefly missing. He had been chosen for the boulangerie run that morning and the sock simply didn’t make it back in the locker with his shoes. It happens!
💡 Pro Tip: The clothes I leave at daycare are generally a size bigger than what he usually wears, but not humongous. This means I never have to worry about something being too small. In our case, a lot of the stuff never comes home, so it’s harder for me to monitor the fit. I can leave the clothes there without feeling like they’re being “wasted.” They’ll rotate back into his wardrobe when he sizes up.
Doudou (Comfort Item / Lovey)
My son’s doudou is his stuffed bunny. Shh… we actually have three of them total and I highly recommend you get either duplicates or other loveys that can stand in when you need to wash one or if it gets misplaced. When the stomach flu made the rounds of daycare, boy was I glad to just throw “Bunny” straight in the wash and get out one of the imposters. Our little friend has held up really well despite many rounds in the washing machine!
Gigoteuse (Sleep Sack)
The gigoteuse stays at daycare. Our crèche tends to run warm, as does my son, so even in the colder months, a lightweight sleep sack was the best choice for us.
I left one gigoteuse there and brought it home to wash from time to time. My son only goes to daycare 2-3 times a week. Now that he’s in the grande section with the oldest kids (2-3 years old), they provide a sheet on their little cots for nap time, so I no longer bring a sleep sack.
Gourde (Water Bottle)
My son has his own gourde and he likes bringing it to daycare every day. I introduced him to it before daycare started. It gave him something to get excited about during the transition, and since it’s available and visible in the classroom, it’s also a little reminder of home.
Weather & Outdoor Gear
Even if your little one arrives at daycare all cozy and tucked in the stroller, the daycare staff may still take them outside, particularly if there’s an outdoor area like there is at our crèche. Our crèche also takes a few kids out to the bakery to pick up bread every morning, and they organize trips to the local library.
When picking out clothes for the day, I always consider weather-appropriate clothing and shoes. He loves wearing a baseball cap so he often arrives with one and leaves it in his locker with his shoes and coat. I leave sunscreen there during the summer months.
Backpack
Totally non-essential, but my son loves having a little backpack. He feels so proud and it gives him a “job” when we’re walking to daycare or back home. (And oh my gosh, he looks so adorable walking around with it.) His doudou and gourde go in the backpack, and it’s also a good reminder of what we need to bring home at the end of each day. When we see the backpack in his locker, we know we need his bunny friend and his water bottle.
Doliprane + Ordonnance (Prescription)
Many daycares will ask you to bring in paracetamol for your child. Doliprane is the common brand name, and you’ll often hear paracetamol referred to simply as Doliprane. It needs to be accompanied by an ordonnance indicating your child’s weight and the corresponding dose.
What Our Crèche Asked for vs. What We Actually Used
| Item | Worth bringing? | My take: |
| Linge de rechange (spare clothes) | Yes | Essential; restock based on your child’s needs |
| Chaussons (slippers) | No | Kids go barefoot at our crèche |
| Doudou (comfort item / lovey), tétine (pacifier) | Yes | Whatever comfort item(s) your child typically uses can help enormously with separation anxiety, transitions, and napping |
| Gigoteuse (sleep sack) | Depends on age | Younger babies and toddlers will need one; grande section might have sheets available |
| Gourde (water bottle) | Yes | My son loves his own identifiable water bottle |
| Photos | No | Daycare asked us for some photos of family members to help with the transition. They did make a photo album for him but it ended up upsetting him! |
| Diaper cream | Depends | Useful for children in diapers who need it |
| Sérum physiologique (saline solution) | Yes | Cleaning solution for eyes/nose; used occasionally, especially when your child is sick |
| Hairbrush | No | Didn’t even supply one; I never brush my son’s hair 🤣 |
| Electronic thermometer | No | If not provided by family, they use a simple, regular thermometer |
| Doliprane + ordonnance (prescription) | Yes | Often obligatory; they need paracetamol on hand in case of fever and will call before administering |
What to Label for Crèche
Kids at this age aren’t the most reliable when it comes to keeping track of their belongings and clothing. Tell me I’m not the only one with a small gremlin who has laid claim to something simply because it was left without an obvious owner for two seconds? My take is always to make the staff’s job as easy as possible. They’re already doing so much!
To be honest, though, I don’t label everything. Instead, I take a very practical (read: maybe lazy?) approach.
I focus on things I wouldn’t want to replace and on clothing that is regularly removed at daycare. So, if he’s hot, he’s going to take his sweatshirt off. Our crèche takes kids outside and outerwear can easily get mixed up in the entryway with multiple kids trying to be “helpful.” During nap, they remove pants. If he has an accident, it’s likely only going to affect the bottom half.
So here’s what I label:
- Outerwear: shoes, jackets, hats, gloves, neck warmers, etc.
- Layers: sweaters, sweatshirts, button-ups, etc.
- Pants
- Underwear
- Items: doudou, gourde, backpack
I don’t label socks. Honestly, I just can’t be bothered. I figure there might be some losses throughout the year and I am fine with it.
I also don’t label shirts because these typically don’t come off at daycare. There are exceptions, of course. During the (multiple) heatwaves in Paris, for example, our crèche was very warm, so the staff let kids just be in their underwear or diapers. That being said, my child prefers keeping his clothes on in front of others (unlike in the comfort of his own home). He was the only one in his group who remained civilized in his shorts and sleeveless shirt, even on the hottest days.
The labels I’m currently using are from C-MonEtiquette. They are personalizable and the turnaround time is quick. My first purchase of labels was a big variety pack. There were a few products that I ended up not using much, but ultimately I was glad to have a variety to start with.
For crèche, what I use the most are the étiquettes autocollantes (labels that stick directly to the clothing tags), along with étiquettes thermocollantes (iron-on labels), which I use for underwear when I cut off the tags. Shoe stickers get used as well, but we only ever have one or two pairs of shoes at a time. And I’ve only used a handful of stickers that are specifically for labeling objects.
Something I’m appreciating about C-MonEtiquette is that they have two available formats for clothing tag stickers—a square one and a rectangular one—which is practical since clothing tags can vary in size.
Crèche Packing List at a Glance
Common crèche essentials
- 2-3 changes of clothes, including an extra layer (1 sweater or sweatshirt)
- Doudou (comfort item / lovey) and tétine (pacifier) if used
- Gourde (water bottle), if requested/desired
- Doliprane + ordonnance (prescription)
- Sérum physiologique (saline solution)
- Other medications or treatments with required paperwork, if applicable
Depending on age and your crèche
- Gigoteuse (sleep sack)
- Bottles
- Breastmilk or special formula, if applicable
- Diaper cream
Seasonal/outdoor
- Baseball cap or sun hat
- Sunscreen
- Warm outerwear
- Rain gear
Optional
- Backpack
Your crèche might ask for additional items. Ours also requested chaussons (slippers), a hairbrush, a thermometer, and family photos. See the table above for what we actually ended up using.
⚠️ Remember: Before sending it in, label it!
Final Advice After Two Years of Crèche
Don’t worry about having everything ready for the first day. There’s usually an adaptation period of one or two weeks during which you’ll leave your child at the daycare for increasingly longer stretches of time. This gives you plenty of opportunities to ask questions and get a feel for what your child will actually need. You’ll learn all the unwritten rules!
The official list isn’t necessarily the everyday reality. Despite chaussons appearing in both our contract and another list we were given, the staff told us that they prefer the children go barefoot because it’s easier for them to monitor development and growth.
Don’t send in your best clothes. Between meal times and arts and crafts, crèche can get messy. Secondhand clothes and hand-me-downs are my go-to. I also tend to stick with darker colors that are less likely to stain.
Check the cubby periodically. Replace clothing or other items as needed and retrieve things that no longer need to live there.
Label everything. Okay, maybe not everything, but do label what makes sense for you and your risk tolerance. For me, that’s primarily outerwear, pants, and underwear. I can’t be bothered to spend time labeling socks, although C-MonEtiquette does have a personalized stamper that would probably make the job easier.
