There’s nothing more precious than a newborn baby. They’re so completely perfect and innocent, the last thing any parent wants to do is leave them behind so they can go back to work. Unfortunately, very few Moms and Dads are provided with months of paid time off so they can acclimate their new child to the world. Those who have to go back to work in the first few months of their baby’s life face a tough decision: depend on the kindness of relatives and babysitters or send their baby to a child care center?

As in any important life decision, there are pros and cons to putting a baby into daycare. It’s important that new parents are both aware of these variables and consider them carefully through the lens of their particular family’s needs.

If you’re worried that sending a 0-1 year old child to a daycare center will weaken the strong bond that typically forms between mothers and babies during this age, you should know that science doesn’t support this claim. According to a study by the National Institute of Child Health and Development, childcare doesn’t threaten the bond between infants and their mothers, as long as a baby is getting sensitive care at home.

That being said, it’s very important to make sure that the child care services you choose are specifically equipped to handle babies of a very young age. A center that could be perfectly find to 2-4 year old children may not have the facilities or training that it takes to make sure infants are properly fed, cared for, and stimulated during the day. Most experts agree that at the very least, there should be a child-to-staff ratio of 3:1 in any center that’s caring for infants.