My 14 month old is starting day care this week. They have a transition program where we spent the first two days visiting the day care with him and then we left him there on his own for under an hour yesterday and today.
I knew there would be tears, but I didn't realize how it would effect me! Please tell me that it will be great and how wonderfully happy your child is at day care!
Thank you!
GOLD / wonderful olive / 19030 posts
Well my daughter started daycare around 13 weeks old, sometimes I think she likes it more there than at home 
On more than one occasion she has started to cry when I come to pick her up because she's not ready to leave. So, I would say it's a success!
apricot / 409 posts
C started daycare at 16 months and it took awhile for her to warm up to everyone there but now she absolutely loves it. She talks about the kids and teachers when we are home, talks about going to see the kids when we get dressed in the morning. It's adorable. And developmentally, it has been phenomenal for both her cognitive and motor development. The first day we picked her up we expected her to be super tired. Instead, she "talked" more when she got home than she had ever done before. It's like a whole new world had opened up for her.
Good luck! Transitions are hard but I really think kids benefit SO much from daycare.
eggplant / 11408 posts
@LuLu Mom: my child definitely loves school mote than home on lots of days! She loves to see all the kids, and she loves her teachers. Plus, there are fun toys there!
Daycare absolutely helps me to be a better parent. She is safe, healthy, and learning there. But there are still days that it is hard. Hang in there, Mama. It will be great#
pomelo / 5298 posts
It will be great. My older started at 11 weeks and my younger at 8 weeks. They are now 3.5 yo and 3 months. They do great at daycare. The older is sad when school is closed and she has to stay home with me (like today for snow). She has learned things that I would never have thought to teach her at this age. Change is challenging, but your child with thrive!
watermelon / 14467 posts
H runs into her classroom every morning and never wants to leave. She has so much fun with her friends. It will be okay.
pineapple / 12802 posts
My kid loves daycare. When I pick him up, I always try to come in silently so I can kinda peek at what he's doing before he notices. Usually he's giggling away or screeching in delight about something. The teachers love him and are so wonderful with him. Honestly, we have been so happy with the daycare (minus getting sick a lot). It's been worth it for us!
Drop off also does get easier. He used to cry, and he still has bad days, but they are few and far between. Now when we drop him off he waves bye and blows us kisses while he helps the teacher get ready for breakfast.
ETA: yes, I have to agree the sickness was really bad for a while. To the point we almost pulled L out of daycare for a period of time. That didn't work out, but he also hasn't gotten sick since then either *knock on wood*.
apricot / 320 posts
We love our daycare. DS learns so many things and it's heartwarming to see him interact with his teachers and classmates. I love when he tells me about his day, love that I've made friends with other parents, and love the community spirit of the daycare (it's part of a church). He still goes through phases where he's clingy in the morning but he balances that out with not wanting to leave in the evenings! Most of his teachers are long-term employees who have more childcare experience than I do, and they've been really helpful with any issues we've had. It boosted my confidence as a WOHM and parent in general.
I wish your family lots of luck with the transition! The first few weeks will be harder on you than him, I promise!
eggplant / 11716 posts
Our first 6 months in daycare were rough, I'm not going to lie. My LO was sick constantly those 6 months, therefore she slept terribly and I had a hard time juggling work and her illnesses.
Our second school year in daycare has been much better. She really likes it, hasn't been AS sick, and I have the working mom thing down a lot better.
grapefruit / 4988 posts
My LO started daycare at 14 weeks old. She loved it from the beginning and still does now at 17 months. She surprises me all the time with the skills she has picked up there. She has lovely little friends and teachers she adores. I love my job but would feel guilty if I were leaving her in a place that she didn't like. I am really happy to have found our daycare because I'm convinced that it enriches both her life and mine.
pomelo / 5258 posts
LO started at 4 months and has been in three daycares due to moving and wait lists. She has done very well at each of them. We love her current daycare. She asks to go at 6:30 in the morning (they open at 7:30) and she asks to go on the weekends too.
cantaloupe / 6869 posts
My son loves daycare so much that he doesn't want to leave at the end of the day. Seriously. He thrives there.
pineapple / 12053 posts
i love these stories because my 2 year old is going to start a preschool/daycare at the end of the month. not that i have ever thought they are bad or anything, just worried about the transition for us both!
grapefruit / 4442 posts
My DD (2.5 years old) started daycare on Monday. She only goes two days a week and Wednesday was her second day.
The first day she was a trooper. She played with her classmates and after I left she did cry for a bit but the teachers helped by comforting her. She did cry again before lunch and she ate, slept for 2 hours and then cried again during dismissal because she stays until 6:00 and some of the other children leave at 5:30.
Wednesday, DH dropped her off and she cried because she did not know where my DH went. He left quietly. She was comforted by the teacher and played, ate, napped and used the potty. She cried again during dismissal, but I came right when it started. I asked her why she was crying and she said she missed me and she thought I wasnt coming for her.
When we walked home that day I explained why it takes me so long to pick her up and me and DH will always come back for her.
I did find out that both days she comforted the other children who were crying. She said to them its okay to be sad, my mommy and daddy went to work too. 
I think it gets better they just need to get use to it.
apricot / 253 posts
@LuLu Mom: @jessibear: @LovelyPlum: @MamaG: @avivoca: @.twist.: @MoreCoffee: @catlady: @Corduroy: @MrsKoala: THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! Your positive responses have been so wonderful to read.
I know he is going to love his daycare - it's such a wonderful place and all the other kids come running in with huge smiles on their faces. I know that this is temporary (the hard part), so thank you all for helping me see the light at the other end of this tunnel!
grapefruit / 4187 posts
We went from having a nanny for 6 months to having me stay home for a month to full time daycare so it was a bit of a transition for us. It took about 4 weeks for him to get excited for dropoff and pickup, even though we knew he enjoyed himself while he was there during the day. I think with all the transition he just didn't know what was going on and was unsure if/when we would be arriving again. But yes, when our daycare is open (they close ALL the time) he loves it.
persimmon / 1273 posts
@math.nerd: we did a transition week and it was terrible. He and I both cried a lot and I felt awful. He adjusted much more quickly once he was there all day. Now it's been a couple months and he is so happy there. Loves the kids, loves the teachers, and is generally doing great. He was 9 months when we started him on daycare.
cantaloupe / 6730 posts
LO started at 13 months. The first week was rough. Crying when I left, messed up naps and night sleep, ate and drank little. The following week was better, ate and drank well again, sleep bit better. Third and fourth week, she'd cry for 2 min when I left and after that she ran in and was so excited to be there. Now, at 18 months, she cries because she doesn't want to leave!
apricot / 253 posts
@Modern Daisy: @gilmoregirl: @Grace: Thank you! These stories are exactly what I need to hear. @Grace: my son just turned 14 months this week, so I feel like it's a similar time-frame for when your LO started. It's a nice reference to keep some perspective - he may be crying today, but he will be smiling soon 
cherry / 168 posts
My daughter (13 months) absolutely loves her daycare. She started when she was 14 weeks and has made friends there. She lights up in the morning when I drop her off and she sees the other kids. They've helped establish her routines with sleeping and eating. She has also cried when she had to leave (which breaks my heart but at least I know she's happy) because she loves the daycare lady and the cozy coupe she gets to ride every afternoon. We have been fortunate in that she hasn't gotten sick very often. I love seeing the new skills she comes home with, just this week the teacher said she has started humming tunes which I think is adorable.
persimmon / 1431 posts
My 5.5 month old is doing well at daycare. The first week was really hard. The first couple days she cried A LOT and it broke my heart. Now she is really happy there and is doing wonderfully!
coffee bean / 40 posts
My LO started daycare at 3 months, and he loves it. We have a small in-home daycare with just 5 kids and one teacher. He loves his teacher. She just knows so much better how to stimulate him than I do (after all, I have NO training in early childhood education). He's gotten a lot of colds, but he's simply building his immune system! There are no problems when we drop him off, but when I pick him up, he's always all smiles to see mommy!
wonderful olive / 19353 posts
DS started going when he was 3 months. It broke my heart because he was so little/young and I was afraid he wouldn't know I was his mommy since he'd be spending more time at daycare than at home awake!
Fortunately, as they always say, they always know who their mommy is! DS is currently 19 months and enjoys his time at daycare. Plenty of toys, sing and dancing, and peers to play with. I see how he's grown mentally also and it's awesome!
wonderful pear / 26210 posts
My son didn't start daycare until he was 2 and I won't lie, the transition was long and tough. At first, he was going mornings only, then we slowly let him eat lunch there and he was picked up and napped at home. Finally after probably 3 months of this, we attempted to let him nap there. It took another 2 weeks of one of the teachers giving up her lunch to sit next to him so he could hold her hand.
pear / 1657 posts
We started daycare with DS at 6 months. It was a rough transition and he cried a lot the first few weeks - I did too. BUT it ultimately was absolutely the right thing for him. He loves daycare, he loves his teachers and the other kids. He is flourishing there and is always happy when we drop him off and pick him up. He is 9 months now and I think we definitely made the right decision. My advice is to give the transition some time.
ETA: being consistent also helps - we started right before the holidays so he was in an out a lot. Once he was there regularly he did a lot better.
clementine / 806 posts
@math.nerd: first, LOVE your name!
You can do this!! We absolutely adore our daycare. I came in one day last week to find my LO holding hands with his "best friend" - his teacher said they were playing with toys next to each other but got bored and decided to hold hands instead (they are 5 months...)
We started at 3 months, and his teachers have said that the transition is always harder for the older ones, but they all eventually adjust! If you can, spend a few extra minutes at drop off and pick up talking with the teacher in front of your son. You'll learn more about his day and build a relationship with his teacher, and your son will see that you are friends and that the teacher is someone he can be comfortable with.
apricot / 253 posts
@MrsLonghorn: Yay! Math geeks unite!
Thank you all again. This morning at drop off, he cried, but I felt good about it because I had all of your lovely words to remind me that it is all temporary.
The teacher called me after about 20 minutes to tell me to pick him up a little later than we had planned because he was doing better. When I did come to get him, she started saying that I need to let him play more on his own at home and that sometimes, if the kids are too attached to the parents, then she has to turn them away from the day care! I was so surprised that she was telling me this.
So, now I'm feeling totally confused - is he getting used to it (slowly, but as expected) or is he "too attached" to me?
Why is none of this parenting stuff easy???
eggplant / 11716 posts
@math.nerd: That's a really, really odd thing for her to say! Is this an in-home daycare?
There are kids that cry every single day at my LOs daycare during drop-off, and the teachers have never said it's because they are "too attached".
It's kind of offensive really. Kids can't be TOO attached at that age, and it also doesn't mean that kids that don't cry aren't properly attached to their parents. grr
eggplant / 11408 posts
@math.nerd: what a bizarre thing to say on only his second day!! I mean, it's one thing to say that independent play is a skill, and that daycare will help him with it, but I don't understand how his being clingy in a new environment reflects on your parenting style. Does the daycare have a director? I might mention it to him/her, because that just strikes me as odd 
apricot / 253 posts
@Anagram: @LovelyPlum: It is an in-home day care. The lady who runs it is wonderful and I've heard nothing but amazing, glowing reviews from parents about the place and her. So I am thinking maybe I mis-understood what she was trying to say (there is a bit of a language barrier). But I do think that I'm going to try to arrange to have a conversation with her when the little ones aren't running around. It'll be easier to focus and get my questions answered and answer her questions when she's not distracted by 10 kiddos!
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