Hellobee Boards Topic: 18 mo old crying at drop off and off and on

Hellobee Boards Topic: 18 mo old crying at drop off and off and on https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Mon, 06 Apr 2026 06:53:09 +0000 cake2017 on "18 mo old crying at drop off and off and on" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/18-mo-old-crying-at-drop-off-and-off-and-on#post-2864804 Thu, 03 Jan 2019 19:58:13 +0000 cake2017 2864804@https://boards.hellobee.com/ @muffinsmuffins: @misolee: @SweetiePie: @Mrsbells: Thank you ladies! He did alittle better today with eating and napped almost 2 hours. DH drops off so I can get there early to pick him up! I’ve suggested to DH that quick and smooth morning drop offs are best. We will see how Monday goes. Thanks again- this has helped me a lot. misolee on "18 mo old crying at drop off and off and on" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/18-mo-old-crying-at-drop-off-and-off-and-on#post-2864760 Thu, 03 Jan 2019 15:10:44 +0000 misolee 2864760@https://boards.hellobee.com/ I agree with being consistent and quick and concise good byes. A simple, •Mommy loves you and mommy will be back to pick you up” mantra and leave without turning back. By DD was super easy and always waved at me during drop offs. My DS on the other hand cried at every single drop off when he started at 18 months (fall) all the way through summer. We even did a summer camp and he cried every single time. After summer break, when he started again in the fall, something clicked and he hasn’t cried once. So time. SweetiePie on "18 mo old crying at drop off and off and on" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/18-mo-old-crying-at-drop-off-and-off-and-on#post-2864751 Thu, 03 Jan 2019 14:40:25 +0000 SweetiePie 2864751@https://boards.hellobee.com/ It will get easier and actually the shorter the goodbyes the better. Don’t prolong the inevitable or “reward” the crying (I hate using that word because it sounds so negative and it’s natural to comfort your crying child, but if they figure out that you’ll keep hugging as long as they are crying, it just drags it out). So, my son is mostly good when dropped off at school but there will be an odd day here and there where he’ll just cling to me and cry - maybe had a bad night sleep or whatever. I just kiss and hug once and say that I’ll see him at the end of the day and we’ll do xyz and then I book it out of there, don’t look back. The teacher always tells me that within a minute or two he was fine and happy the rest of the day. This has been true since 18 months when we started school, to now at 4yo. And to share a more extreme story, there was a boy in my sons 18mo class who literally clawed and kicked and screamed bloody murder at drop off. Like you’d think he was being kidnapped. But after a month or two he was fine and happily waved goodbye. And he was a very extreme case so I think most kids will adjust way before that. muffinsmuffins on "18 mo old crying at drop off and off and on" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/18-mo-old-crying-at-drop-off-and-off-and-on#post-2864746 Thu, 03 Jan 2019 14:27:15 +0000 muffinsmuffins 2864746@https://boards.hellobee.com/ Yes it does get easier! Best thing we did was to walk him in and find a toy or book to get him engaged with, quick kiss and hug and leave. Mrsbells on "18 mo old crying at drop off and off and on" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/18-mo-old-crying-at-drop-off-and-off-and-on#post-2864739 Thu, 03 Jan 2019 14:14:17 +0000 Mrsbells 2864739@https://boards.hellobee.com/ @cake2017: it will get better but it can take a week or two before he stops crying. The best thing is to make the drop off short without extended goodbyes. It feels unnatural walking away from your crying child by trying to comfort him just makes it harder. cake2017 on "18 mo old crying at drop off and off and on" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/18-mo-old-crying-at-drop-off-and-off-and-on#post-2864728 Thu, 03 Jan 2019 13:34:01 +0000 cake2017 2864728@https://boards.hellobee.com/ @MrsADS: Thank you. Yes they are very encouraging and don’t mind my calls. MrsADS on "18 mo old crying at drop off and off and on" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/18-mo-old-crying-at-drop-off-and-off-and-on#post-2864722 Thu, 03 Jan 2019 12:59:55 +0000 MrsADS 2864722@https://boards.hellobee.com/ My son started daycare when he was almost 17 months, so a similar age. He LOVED people, had very little separation anxiety, so I wasn't worried at all about his transition. Well, he cried his eyes out and it was terrible (at first) and I felt so guilty. I cried as much as he did, I think. BUT - he adjusted fairly quickly although there was still crying at drop off for a while. But it usually was over before we were out of the building, like someone else said. Honestly for months I called nearly every day about 15-20 minutes after drop off to check on him and they would always say he cried for about 2 minutes then started playing and has been totally happy since. At that age, I think they do SO MUCH better once they "bond" with their teachers/caregivers. In my son's toddler class when he started, they had 4 main "teachers". He quickly became very attached to one particular teacher, Ms. "M" and once he felt comfortable to her, as long as Ms. "M" was there, he would happily go to her! Your daycare should encourage you to call as often as you need for update and the teachers should be more than happy to talk to you and tell you what's going on with the transition. If they are not, then to me that's a big red flag. My son's transition to the 2 year old class was similarly horrible but it improved within a few weeks. cake2017 on "18 mo old crying at drop off and off and on" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/18-mo-old-crying-at-drop-off-and-off-and-on#post-2864717 Thu, 03 Jan 2019 12:33:27 +0000 cake2017 2864717@https://boards.hellobee.com/ @MamaCate: @erinbaderin: @hellobeeboston: @Mama Bird: @periwinklebee: Thank you. I’m about to call now to see how lunch went and if he’s napping. Holding on to what each one of you shared. hellobeeboston on "18 mo old crying at drop off and off and on" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/18-mo-old-crying-at-drop-off-and-off-and-on#post-2864715 Thu, 03 Jan 2019 12:29:41 +0000 hellobeeboston 2864715@https://boards.hellobee.com/ Patience! I'm sorry, it's so hard. I've been through it multiple times with both of my kids. It just takes time for them to acclimate and become familiar with new faces & surroundings! Give it a week or two and stick to a routine and the crying should stop! Mama Bird on "18 mo old crying at drop off and off and on" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/18-mo-old-crying-at-drop-off-and-off-and-on#post-2864714 Thu, 03 Jan 2019 12:25:11 +0000 Mama Bird 2864714@https://boards.hellobee.com/ It will get better. It might be a while though :bummed: For what it's worth, my son didn't start going off to day care happily till he was four. He started at one, so that's three years of more or less miserable mornings. He was a late talker, so for a long time I was convinced he hates day care. But when he did start talking, I found out he has a very good time during the day and is making friends and learning tons. He missed me of course, which couldn't be helped... but he definitely didn't hate day care. periwinklebee on "18 mo old crying at drop off and off and on" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/18-mo-old-crying-at-drop-off-and-off-and-on#post-2864712 Thu, 03 Jan 2019 12:23:28 +0000 periwinklebee 2864712@https://boards.hellobee.com/ Sorry, it's hard. My LO has gone through phases where he cried more or less, but usually when he does cry he's done before I leave the building. It may take a couple of weeks to adjust. erinbaderin on "18 mo old crying at drop off and off and on" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/18-mo-old-crying-at-drop-off-and-off-and-on#post-2864708 Thu, 03 Jan 2019 12:11:23 +0000 erinbaderin 2864708@https://boards.hellobee.com/ It's only his second day! It will definitely get better. Eating a little, taking a nap, and participating in activities is a great sign. Hang in there, you'll all get through this! MamaCate on "18 mo old crying at drop off and off and on" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/18-mo-old-crying-at-drop-off-and-off-and-on#post-2864706 Thu, 03 Jan 2019 12:08:54 +0000 MamaCate 2864706@https://boards.hellobee.com/ @cake2017: it will get better! Just be consistent with drop off, loving but don’t stay forever and prolong the inevitable! My kids have been in daycare forever but sometimes when we switch rooms we have about a week of fussiness at drop off and then it gets better. I know it is hard! ❤️ cake2017 on "18 mo old crying at drop off and off and on" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/18-mo-old-crying-at-drop-off-and-off-and-on#post-2864689 Thu, 03 Jan 2019 10:53:52 +0000 cake2017 2864689@https://boards.hellobee.com/ LO is crying when dH drops off. It’s the second day and I just need to know it will get better. He cries off and on the teachers say. He’s eating alittle and took a nap. I got pictures of his day via the daily log and he participated in the activities. This is his first time being away and in a child care setting rather than home. We did transition days and he goes to church nursery but that’s for an hour. It will get better right? :/ and anything we can do for next week? TIA