https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Fri, 29 May 2026 17:53:25 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/daycare-dilemma-for-kids-3y9mo-apart#post-2841974 Mon, 27 Aug 2018 10:02:02 +0000 snowjewelz 2841974@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Baby Boy Mom: Agree. DD1 has one year of pre-school then she will be in K where as DD2 is still at the daycare center so we'll have to figure out the logistics of all that eventually. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/daycare-dilemma-for-kids-3y9mo-apart#post-2841795 Sun, 26 Aug 2018 06:54:38 +0000 Baby Boy Mom 2841795@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I think this just happens to most people with more than one child. Eventually the older one starts school and the younger is still in preschool and it is what it is. I’ve done two different drop offs for the past two years. Basically the mornings have not been much of an issue but pickup has been a pain. I’m still going to have two drop offs next year and I’m not looking forward to it at all but what can I do. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/daycare-dilemma-for-kids-3y9mo-apart#post-2841786 Sun, 26 Aug 2018 05:47:02 +0000 Alba4 2841786@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We had our kids in the same daycare center (they are 3 grades apart) up until this summer. My Ds1 starts K in a few weeks and their former daycare was 20 minutes away from our house. I knew I could never make it home from work by his bus drop off time of 3:20 if DS2 wasn’t at a more local daycare. We switched to a local daycare (that starts at 18 months) for DS2 in June. It’s literally 5 min away, smaller, the teachers are awesome and now DS2 is going to school with kids that will continue into Elementary with him It’s amazing how much easier life is with local childcare! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/daycare-dilemma-for-kids-3y9mo-apart#post-2841765 Sat, 25 Aug 2018 18:58:24 +0000 Iced Tea 2841765@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I'm interested in this discussion as well. Over the summer, I had both kids in the same place temporarily. It was nice and simple. </p> <p>We left that center for a couple of reasons. The toddler will now be going to a small center a 5 minute walk from our home while I'm returning to taking the older to a school-year Montessori program that we love, a five minute drive away. </p> <p>Due to distance, I ruled out some toddler options I otherwise preferred for educational or ratio reasons. I don't know if I am making the right choice, but the walking distance center is very small and rarely has openings, so I thought I should pounce on it and see how it goes.</p> <p>A note on waitlists: it seems like a lot of places around us use their waitlists very loosely. Two times I happened to gain admission because I called to check our waitlist status at the right moment, when they were about to have an opening. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/daycare-dilemma-for-kids-3y9mo-apart#post-2841731 Sat, 25 Aug 2018 11:57:33 +0000 yellowbird 2841731@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We’ve had two drop offs for years. Some things make it more bearable. Now we finally have two schools in close proximity so we aren’t driving all over and pickup is easier because they are both within walking distance. </p> <p>Lo1 is in first grade and goes to an aftercare offsite that’s close to home and lo2 is in preschool within walking distance to home. </p> <p>Before we would have to drive in two different directions and neither were close to home and it SUCKED </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/daycare-dilemma-for-kids-3y9mo-apart#post-2841729 Sat, 25 Aug 2018 11:38:09 +0000 lilyofthewest 2841729@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@MamaCate: Oh, man. I hadn't even thought about needing to get LO#1 into preschool at the start of the school year. Thank you for pointing out that likelihood! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/daycare-dilemma-for-kids-3y9mo-apart#post-2841711 Sat, 25 Aug 2018 09:29:32 +0000 KT326 2841711@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We just make it work. My kids will almost always be in different schools because they are 5 years apart. Right now it’s easy because daycare and elementary school are only a mile apart. We usually drop off the baby first because we have to wait with the elementary school kid until the teacher opens her door. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/daycare-dilemma-for-kids-3y9mo-apart#post-2841705 Sat, 25 Aug 2018 08:46:31 +0000 MamaCate 2841705@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@lilyofthewest: 2 dropoffs is not ideal but you can make it work just like everything else. My kids are 3.5 years apart so we have been in double drop off mode since the older one started kinder a year ago.</p> <p>We were able to start and stay at a center that had good infant care through good pre-k programming but I know that can be hard to find. We were also able to have the older one there over the summer again which was a nice break.</p> <p>In your situation I think I would be tempted to keep them where they are for this school year and look for a pre K program for the older one to start next fall. A lot of the pre k programs around here follow the academic year so I think it would be more effective to be there the whole time. Maybe there is a pre k close to the current in home daycare? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/daycare-dilemma-for-kids-3y9mo-apart#post-2841699 Sat, 25 Aug 2018 07:40:21 +0000 lilyofthewest 2841699@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@avivoca: Yeah, part of what I worry about with two drop offs is that the locations won't be at all close to each other. Our current daycare isn't in a very convenient location, but, they've already guaranteed a spot for #2 -- which is huge considering the waitlist situation in our area. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/daycare-dilemma-for-kids-3y9mo-apart#post-2841691 Sat, 25 Aug 2018 06:52:39 +0000 avivoca 2841691@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@lilyofthewest: i’ve Been doing two drop-offs since June and I’ll be honest, some days it’s awful if one of them throws a fit or traffic is bad. My youngest is with an in-home babysitter and my oldest is across town at the daycare/preschool associated with our local school system. It is out of necessity, as I am still on the waiting list for a local daycare center that is highly regarded and near the preschool my oldest attends. They were at the same center when we moved here, but I pulled them after my youngest was repeatedly bitten and the staff didn’t do anything about it. So we’ll just deal with it. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/daycare-dilemma-for-kids-3y9mo-apart#post-2841684 Sat, 25 Aug 2018 02:13:15 +0000 lilyofthewest 2841684@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>How do you make multi-kid daycare/school drop-off work?</p> <p>My 3-year-old is in a lovely in-home Spanish-immersion daycare. He is happy there, is loved and cared for by the staff like family, and he's gained amazing second language skills.</p> <p>But he's a socially awkward kid. He has trouble following along with and participating in structured classes and activities. I know it will be a huge benefit for him to be in a more class-like preschool setting with more kids his own age before kindergarten.</p> <p>We're expecting baby #2 in January. There seem to be so few larger centers with both a preschool class and infant care. Fewer yet with language immersion. And they are so much more expensive -- 2-4x as much as our current care! Not to mention the waitlists...I'm *still* on two waitlists that I joined for the 3-year-old when I was first trimester pregnant with him.</p> <p>Right now, I'm leaning towards just moving my older into a preschool (one that also offers before/after school care for his elementary school) several months before he'll enter kindergarten and sucking up a couple years of different drop-off/pick-up locations.</p> <p>How have your families approached similar decisions? </p>