https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Thu, 25 Jun 2026 08:46:03 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-is-the-best-time-to-start-daycare#post-737664 Tue, 23 Apr 2013 15:44:41 +0000 daniellemybelle 737664@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@googly-eyes: Thanks! I didn't really make one... :) But I'm 15 weeks! Best surprise of our lives! :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-is-the-best-time-to-start-daycare#post-737400 Tue, 23 Apr 2013 14:15:19 +0000 googly-eyes 737400@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I just wanted to say congrats! I must have missed your announcement! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-is-the-best-time-to-start-daycare#post-737396 Tue, 23 Apr 2013 14:13:40 +0000 daniellemybelle 737396@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@pastemoo: @looch: @littlek: @T.H.O.U.: That's really good to know about separation anxiety. Definitely gives me a lot to think about! I feel like before I was leaning toward the 1 year mark just because it sounds better, but maybe 9 months makes more sense. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-is-the-best-time-to-start-daycare#post-736116 Tue, 23 Apr 2013 08:27:47 +0000 littlek 736116@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I agree with previous posters that around 9 - 10 months would be the latest I would start them at daycare, unless you want to deal with separation anxiety. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-is-the-best-time-to-start-daycare#post-735973 Tue, 23 Apr 2013 07:38:43 +0000 T.H.O.U. 735973@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I agree with @looch: that around 11-13 months we had bad separation anxiety even though she had been in the older infant room for a few months and loved her teacher. </p> <p>I would say ideal time would be 9-10 months while they are still young enough. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-is-the-best-time-to-start-daycare#post-735926 Tue, 23 Apr 2013 06:53:33 +0000 looch 735926@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@daniellemybelle: So, in my experience, my son had terrible separation anxiety at around 11 months. I don't know why, but we had a sitter that used to come since he was 4 months old, at 11 he suddenly started screaming his head off when I left for the morning. He got over it in a few weeks though. I would wait on the other side of the door to make sure he stopped crying, I am a crazy person!</p> <p>Fast forward to 26 months, I am getting ready to go back to work full time. My son fully understands that he is going to school, it took a few weeks for him not to cry at drop off.</p> <p>If I could change things, I would have started him at day care at around 15 months. He was established in walking and I was comfortable that he could have probably functioned on one nap. My son's not the best sleeper in the world, in fact, he was on two naps until about 20 months, which wouldn't have been possible in a daycare environment. It really just depends! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-is-the-best-time-to-start-daycare#post-735255 Mon, 22 Apr 2013 17:46:02 +0000 pastemoo 735255@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I'd say 10 months is the worst time (for separation anxiety) and any other time is about the same with some pros and cons to each. I just recommend against 10 months. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-is-the-best-time-to-start-daycare#post-735248 Mon, 22 Apr 2013 17:43:02 +0000 daniellemybelle 735248@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Rubies: Good to know! I guess we should take into consideration what the age groups are at the daycares we look at. What I don't want is to plan to start daycare at 12 months, for example, and then they move rooms within a matter of months. That just seems like too much transition. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-is-the-best-time-to-start-daycare#post-735242 Mon, 22 Apr 2013 17:40:17 +0000 Rubies 735242@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@daniellemybelle: At our daycare the infant room is from 0-18 months (most of the kids who start are about a year old, though)...And then she moved to the toddler room after that. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-is-the-best-time-to-start-daycare#post-735224 Mon, 22 Apr 2013 17:32:03 +0000 daniellemybelle 735224@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@lavender: Thank you! :) 6 months is a bit early than we are planning but it sounds like a good age overall!</p> <p>@Mrsbells: There are definitely are pros and cons. I know we'll deal with separation anxiety but I'd like to have a good idea of what age is best, relatively.</p> <p>@Rubies: That's awesome! 12 months is what I had in mind. Did you start in a toddler classroom? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-is-the-best-time-to-start-daycare#post-735177 Mon, 22 Apr 2013 17:09:04 +0000 Rubies 735177@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>LO started daycare when she was 12 months and it has worked out so well for her! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-is-the-best-time-to-start-daycare#post-735043 Mon, 22 Apr 2013 16:09:42 +0000 Mrsbells 735043@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Children adjust much faster than we think so no matter what age you send them there are pros and cons. If you send them really early they cry less and adjust faster because they aren't old enough to get really attached to you, but if you send them when they are older they know they are being left behind and may get upset for the first few days.<br /> My daughter started at 12 weeks. It was hard but she adjusted within days. I see some older kids screaming when their parents leave and they also adjust within at least a week. so I think any age works </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-is-the-best-time-to-start-daycare#post-735038 Mon, 22 Apr 2013 16:08:27 +0000 lavender 735038@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Congrats @daniellemybelle ! We started daycare at 6 mths, I went back to work at 3 mths and my mom watched M for 3... She does fine now at 12 mths, and actually reaches for her teacher when she sees her in the morning and when I pick her up at night. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-is-the-best-time-to-start-daycare#post-735032 Mon, 22 Apr 2013 16:04:53 +0000 daniellemybelle 735032@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@skibobrown: I think there are pros and cons... I do think if we started before 6 months, separation anxiety wouldn't be an issue, but I am more comfortable waiting until the baby is less of a baby, and I think we'll be able to swing it with help from family!</p> <p>@looch: Thank you! :) If you could have started him earlier (to avoid issues, other preferences aside of course) what age would you have started? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-is-the-best-time-to-start-daycare#post-734979 Mon, 22 Apr 2013 15:43:09 +0000 looch 734979@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Drive by post from my phone, but congrats! My son started daycare at 26 months of age, at a center. The problem for us is naps, he sleeps well at home in a quiet setting but not well at daycare. Had he started earlier, he likely wouldn't have such issues. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-is-the-best-time-to-start-daycare#post-734965 Mon, 22 Apr 2013 15:38:03 +0000 skibobrown 734965@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>In a different world I would have kept DD at home for longer, but we started daycare quite early, right at 5 months. In the end, I'm actually pretty happy we did it then. She was too little to have separation anxiety, so now she thinks that daycare is just like a second home. I think it would be harder from the separation anxiety standpoint if we had started her later. However, the down side is that she got all of the daycare illnesses after she started, which was definitely rough on all of us! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-is-the-best-time-to-start-daycare#post-734927 Mon, 22 Apr 2013 15:25:00 +0000 daniellemybelle 734927@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I know I am getting way ahead of myself (as I always do) but I think a lot about our childcare situation, and now that we are for real having a baby (what? yay! what?!) I'm obsessed! Daycares have insane waitlists around here so I want to go ahead and make a plan.</p> <p>We're so lucky that my mom is going to help us with childcare for the first several months, but around 9 months - 1 year, I'm anticipating LO starting daycare at least part-time. I am more comfortable with that than as an infant because they will be more active/mobile and get more out of the group experience.</p> <p>Having said that, when do you think is the best time to start daycare? I was thinking when they are ready for the toddler classroom - so, cruising/walking, eating solids, drinking out of a sippy, and taking one nap a day. I was thinking we'd try to wait until we get to this stage, even if it means some interim childcare for a few months at home, so that we don't start daycare at say 10 months, and then have to transition classrooms shortly thereafter.</p> <p>On the flip side though, do you think it would be really hard for a baby to go directly from a home environment to the environment of a toddler classroom? I'm almost wondering if an easier transition would be to an infant classroom first, and we should start daycare (part-time) earlier... What do you think? </p>