DH and I've been discussing putting DS in part-time daycare in the fall (hopefully we'll be ttc/ku with lo#2). He's a late bday so he won't be eligible for public preschool until Fall of 2016.
Have you put your older LO(s) in daycare/school?
We want it for his socialization and independence, etc. And also because we don't want to burden my mom with toddler+infant when I go back to work.
Any advice, info appreciated!
hostess / wonderful watermelon / 39513 posts
My SIL and her sister both use her mom who currently watches a 3 and 1 year old. Her sister is also due in May and won't go back to work until September.....her mom says she can't watch 3 kids so the oldest will be going to preschool this fall!
pomegranate / 3791 posts
If I wasn't a SAHM I would be doing the same thing! Mostly for socialization and independence reasons, but honestly, while my MIL is great for taking care of babies...once they become toddlers that need rules and structure, forget about it. She just wants to be fun grandma and the kids get spoiled like crazy. Which is okay for every now and then, but now every day. I think it's good for them to experience a more school-like environment before starting kindergarten.
pomegranate / 3863 posts
I'm interested as well! My mom is getting older and although she loooves watching her grandkids I'm more and more aware that she can't and shouldn't do it forever. My ideal situation would be send LO#2 to daycare 3x/week and to Gramma's house 1-2x week. So she still gets to spend time with her grandchild and bond because that is SO important to her but she also will have a break and some time to herself which she SO deserves!! And if she says she is done with watching her grandkids, that is fine too 
ETA: We hope to have LO#2 after DS goes to preschool so she won't have to watch an infant + toddler for 7 hours while I'm at work.
wonderful pear / 26210 posts
My son started daycare at age 2, my parents are what I would consider his before and aftercare, so I do not do school drop off or pick up.
I discussed this with the director, and she was fine with it, but my main issue is information and making sure that i am properly informed of issues that arise during the day. Not sure how you will handle that aspect.
blogger / eggplant / 11551 posts
Even though grandma could've continued to watch Noelle, we decided to put her into full-time preschool when she was 20 months because of the socialization aspect, and because it was getting to be too much for grandma to chase around a rambunctious, opinionated, strong-willed toddler.
She had a 6 month break from watching any kids, and then Jaren came along.
She is now currently only watching Jaren, but he will be going to daycare soon in June, when he's around 15 months. For the same reasons... grandma can't handle the toddler set, and the socialization aspect is important for us!
honeydew / 7811 posts
Following for future reference ....
I can't imagine my mom or MIL being able to handle a toddler and an infant!
squash / 13208 posts
My MIL just isn't a spring chicken anymore - she was great when DD was little but once she started walking we could tell it was harder for MIL to take care of her. She would never be able to run after her. So at 15 months we put her in DCP. I think she got the best of both worlds - home with gma when she needed 1 on 1 attention and then off to DCP for more socialization and a structured day when a little older
cantaloupe / 6687 posts
I may totally get judged for this but I'm a SAHM and I'm planning to put my LO in "school" 3 days a weeks for half the day in the fall. I was hoping to be pregnant and have baby #2 by then but no BFP yet. I'm hoping soon and if so I'll move LO to half days at "school" for 5 days a week. It's good for her to learn to follow directions from other adults and have some independence apart from me.
Looking into the pricing I preferred the half day programs bc when they're younger than 3 (or was it 4?) they are mandated in our State to go down for a nap/rest period following lunch. The half day kids just go home at that time. I thought she could just come home and nap rather than paying for her to nap somewhere. So I think it would be very doable for a grandparent to care for a infant and toddler in a half day program bc they would come home for lunch/nap and there would only be a few hours left.
pomegranate / 3565 posts
My mom takes care of DS right now. We plan on putting DS in daycare/preschool when he turns 2. Little brother will be about 4 months and my mom will take care of him. I want to put big bro for the full day but my mom wants just 1/2 a day. She says she'll watch both in the afternoon. I think she's crazy! But there is one month that she'll have to watch both after I return to work. Maybe she'll change her mind then.
blogger / pomegranate / 3491 posts
@sandy: we are also putting c in preschool in the fall a couple days a week. No judgement at all. The socialization is so good for them I think (and I am in the same boat - was hoping it would be because of another LO but no such luck yet)
grapefruit / 4400 posts
My mom is older (67) and is watching 20-month old C right now, every day, 8 hours a day. We are due with #2 in May, so we're all a little nervous about how she'll handle a 22-month old and a newborn, then toddler/infant combo. I'll be on maternity until September, so at least the two of us can divide and conquer.
We were planning on waiting until C's 3 years old to put her into the city's Tiny Tots program (still over a year away, so she could potentially be dealing with 2 toddlers if #2 starts walking early!), but it's only two half-days a week. We may have to look into local daycares/preschools before then if my mom can only handle watching #2. There are a few within walking distance to our house, so we could do drop offs and pick ups together.
persimmon / 1026 posts
My LO started daycare last month when I went back to work part-time, he was 20 months then. It's taken him a few weeks to adjust with us dropping him off (this week was the first week with no tears), but he seems to be doing well. His daycare is smaller, they only allow 19 kids total, so it's a good fit for us. He is going 3 days a week now, so it hasn't been too overwhelming. My biggest worry was with his naps but they follow the same schedule we do at home (one long nap after lunch) and he's done surprisingly well sleeping on a mat there since he's so used to sleeping in a crib at home.
| Today | Monthly Record | |
|---|---|---|
| Topics | 0 | 1 |
| Posts | 1 | 3 |
Ask for Help
Make a Suggestion
Frequently Asked Questions
Bee Levels
Acronyms
Most Viewed Posts
Hellobee Gold
Hellobee Recipes
Hellobee Features
Hellobee Contests
Baby-led Weaning
Bento Boxes
Breastfeeding
Newborn Essentials
Parties
Postpartum Care Essentials
Sensory Play Activities
Sleep Training
Starting Solids Gear
Transitioning to Toddler Bed
All Series
Who We Are
About the Bloggers
About the Hostesses
Contributing Bloggers
Apply to Blog
Apply to Hostess
Submit a Guest Blog
Hellobee Buttons
How We Make Money
Community Policies
- Google Plus
- Stumbleupon
- Twitter
- Facebook
- Pinterest
- Favorite0
12 comments