Hellobee Boards

I went back to work when dd was a year old, she went to a daycare center and after an initial adjustment period that included tears for both of us, she did wonderfully! She really blossomed and became so much more independent and much more comfortable in new situations. I think daycare really helped build her confidence! And mine too! As she's gotten older she's really begun to get a lot out of having the social interaction with the other kiddos in her class too. Someone once told me it is never a bad thing to expand the circle of people that love your child and I completely agree. Find a caregiver that you trust and grit your teeth and get through the initial adjustment and I'm sure you'll both do great! My lo learns new things from her teachers all the time and develops a special bond with each of them and it's really special to see. Anyways, good luck! It's the thing I was most scared of but being on the other side, I can truly say it has been such a good thing for both my daughter and I.

We started sending DS one day a week when he was about 13 months (his grandma looks after him another 2 days a week) and I love sending him! When I drop him off he runs straight off to play and I always feel like he is being sufficiently stimulated when he's there, which he really needs as he is so active. It really takes the pressure off. I'd love to send him more days eventually

I am a huge proponent of center-based daycare. DD is in her center full-time and she adores it. We took two weeks off for the holidays and when she returned yesterday she was sprinting down the hall to get back into her room. I love that she has access to all the playground equipment, toys, and resources of an established center, the variety of meals from an in-house cook, socializing with a range of ages of kids, and so much time for independent play in a safe environment. From my perspective on things, I love center-based daycare because everything is so clear and established and smooth, meaning the teachers get sick and vacation time without any interruption to my child's care and I don't have to worry about a nanny suddenly wanting to take a day off (I see people posting about nanny issues on these boards and it blows my mind, I would be so stressed out if I had to scramble for backup care all the time), I trust that everyone is vetted and working on their continuing education and so on because the center director takes care of all of that. I just sign her in and sign her out and don't have to worry about a thing in between. It's a breeze and we love it.

My kids go to a daycare center, and overall it is pretty great. There have been rockstar teachers, amazing projects, early-age peer relationships, a focus on activities and learning, and the development of a sense of independence. It hasn't always been easy - my oldest is quiet by nature and has a very difficult time with transitions, so the hard parts for her/me have been changing rooms, teacher turnover, and lack of communication of curriculum changes. I know you asked for success stories, and I'm not trying to be negative, just realistic, because the daycare/parent relationship is not set it and forget it in my experience. In contrast, my second child is much more easy-going, and none of those issues have arisen. It's been nothing but smooth sailing and she can't wait to see her teachers each day. Like anything, each child is unique. That said, I'd choose this over any other setup, and I really do believe it's a wonderful experience for the child.

The worse part for daycare has been the transitions. He didn't sleep well the first few days when he started at 3.5/ 4 months. He was aggravated during his next move at 6 months and he zoned out his first day at this last move at 8 months. Otherwisw, daycare minus the germs, has been great. He is stimulated by different toys than what we have at home. He gets crafts and activities that I wouldn't even think to do. He interacts with other babies and adults that quite frankly if I stayed home or he had a nanny his world would be much, much smaller.

I freaking love our daycare and so does my son!

Our daycare had a big wait list and we didn't have a spot when we both had to go back to work at 5 months. We went to another daycare for a month and while it was fine, I wasn't thrilled with the care there. However, it really made me appreciate how awesome our current place is!

We have full time daycare, even though I only work 4 days per week. Sometimes he only goes 4 days per week, but sometimes I send him (usually for a part day) on my day off so that I can get things done or even just nap. It has really helped me keep my stress down which has been better for our whole family.

My son loves his teachers at daycare. He will sometimes cry when I leave, but he can almost always be distracted by one of the teachers within a few seconds. On the other side, if they happen to be outside when I pick up, I can guaranteee he'll cry when I try to leave! The teachers are great with him, all around. He naps SO much better at daycare than he does at home!

For us, we have an added motivation to sending our son to daycare in that he is an only child (and will likely remain one) so we think it helps him learn to relate to other children his age.

DD started care at a center at 5 months. She loves it! All of the stimulation and activity has been good for her. I swear she gets bored with us on weekends. If she hasn't attended for several days, she'll let out this excited grunt when we get to her room

The only thing I don't like is how sick she's been. I know it's inevitable, but I feel like she gets sick every other week.

When I went back after my first baby, I had too much anxiety to use a daycare, so I had family watch my daughter. I knew it was only going to be for a few months as I was already pregnant.
When I had my second, we had to put them in daycare. There's only one daycare in our city that works for my schedule, so I had no options but to use it. It's a North American company that has centres everywhere.

It took a bit of time for my youngest to adjust, she cried a lot the first few full days after the transition days, but they both absolutely love it. When we did drop off, our youngest would run up to her favorite worker, give her a huge hug and not even look back at dh or I. When we picked them up, they were always happy.
I'm on mat leave now with my third and I still keep the girls in twice a month ( to A hold their spot and keep our rates ) but also because they seriously love it. I wish I could afford to put them in more often, but it's just way too expensive.
The girls learned so much, have friends they talk about, and get so excited when I tell them they're going.

We sent DD1 when she was 10 months; 3 half days a week. I was comfortable by then since we had waned from breastmilk so I was just sending formula. Of course, naps took time to adjust, teachers were happy to hold her at first and we dealt with sucky short naps for a while, but that's to be expected. DD1 is 2 now and absolutely THRIVE at daycare. She loves the attention, the socialization, the learning, everything! I feel like it's just her personality; she wouldn't be as happy at home with a nanny. Plus I didn't really have anyone that I trust completely in my home anyway. I looked into a home daycare for $ reasons, but ultimately chose a center b/c I like that there are policies, procedures, always maintaining ratio, school nurse on site, etc...

We are sending DD2 earlier due to circumstances, at 6 months, but since DD1 has been there for a while now, I'm much more relaxed and not anxious about it.

I love our daycare!

The director and I hit it off right away and I knew he was an easygoing but straightforward guy. Great sense of humour and doesn't beat around the bush. My daughter loves it there. I know she eats well and plays and has the structure she needs. It's a big centre but I know they treat the kids specially. They've always been on side helping me address any issues, open with me and generally just awesome people.