My 7-month old recently started going to 1 day a week at an in-home daycare. This is her first day care, and she is either home with my husband or her grandma the other days. I picked her up today and found that she had only eaten 3-4 oz of formula while I was gone. This is very atypical from her, as she usually eats 10 oz within 2 hours of waking up in the morning. When I got her home, she ate 7 oz right, another 4 within an hour, and 19 oz all-in-all by the time we put her to bed 3 hours later. She then woke up 5 hours later and ate another 6 oz (she was previously sleeping straight through the night). Should I be worried? Is she getting enough attention? Is this normal? Any suggestions on getting her to eat in day care? The day care provider also told me she cried for 2 hours straight (not typical for her...)
I am guessing she cried so much cause she was hungry there. I wonder if they just gave her her bottle and if she ate fine, if not then fine, maybe you can show them how you hold her to drink her bottle or something to make it feel more familiar to her. Maybe she just needs time to adjust to another care taker other than family. Maybe that is just not the right place for her. Trust your instincts.
I have had this happen twice to me while doing in-home daycare. Both of the infants were about your daughter's age.
Here is what I found the problem to be:
a. I was watching too many children and our setting was not suited to the child.
b. The infants wanted to be held more than I could. Don't get me wrong, I did hold them and I loved them like my own, but I could honestly not get everything done,by holding them all day.
c. The children were used to being fed by someone else, I don't feel that the parents worked with me enough to share what their 'routine' was at home.
Consistency with infants is important. One day a week might really be jolting her out of her normal schedule. You might think about having someone come into your home for the one day. That way she is not being 'thrown' into a situation that she isn't comfortable with. She obviously is in distress and the situation is not working out for you or her. The one infant I had cried for five hours off and on and the other one cried the entire time. I held them, rocked them, loved them, tried to feed them and nothing seemed to work. I have a ton of experience with infants and I was at a loss as to what to do with these children. Yes, both parents took it personal when I said that it wasn't working out, but it was in the best interest of the child. One day a week just isn't enough time to get used to the situation. Try more days or I would suggest finding someone to come into your home.
S.,
I also have a 7 month old daughter, she also does not eat if she is in a new place with a new person. When I started to take her to my moms house she would not eat more than 8 ounces in a 12 hrs period of time. I was worried. I started to take more and more of her things to my moms house, blankets, toys and stuffed animals that all smelled like her home! Samantha does go to my moms 3 days a week and of course she is now eating much much better!
If I was you and it was a stranger taking care of my baby I would find someone to do it in your own home not theirs. She is too young to do just 1 day a week away from home with a stranger to boot...... SCARY
That doesn't sound normal to me at all. I know that when a babies schedule is interupted at times, there is a transition period, but the part that makes me uncomfortable with your posting is that the provider told you she was crying for two hours straight. What did the provider do to help her during those two hours? Did she contact you?
I don't know, I'm a bit uneasy about your posting.... Sounds odd to me.
She may not like being away from you is all, and is a little depressed, therefor leaving her not wanting to eat. Plus I would wonder how the daycare provider is 'providing' for her. If a baby does not feel safe or comfortable, then that baby will act differently. When did she start the daycare?
Make a surprise visit. And I mean a 'surprise' visit. Don't tell your daycare provider you're coming over. Just to go over there and see what is going on. It could be that your baby just misses you and is not use to the separation (which could be separation anxiety).
Hopefully you'll find the answer.
