Daycare Issues - Am I Overreacting?

It seems like he is very stressed out there (unable to nap for a normal length of time, clingy with the teachers). That tells me that this is not the right daycare environment for him. If it was he would have adjusted by now. We had the same issue with the naps when my son was in a group daycare center. Even though they had a separate, very quiet nap room, he was too stressed by the rest of the day's activities to relax and sleep well. I do not think you would be overreacting to find a different place for him.

I agree with other posters that it just may not be the right fit for your child..there is nothing wrong with that....no shame or blame an anyone...just not what works for him!

I do referrals for my local provider group (and am a licensed provider in Brooklyn Park off 252 and 610), but am on the other side of the river from you, so unless your commute takes you down 252 to Minneapolis I likely can't help you directly (our group of providers are mostly in Brooklyn Park and Brooklyn Center), but here are 2 resources that might....they have listings of LICENSED home daycares in MN...they can give you some names to start your search off....

www.providerschoice.com
on the left side of the screen there is a "Need childcare in MN?" option...click and it will allow you to search by city name or zip code

www.mnchildcare.org
I beleive thier "looking for childcare in MN" option is on the right or middle of the screen.....

Best of luck.....and feel free to PM me if I can help in anyway.

Hello, I'm so sorry you and your son are going through this - it's so difficult to leave your little one with other people and hard to know what's really going on. I would suggest to find a place where you and your son feel comfortable. If your gut is telling you something just isn't right, then I would look into another center, in-home daycare or someone who could come to your house.

My two children are in a daycare center. The director runs an extremely tight ship and we feel very at ease with our kids going there. My son is 2-1/2 and took a 3 hour nap there today! But a center may not be the right fit. Some of my friends also do in-home daycares. I think it really depends on who the teachers are, the structure, and if you and your son trust them.

Are you able to pop in there unannounced to see what's happening or arrive early to pick him up? That might give you a better sense for how he's doing. Our center has video cameras so sometimes I will "spy" on my kids/teachers to see what's going on and how they are doing.

All the best to you - it's obvious you have your son's best interest at heart and you will do what's best for him and you.

take care!
A.

It sounds like you went from a home day-care to a larger facility. I'll bet that is very stressful for your son. He will likely adjust eventually, but you might be loosing more than you will gain in behavior issues and insecurities. You should follow your instincts, that is why God gave them to you. If you feel he is not in the right place, find another place for him. If the staff didn't notice that they had the wrong clothes on him, they might not be noticing other things that are happening to distress him.

Have you thought about hiring a nanny to come to your home and take care of your son there? That way you can work together as a team to have your son developing the way he needs to be. I don't think that you are overreacting, you just want what is best for your son. www.nanny2shoesiowa.com has some great information.

I personally think in-home care offers that family atmosphere and more one on one time. They have less kids to deal with and suits would not be on the wrong child. I'd be ticked off about the mix in swim suits. If that kid peed a bit in the suit and the suit wasn't washed then it's on your kid! I'd talk to them or find another childcare. I know someone in IGH that may have an opening and she just won an award for best in-home daycare.

Hi Melanie,

Sorry to hear your son is having issues with his new center. I've seen a couple replies suggesting in home care. I myself, also, prefer the smaller atmosphere with in home care.

I found this site the other day, maybe it will help you find what you're looking for. Go to the parents tab and there's a bunch of resources.

http://www.resourcesforchildcare.org/

I would consider trying to find a smaller home daycare for him. My son went from being home with a nanny to a center that seemed fine to me (same thing - clean, reputable, etc.) He hated it. Had the same problems napping, wasn't happy at all to go, was too happy to see me at the end of the day, etc. Everyone said it was because he had to adjust from having a nanny, but I thought it was more than that. Long story short, I found a small in-home daycare with just a few kids and moved him there after about 5 weeks at the center. You would think he would have had a hard time adjusting there too since it was all new people again in such a short time. Nope. He went right back to being his happy self - runs in and loves to be there. Since its so small he gets a much better nap and gets along great with the other kids. I was so glad I listened to my gut and moved him, even though lots of my friends thought I was crazy and too indulgent.

Hope that helps - good luck!

If you had said he'd been there for 2 or 3 weeks, I'd say give it time. But it's been 7 weeks, and that's a very long time to a 2 year old. It doesn't sound like he can flourish the center environment. Is it possible to put him in another home daycare, or have someone come to your house?

The fact that he had another kid's outfit on is a bad sign. It'd definitely be a red flag for me.

We just went through this with my 5 month old. Long story short, he wasn't able to sleep at daycare due to kids playing in the same room and the tv blaring. The daycare lady wasn't willing to have him nap in a separate room, things escalated, and she told me to take a hike. We just hired someone to come into our home.

Sounds like yes he is having a tough time adjusting. We live in a small town and our Daycare is pretty small. That makes a huge difference! It's pretty much having the safety of a daycare facility but having the personalship of a in-home! I would look for a new in home or even see if there is a smaller facility around that may help! You have got alot of good advice for resources use them and find what works best for your child and you! Remember its your child you want what is best! Good Luck! ;)