1 Year Old Adjusting to Childcare?

I have a home daycare care and typically let the parents know it could take as much as 3 weeks for the children to adjust. Day one is usually fine and yes by day two and three etc. they know you will be gone a long time and they will be without and they don't want you to go!! I have had that happen several times. HOWEVER!!! If you saw rough actions to your child from staff I would GO WITH YOUR GUT. Is it a center? or Home? Are there too many kids where he is? If you decide to take him back be sneeky and watch through the window more for questionable behaviors, not only staff but the children as well. Maybe you will be able to figure out what is going on with your little one.

S.- I have my two children in daycare. It's my belief that the best tool for deciding about this type of situation is your gut. I agree that it takes time for kids to adjust to a totally new environment. But if he already came home with scratches and a bruise on his cheek, that tells me that they may not be watching him as carefully as they should. That could be because there are too many kids or something else. I work for CPS as well as a previous investigator and ongoing CM. My instincts have served me well. If they can't tell you how your child ended up with a bruise on his cheek I would consider that a red flag. Especially with multiple providers in the room with the kids. An injury to his face would most likely result in him crying rather loudly in pain and would trigger a pretty quick response from one of the caregivers. They should be able to turn around and respond to see what was going on at that moment to deduce how it occured.

My kids have only gone to one daycare person ever. That's 3.5 years. Anytime there is an injury my daycare person knows what happened. I would expect anything less with the care of my children. Don't be afraid to speak up and expect answers. That's your precious cargo there. :)

Its very hard leaving them especially at first but I too would be upset by marks and them handling him rough! The first time my kids were in day care was when my was was 2 1/2 and my daughter 13mos. They are 4 and 5 now but I remember it well I was in tears! My 13mos old did ok till her brother would cry but we would come at all different times to see what they were doing. ANytime we could and they were at a center and once my son adjusted they loved going. I know they told me give it 2-6 weeks because they went PT so sometimes it can take longer if they aren't there as much.I would go with how you feel because thats your child and you don't want to be worried...You need to feel comfortable with where they are. Try to decide though if your feelings are just the transition or are you not sure he is well cared for.... GOOD LUCK!!!

I would have to say that your son is already showing signs of not adjusting well. However, it usually takes up to three weeks for a child to adjust to their new situation. In this particular situation, I would not give it three weeks. I would have to agree with Heather on this one and pull him immediately.

I have been an inhome daycare provider for 2.5 years and I worked as a preschool teacher and director for six years. These things should not be happening to your son, especially in his first week!!!! I know that I loved and cared for EVERY child that was ever in my care, but that is not the case for all providers.

Last fall I went back to work for the first time in five years. I was a preschool director "in training." I saw and heard things that broke my heart. I lasted a little over a month and then called the state on them. The owner was great at putting on a her best fake smile and brushing things under the rug. I hardly think that smacking a child's mouth, calling the kids "losers," holding children's hands behind their backs to get them to go to sleep are things that should be swept under the rug. My daughter was attending there too and I have a full list of wrongdoings that they did to her, but I did not report those, as I wasn't sure if I was being too sensitive or not.

My point is, what kind of research have you done on this center? Did someone refer you to them? Ask the other parents how they feel about the center (without talking about your experiences). You, MUST, for the safety of your child, research, research, research until you're blue in the face. It is funny how so many people continue to go to centers that are mistreating their children and then they are furious when something bad happens like a baby with shaken baby syndrome or heaven forbid a death. This is not okay. You are the parent and your job is to protect your child. If you feel that he is being mistreated, then it is your right to pull him from the center immediately and move on.

I wish I could say that home daycares are a better solution, but they aren't. I would suggest finding a center that has video cameras to monitor your son in his daily activities. This will give you a better picture of how he is adjusting. Unfortunately, these too can give a parent a false sense of security, so please still do your research on the facility.

I will step off my soap box now, but please, if you feel your son is not adjusting, find another center. There are so many options available!