First Time in Daycare

I ALWAYS play w/my child before i leave at the daycare for a bit and get him engaged. I toured the daycare and speant some time before I ever dropped him off. If he's waking up from night time or nap time, spend some cuddle time/stories before dropping him off. seems to work for us : ). oh. and i exaggerate how much FUN he's going to have and take every OUNCE in me to make it positive. He's looking to you for emotional guidance. If you say "oohhhhh, poor guy.." they can think there's something wrong. its hard. good luck.

Dear V.,

I am a homebased child care provider and wanted to say that it is hard for the parents, but I do agree that if you drag out the good by it is harder on the child. I have a 1 y/o that has been coming here for about 7 months and when the mom drops her off she will stay and hold the baby and tell her that she is going to miss her and the baby will cry, she is usually done crying before the mom gets to the car. But when the grandma drops off the child she doesn't mention anything about missing the child and the child doesn't cry. I do think that it is easier for the child if they know the sitter. If it is someone new, I think it helps to get to know the sitter first. I usually have my new parents bring the kids once with them to get to know me then a second time to be left here for about 1/2 hour so that the child realizes that mom is going to come back. Good Luck and watch your child learn and have a blast with other kids.
B.

Hi V.. I also work in a daycare center. I work mainly with 4 year olds and toddlers. I can tell you for sure that he will cry on day 2 or after. The best thing to do is act like it's not a big deal. Be very quick and possitive. Give him a big hug and say "oh my gosh. You are going to have so much today. You're so lucky." I have told some of my parents the same thing and it works. Maybe not the very first day, but it does. Drawing it out only makes it worse. Most of my kids stop crying instantly when their parents leave. If it's too hard for you, just ask the person caring for your child to take your son after you have given him a hug and sing him a hello song or show him a cool toy. That's what I have been asked to do a few times. I also have 3 kids and I know how very hard it is to leave them for the day. Hang in there. It's only rough at first.

Hi V..

I feel you. I just posted this same thing this week. My year old jsut started. He has been use to being home with my husband for 4 years. Its been super hard on him, but i get reassurance from the ladies here and family that this is god for him and he will be ok.
Try giving him a picture of you all or something he can look at to remind him of you.
Good Lcuk and hang in there.
The first couple weeks are hard. I am still going thru hard times.
Sorry i couldnt offer to much advice, i just wnated to let u know ur not alone in this endeavor.
Good luck and let us know how it goes!!
Take care,
C.

Good luck with your new job. He may cry, but the secret is to be upbeat & leave. Do not stay & drag out the "good-bye". Arrive a bit early so you can get him situated with the other kids. I have been a daycare provider for 5 yrs. Crying has never lasted longer than the time it takes for mom to drive down the block. It is much harder on you than it is on them. Has he met the sitter yet? It's usually easier if you've taken him there to meet her and the other children at least once.

My son started daycare at age 18 months (previously he was watched by my neighbor who watched him from 6 weeks on). He is 22 months old now. The first month was hard. In fact, it was odd cause the first day I dropped him off, he didn't cry at all (home based daycare) but he refused to eat the entire day. The second day the crying started during drop off. I called about 10 min after I dropped him off and he was fine. The crying would stop in under three minutes. As time went on, each day he would still cry, but the durations was shorter and shorter. What I thought was odd, was for the first two weeks or so when I would pick him up he would cry when he saw me, as if it was some emotional outlet. I was told this is normal. Sometimes he would cry when i said I had to go, yet would stop before I even made it out the door. I guess it was his attempt to get me to stay or something. I would just hug and kiss him and say Mommy had to go and leave, cause I do believe the longer you stay, the worse (cause I did that the first week). Four months into this, sometimes he gives me the pout lip but that's it. I think they would just prefer to have fun with mommy sometimes. Good luck.

Hi V.,
I am a mom of three children and a lead day care teacher of toddlers (2yrs old).
If I didnt offer a little advice I would not be a good teacher. Here is my advice....
yes, he is probably going to cry. sometimes they dont cry on the first day because they are so excited. however, they may cry on day 2 or three. the key is to be positive, quick, give a big kiss and hug, let them know they will have a great day, and promise to see him again later that day. they dont always understand that you will be coming back for them. i actually cried when i took my kids for the first time. now after working in daycare for sometime i realize that it is such a fun and positive thing for kids. they really grow in preschool/daycare.
some parents like to stay and play but most of my experience has showed that is not so positive. i think the children believe that their parent is going to stay with them all day.
however, this is your call. you are the parent. you need to do what you feel is best.
i wish the best for you and the easiest transition for your 2yr old.
A.