Starting Daycare - Ease Him in or Go Fulltime the First Day?

I used to be a nanny and I say go with the gradual entry, unless he is a child that is used to being around and handled by strangers. If not, you would do better to get him familiar with the place and it's people!

Hello! Lots of advice, but you have to find what works for you. With me, I took my daughter 2 days before. The first day I took her was for me .... I needed to get my crying out ... I knew she would be fine, but I cried when I had to leave. The 2nd day was so I could get ready to head back to work. I didn't leave her all day the first 2 days, but she had a few hours there.

By taking her those 2 days in advance, it helped me be "in control" the day I went back, rather than being upset that I had left my child to return to work.

Also, don't forget that a lot of children cry when they are left at daycare. Depending on the day, my daughter will sometimes still cry, but I talk to the teachers and they assure me that within 5-10 minutes after I leave, she is playing and having a dandy time. As long as you have chosen a good daycare that you are comfortable with, your child will be fine ... then your evenings together will be even more special.

Hi J.,
I am a daycare provider (four years) also the mother of three grown children and still raising one. My advice to you is to first consider the setting for your baby meaning a family child care home or a center. with a family child care home he wont be passed from hand to hand as he would be in a center. A gradual entry is a good idea for you as the mother seing as though you are already uneasy. Just be considerate of the provider and know that she is also caring for other children as well. That is something parents sometimes dont consider although understandable. And finally use your instints about the people you are leaving your child with as peoples instints are usually correct! It is always harder on the mother than it is the child. and finally chidren feed off your feelings as there instints are the only thing they have at that young age. so be carefully. Good Luck and god bless!
I would love to talk to you in depth about htis subject seeing as though this a frequently asked question in my day care. Feel free to call. ###-###-#### Ask for J. D.

I had to do the same thing when my son was 6 months old. It was harder for me than for him. I started with taking him to meet my daycare lady before he started to see hwo he reacted to her and she to him. The first day of his daycare I stayed most of the day. The second day I stayed about an hour and the third I stayed about 30 minutes. He was fine each day - he is very outgoing. What was key for me is to make sure that I felt that he was safe and well taken care of. Your security with where you are having him stay while you are at work will reflect in how he sees you acting as littleones are so in tune with their mommies. Your daycare person should "allow" or even encourage you to call as many times as you need as well. For the first 2 weeks I called everyday... sometimes 2 or 3 times. I am blessed to have a wonderful daycare provider that has become a very good friend now I feel as though I am leaving him with family. Remember that it is important that you feel comfortable with his daycare so that while you are hard at work you have confidence that your son is in good loving hands. My son has now been in daycare for 6 months and he LOVES it there! GOOD LUCK!!

Hi J., I would just wait until his actual day to start, in my experience as a daycate provider, most babies do fine at this age, they don't really iunderstand the concept of being left. As long as they are feed and played with and nutured, in my daycare they have done fine, it's when they start daycare at an age when they understand the concept of being left is hard for them. J. L.

Dear J.,
I have 5 kids and I still on the first day especially with my little one take him to school and stay and watch him. All of my kids have started daycare since they were 2 1/2 a little older than yours but he will get use to it. But I would take him and spend some time with him there so that YOU your self can see how he reacts. No matter what day you do it the day you leave him you'll be in tears I was in EVERY child I took. No matter if they cried or not it was the fact that I was leaving them and I didn't know who he or she was going to react.

So all in all spend that extra time with him in a new place and enjoy it because after that, that's it back to work.

R.