Daycare

Hi everyone, my son is almost 2 years old and we just started daycare last week. The first 2 days were fine, he didn’t cry when I left (I snuck out without him seeing me when he got distracted) but now he is understanding that he’ll be there without me and is clinging on, crying and making me feel terrible. How do you guys go about drop offs? I feel so bad. Also i am in my third trimester of pregnancy and am worried about getting him sick with serious illnesses like hand foot mouth etc that could also affect the fetus. I’m WFH and can handle him at home but I send him to get some exposure to other kids and hopefully learn more as he’s behind in speech. Does the good (learning) out weigh the bad (illnesses) in your opinion?? Any thoughts on the subjects or experiences would be helpful. Thanks!

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I am a daycare provider and deal with this often. Also pregnant. Feel free to send me a message if you want to chat it over 😌

It takes at least 6 weeks for a child to adjust to the new environments. He will get sick if he hasn’t been around other children before but for hand foot mouth Or any contagious illness the daycare has to notify parents when a case arises at the centre and staff have to alway be cleaning the toys an environment so those illnesses less likely to happen. Him being exposed to other children will help him in the long run and if the centre has the option of having speech language person coming in to assess him is always nice. This coming from early childhood educator :)

It can take a month or two for a child to feel more comfortable at daycare. My son cried at drop off for about 4 weeks, and didn't eat much when he was there. He eventually started walking in on his own, and eating tons of food. It's a big adjustment period for them, and it takes time. I suggest walking in and handing him over and not lingering at all, that makes things harder. I also had the same ritual and would say the same things to him when I left. He got used to it and loves daycare now

I don’t recommend sneaking out (I teach PreK). It just confuses them and backfires usually when they realize you left. Just talk about it at home and work through any fears! The TV show Daniel Tiger has a good song called Grownups Come Back

I have a velcro 2.5 yr old it took him 3-4 months to finally be settled into daycare. There were days he would hysterically just cry and the guilt hit me alot. He did get hmfd too but now his body fights it faster. Overall for his mental health and growth daycare was good bcz he is so much more social now vs being home

It was a looong adjustment phase and it sucked it went from panic attacks to now finally wanting to wake up and go… but I kept him there for short times and would pick him up early until he adjusted

Hey, I think it is important for your child's sense of security and attachment to have a proper farewell. When you say goodbye, it helps your child feel more secure and builds trust. It reinforces that while you may be leaving, you will always return, which is crucial for their emotional well-being. The routine of a goodbye helps them understand that separations are temporary and that they are safe and loved even when you're not physically present. hope that helps..

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