My son isn’t social at daycare

Did you put him in daycare out of necessity or for socializing purposes?

I feel you, it’s hard. We started the daycare with 3 days a week and switch to the full time 3 months later. May be ( if you can) try to do half time daycare and ease him into it? How is he at the playgrounds? Does he interact with other kids?

Have you tried taking him to playgrounds or indoor playground with toddler areas? My daughter got exposed to children her age with me around that way before we started her in daycare (though I work at the daycare she's in, I do not work in her classroom often)

I understand the feelings and thoughts. It sounds like he’s exploring his new environment by observing. Some kids like to jump right in and others like to sit back and take their time. And it’s all ok. And it seems developmentally appropriate. Kids tend to start off by playing by themselves and eventually over time they start to play with each other as they get older. Every time I go pick up my kid, he’s usually doing his own thing. Sometimes he might be with another kid but that’s only recent. And he is pretty outgoing, he’s just not at the point where he wants to play and share with others yet. As you’re worried, try talking to the daycare teachers to see what they think. Socializing is a great thing for them. And sometimes it’s our own anxiety that we are projecting. We might feel anxious and think they must too, but they probably don’t. They’re just having their own, new experiences.

Awww mommy maybe you should try some daily exercise showing how to interest with people

It's super normal and expected for kids this age to do 'parallel play' which is playing alone next to each other. I didn't feel like I wanted to do school for social purposes either so if it's optional definitely just take him out 🖤

Aww this is super hard, I am always watching my son at pick up to see how hes with others. He does seem to join in well. The kids in his class are older than him so I think that helps him get more involved (because they understand more than him). One thing I try to do is learn some kids names, smile and say good morning to the kids hovering around when I drop him off as they are usually waiting to say hi to him. Then I make sure to talk about the kids and teachers at pick up and through the night etc. sorry you’re experiencing this but he also may just be more reserved 🤷‍♀️❤️ my sons 2.5 so I think then they start being a bit more independent

My understanding is that developmentally they don't really socialize until about 3, so don't stress about it. They should start doing parallel play (playing near other children, doing some of the same things) soon. Socialization is just one of those stages they will learn.

Awwh I definitely feel you 🥲

I think it’s age appropriate for him to not be “social” they don’t play with each other at first. Parallel play is first then he will start interacting with other kids. He will eventually start wanting to play with other kids and it’s good for him to have the opportunity when he’s ready. It’s super hard to leave your baby but the structure is probably great for him. He’s probably observing things and figuring out his new environment. It’s okay to cry, I cry that my son doesn’t get that opportunity to play with others because I can see his interest is starting. But he’s just over two and it’s a minimal interest. He still mostly plays with his own toys or off to the side too