Getting LO Ready for Daycare

Carnation77

DS will start daycare next week. He'll be exactly 2 months old.  I'm starting him off half-days on M and W, then a full day on F.  I'm really worried because he wants to be held ALL DAY LONG.  I've tried and tried to get him used to sleeping somewhere other than my arms during the day (he wakes as soon as I put him down) and sitting in a chair/bouncer or laying in a pack n play, but it's just not taking.  I'm concerned his daycare provider is going to tell me she doesn't want him back.  Does anyone have any advice for how to ease this transition?

emberlee3

What type of daycare is it? This very common with tiny babies. Experienced teachers know how to help babies adjust. Try not to worry.

Carnation77

I'm military and I'm putting him in a home daycare that's regulated by the on post child and youth services.  So basically they're trained and inspected by CYS but it's in a house on post.  I did that so I can BF after PT in the morning and over lunch (it's just a few minutes from my office).  He's the only infant.  The provider has two children of her own (2 and 5) and is looking to take in a 3 and 4 year old.

jschmidt6

My LO just started daycare 3 weeks ago when he was 9 weeks. I had similar concerns because he was my first and I spent my ML holding him! Dont' worry about it - if he cries then the caregiver will pick him up! Certainly she doesn't want to listen to a crying baby all day. If she's an experience caregiver she will be used to crying babies. Also, my LO still isn't used to a crib so he takes naps in swings and bouncy seats at DC. The first week he didn't take good naps because of the unfamiliar noise and lighting, etc - but now my husband went to check on him at lunch the other day and he was the only one sleeping with 3 other babies screaming their heads off! So he's definitely getting used to the noise. They adapt quickly and it will be better for him to get used to noises and not being held as much.

ccam

You will be surprised how quickly they adapt. Good luck!!

QueSrah

Partly, the babies adapt.  But at least from our experience, with DD at an in-home and one of two infants (out of 9 kids, and 3 caregivers), she would often come home smelling like the lead caregiver's perfume - which suggested to me that they just held her a lot.  With the two kids she has now, holding your baby for good chunks of the day sounds feasible if it's necessary.  She might not have the "DCP magic" if she hasn't been doing this as a profession for years, but she'll hopefully have the mom experience to get the baby (and herself) though until the baby adjusts.

st.augbride

They expect that for babies that age! Dd was very much like this, and they just held her a lot. But she did learn to sleep in the crib there. Don't worry about changing what you do at home. It's a different environment and she'll adjust. I still hold LO tons at home, and wear her for naps.

TheBorg7of9

Try not to worry.  The day care workers have seen it all and your baby will adapt.  Don't try to adjust him before you even go, it won't work and will just give you a headache.

Carnation77

Thanks everyone.