Daycare - Movin On Up

dunlapbriggs

Question for moms with LO's in formal daycare:

Have you had a child move "up" to the next room far earlier than you expected/the norm? My DS is 18 mos and I received notice yesterday that they want to start transitioning him to the next room (2-3 year olds). They mix the two rooms frequently so he is very familiar with the other teachers and kids, but I worry that he is being moved just because of his size and demeanor (he is a crazy little man - but not "bad"). Would you mind if it was your LO, would you stop the transition - or at this age is it not a big deal and maybe he will be better off with bigger kids???

mamom0103

My DS has moved up twice (infant 1 to 2 then infant to waddler) early. He's the youngest in his room by several months. He's big for his age, early walker etc. it's been great for us. I would talk to the teachers and see why they are doing it. If it's because they think he is better suited to be with the older kids I think it's fine. I always prefer DS to be the youngest rather than the oldest in the room, he learns more and enjoys it more. Good luck!

dunlapbriggs

The ratio is the same in both rooms, and the transition is short - mostly because they start mornings together and he already plays over with the "big" kids many days already - so in a way this has been a long time coming. He was an early walker and had to be moved up to his current room early - I think one of the reasons they are moving him is because physically he's more advanced than the younger kids who have just learned to walk and are new to his current room. I just worry that he's getting gypped somehow by only having been in this room for 7 (maybe 8?) months when it should have been more like a year.  

MrsWindyCity

How are the rooms different? In ours, there is not a huge difference between the toddler room and the 2-3s in terms of schedule, what they eat, etc. It's harder going from the infant room to the toddler room because you are going down to one nap, becoming more independent, etc. So, I'd probably be just fine with the transition (assuming there were no huge changes) and would probably look forward to him "learning" a bit more from the older kids.

dunlapbriggs

Thank you all - I do think it would be better for him to be with the bigger kids - I think I was mostly worried about him moving too fast that he would end up in Pre-K for 3 years - guess worse things could happen!

cedenton

Our daycare is set up differently (infant room up to 14/15 months and then toddler room from then to potty training - around 2.5) so I can't help you there. But there are plenty of kids that go to in-home daycares with large age ranges and they do fine. I'd be interested to know WHY they were moving him just to make sure it was in his best interest and not their convenience, but I don't think I'd stress over it.

hollygb22

they've already started us for the transition at 18 months. She's currently in the waddler room 12months to 18 months. I was nervous with the transition to that room at 12 months just because she still seemed so small with bigger kids etc.

This time, I'm all for it. With her transition they're also transitioning two 12 month olds. DD seems huge on the side of them. Some days they're mixing them in with her or her in with the toddlers. They have started to adjust her schedule. I think the time they typically give milk is different..with lunch only whereas before it was morning and pm snack. It hasn't been a huge deal at all. I'm all for her being with older more active kiddos

kellyrn9956

J was moved from Infant 1 (6 weeks to 8 months) early because he was crawling at 4 months and started trampling the tinies. Plus he was bored. He is going to move up to Infant 3 (18-24 months) soon because again, he's just so far ahead in gross motor skills and is getting bored. I am pleased with it actually. He interacts with the older kids and I'm hoping he will start to develop some language. He's behind in that aspect.