Questions for those with LOs in daycare

Artsywife07

DD will be starting daycare after Memorial Day.  Can you share your routines with me?  Do you ever have to wake your LOs in the morning to get them there on time?  How many bottles do you prepare with how much milk?  I BF and DD gets a bottle of BM every other day or so right now.  Was the transition tough for your LO?  Right now she won't sleep in a crib, but I keep trying to get her to nap in there.  She also usually falls asleep while nursing and then I put her down in the RNP.  I'm worried she won't sleep at daycare.

DucatiLeah

I'm in the same situation as you, but will do daycare part-time for a few weeks to feel out the schedule and transition while I work from home for a bit. I've been warned that whatever I do at home will probably be completely different at daycare because the noises, lights, etc. are all so much different than what you can prepare for! It's good your LO takes a bottle at least, our LO is not consistent with taking one and we need to work on it more. I'm curious what other posters will say.

wilabeth

This is our 3rd week at daycare. My LO usually wakes up before we need to get up and stays awake (lovely, i know). However, he was asleep 2 mornings and we had to wake him up to get him dressed/ready. He's not sleeping thru the night yet and usually gets up anywhere between 3-4:30 to eat. If he eats closer to 3 or 3:30, I feed him one last time before we leave the house.  I send 3  6oz bottles to daycare (he's a chunky monkey). Most days he takes all 3 bottles.  LO slept most of the day at daycare the first week. I've heard that sleeping is often a defense mechanism for babies.   We're all starting to adjust better now, and he's staying awake more at daycare (and sleeping better at night).  I swear he cried more at night the first 1.5 weeks of daycare than he did the whole 2 months he's been alive... but things settle back down by Thursday/Friday of the 2nd week. This week (our 3rd week) has gone more smoothly. I think we're all still adjusting, but we're getting use to things.

Try not to stress. You may be late and tired and missing your LO (a lot)... but you'll all adjust...  before we know it, our LOs will be big and crying when we pick them up from daycare, because they're having fun playing and don't want to leave.

GOOD LUCK!

babyblues314

Sometimes LO is asleep and I do have to wake him.  It's no biggie.  I get myself completely ready before I wake him and get him dressed and ready to go.  No matter what time he ate last, I always try to breast feed him right before we leave.  Sometimes he eats, sometimes he doesn't, but I always try.  I send 4 - 3 1/2oz bottles with him, and he only eats 3 while there.  I asked them to let me know when they notice that he will start to eat more so that I can make larger bottles.  They said the last 1/2 oz is hard for him to finish, so he is still good.  I started him at 3 oz the first couple of weeks.  The first week at daycare, he didn't want to eat, and he slept most of the day.  He only ate 1 bottle, maybe half of another.  He still had enough wet and dirty diapers so I wasn't too concerned.  By week 2, he was eating like normal again.  I think I stressed out more about him going to daycare then the actual process.  I took him full time from day one, I couldn't transition him like some do.  He was fine. 

 My biggest advise is to try and get everything ready the night before.  For example, I prepare the bottles at night, pack my lunch and snacks, and shower.  I iron all the clothes for the week on the weekends so I don't have to mess with that during the week.  The first week back was the WORST!  I was so tired. I cried everyday, saying and thinking that I couldn't do it.  My house was a DISASTER the first week and a half.  I just wanted to come home and go to sleep.  I didn't have time to clean.  It got much better after that.  I also plan my dinners, so I know exactly what we are having for dinner, and if need be, I prepare some things the night before (cut veggies, etc).  

I think having a bedtime routine helps A LOT!  I've been back at work for 6 weeks now and feel like I've been doing this forever!

Best of luck! Oh, and I did cry when dropping him off the first day, and called mid morning, lunch and mid afternoon. By the end of the week, I didn't cry or call!

SeasideBride06

I pretty much wake DD up every day...sometimes she is just starting to grunt and wiggle around before time to get up.  We get her up at 6 am to change her clothes, wash her face, and feed her a bottle.  We leave at 6:30 am.

I send four 5 oz bottles with her every day.  She really just uses three of those, but I am always afraid I will be later than normal or have some type of an emergency and there should just be an extra one.  I prepare bottles, lay out clothes, and pack her diaper bag at night.  I put two changes of clothes in the bag, two bibs, two burp cloths, and bottles.  (She doesn't use all of that daily...but I like extras to always be available!) I agree with doing as much as possible the night before!

wilabeth

PS ~ Ditto on packing the night before... and Yes, my house is a disaster too!

mrsgail

LO has adjusted very nicely, minus the cold she got this week.  I think she sleeps better for them than for me.  They have a tough time getting her to sleep in her crib so she spends most of her time in a bouncy chair or swing which is fine.  I BF as well and send four 5oz bottles and also have some frozen milk stored in their freezer just in case. 

The nighttime routine is the biggest adjustment for me with all the prep thats involved for the next day and was quite overwhelming that first week.  I have bought several extra bottles a few times in the past 3 weeks so I'm not washing them every night and will probably do the same with my pump parts.  DH makes lunches for both of us while I do the bottles. 

As far as the morning goes, I feed her at 6 then most days she will go back to sleep while DH and i get ready.  If not, and she's fussy we have to take turns tending to her.  Those are my ponytail days. Most days she is sound asleep when she leaves and we even have the day care leave her in the car seat. 

Like previous posts stated, my house is a wreck during the week and I'm learning to accept that in order to spend my time with LO.

ackiser

My LO is in daycare full time.  She actually does better at daycare than she does at home!  I supplement at daycare and pump while at work.  My LO eats more than I can pump in a day, so while at daycare she gets 1 bottle of BM and the other 3 bottles are formula.  I have 6 bottles designated for daycare, just in case she is extremely hungry one day or is fussy.  Our day care cannot wash her bottles so they can only dispose of the drop-in after she has eaten.  My LO eats 4-5 oz each feeding. 

 My little one doesn't sleep in her crib yet, but at daycare she will sleep in her crib.  Her favorite place to sleep at daycare is in a bouncy chair with the vibration on.  The daycare teachers wear out my LO so that she will sleep. 

 In the mornings, I usually wake her to get dressed and then she falls back asleep in the car or soon after I drop her off.  Our morning routine is:  4 am feed, then back to sleep, wake up at 6 am, get her dressed and lay her back down while I get her bottles together, put her in her car seat and out the door between 6:30 am and 6:45 am.