Transitioning to Day Care - Challenges?

LeslieRebecca

My sister is getting ready to have her first and trying to make some childcare decisions. I'm curious what other people found challenging about transitioning their children (especially infants) to daycare. Did the DCP do anything in particular that helped ease the process?

laurakaz13

Agree with PP about easing her/him in.  I was lucky in that my daycare was located on site at the hospital where I worked at the time. 

So when DD started daycare just after 3 months old I was able to visit her every single day at lunch.  My LO loved her teachers after she got to know them and would reach for them when I dropped her off. It was awesome. 

Now that she's in the 1-2 year old room, she's in heaven and loves her teachers and kids.  Trust me, they learn to love it.  It is harder on the parents than on the kids, in my opinion. 

mylittlesunshine

I don't really have a lot of advice.

I went back to work at 6 weeks pp with both of my children so I felt as if there really wasn't a need for a "transition"....if anything it would have been for me and not so much for DD1/DD2.

Kids adjust pretty easily and I know that when I drop DD1 off and if she cries...usually she is just doing it for show and stops as soon as I pull out of our DC providers driveway.

Mrs.RockyM

DD started daycare on  Monday at about 12 weeks.  The Thursday before we went in for an hour or so met the teachers, etc.  The Friday before we left her there for a half day.  I think at that age, the adjustment was really more for me than for her.  I did send her with a receiving blanket that I had slept with under my shirt, so it smelt like me. This way DD could still have my smell with her even if I wasn't there.