Leaving DD at daycare is just awful.

KateLouise

DD1 started at daycare this week. She did 3 half days last week, and then four not quite full days this week.

The first two days went pretty well at drop off. Then she worked out that I would be gone all day.

On a bad day she starts crying before we leave home. Then she starts again in the car. Then when we get to daycare. Then when I try to leave she clings to me and wails, "I don't want you to leave Mummy." "I don't want to miss my Mummy." "I miss Mummy with all of my heart." 

I also know that she gets upset at times through the day, and will have a cry because she's missing me.

I'm confident she likes the place. She tells me about the playing she does, and gives the staff hugs and smiles. It's just that she wants me to stay there and play with her. I think she also is someone who gets overwhelmed with lots of people/stimulation and craves quiet time. (at home she shuts herself in her room for an hour at a time and plays with her dolls or blocks) I've talked to the staff about helping her find a quiet corner to do her own thing.

I know she'll get there in the end, but in the meantime it's just heartbreaking having to leave her. 

honeybee111

I totally understand.  DD started preschool last month(after being home with our nanny for 2.5 years), and she was like your kid: totally fine the first 2 days, a crying mess for 2 weeks afterwards.  One day it was so bad, the teacher had to actually climb into the car(we have drop off circle where the teachers walk them in) and drag her out as she was clinging to my seat and screaming, "Don't leave me Mommyyyyyyyyyyyy!!!"  The only thing that kept me ok with this is that her teachers always reassured me that once they got inside the classroom, she was ok.  And DD always told me when I picked her up that she had fun at school.  She's totally fine now, loves school, and on Saturday she will ask me if she's going to school.  Also, DH took over the drop offs, which I think helped a lot because she tends to be less drama around him.

technigirl

I understand!  I still cry when I have to drop off my daughter, and she's been in daycare for almost 2 years (that's why DH does most of the dropping off lol).  Not to mention, any transition like that is tough at this age!  She will adjust though. Kids are really resilient, especially at this age. 

My daughter (26 months old) recently started getting sad at daycare and missing mommy, even though she's been in the same school for nearly 2 years.  A couple things I did that have helped:  every morning, I sit with her for a few minutes and tell her that Mommy is going to be there after work to pick her up.  I talk to her about how I'll be there soon after her nap is done, so she has an idea of when it will happen.  We also had her bring her own pillow to daycare, which she was really excited about.  Bringing an object from home seems to be helpful. I am told she no longer gets sad, instead she walks around saying, "Mommy be here after work!" very matter-of-factly lol.