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How did LO adjust to daycare?

trinnytrinny member
in Working Moms

DD will be starting daycare at the end of June (she'll be over 4m), and I'm a little concerned.  She seems like a pretty needy baby-- wants to be held a lot, only plays alone for short periods, is nursed/rocked to sleep, won't take a bottle, etc.  Obviously they can't do all of these things for her. 

If your baby was similar, how did she adjust to daycare?  Did it take a few days/weeks/months?  Was it hard on her/you?  Did you do anything to prepare her?  

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Re: How did LO adjust to daycare?

  • KathrynMDKathrynMD member

    They are probably much better at taking care of high needs babies than you realize.  Also, remember, this is the ONLY thing they are doing - they're not trying to make dinner, do laundry, go grocery shopping, etc while caring for your daughter so it might be easier for them.

    Just go visit the daycare a couple times before you start and talk to the teachers about your concerns and be very explicit about what you think they need to do for your daughter. 

    My baby has always been pretty easy going and she adjusted very well to daycare - for her it has barely been a blip.  The one real change I see now, is that she wants to see something/someone at all times.  If you leave her in a room by herself now, she gets upset and starts yelling after a minute or two.  She's become very used to seeing people all the time now, and doesn't like it when she can't see anybody.

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  • beenbizzybeenbizzy member

    I agree with pp.  They are professionals and work with babies of varying needs all day long.  There will be an adjustment period, too.  She may not eat well or sleep well for a few days ebfore she gets used to daycare.  Then she will figure out that if she wants to eat, she will take the bottle. 

    I would let daycare know from day 1, or before if you visit, that you think she is needy.  They are probably going to appreciate knowing and help work on the transition to daycare.  I always like to be honest with daycare about things that are happening at home or opinions I have so they are aware. 

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  • Valerie120408Valerie120408
    DS is an easy baby so he adjusted quickly - 2-3 days. I spent some time when he was 3 months old trying to figure out his routine better by writing down nap and feeding times for a few days and that let me tell his DCP what to expect. It also gave me a chance to teach him to take a bottle (he wouldn't take one at that time). The first day (8 hours) was hardest but he seems to have adjusted well. I let his DCP know the things I wanted her to do during the interview process (and when something new comes up, I let her know so that she can meet DS's needs) - for example, I wanted DS to be held when fussy and one of the places I interviewed didn't want to do that so I found a different provider. DS started daycare at 4 months and that seemed like a good age - no stranger anxiety yet so that made it easier.
    2007 BFP#1 MMC 12w; 2008 BFP#2 DS1; 2010 BFP#3 DS2; 2011 TTC; 2013 Pursuing DIA
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  • auburnbride2beauburnbride2be member
    DD loves her daycare center! I was just thinking today how lucky I am. The first week was very hard, the second week got a little better. Since then, I have felt really good about her care. She is happy there, well taken care of, she loves it and loves the people. I think they love her too. It was harder on me than her for sure. I did prepare her along the way because I knew I was going back to work. So, I tried not to overdo it with holding and she learned to play on her own before going to daycare. My center knows that I am very involved and they have embraced it. I still email them daily to ask how she is doing and what is going on that day. They send me a one or two sentence reply and I feel fine. I do that because I miss her. They have always worked with me if I needed them to do something differently and I feel 100% comfortable voicing any concerns I may have.
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  • collyflowercollyflower member
    I thought my baby was high needs as well and she adjusted to daycare wonderfully.  Our teachers have even said how good she is (me and my mom had a chuckle over that one).  But I think its just due to the fact that they are used to dealing with all kinds of babies - its their job.  Good luck - I'm sure your DD will do great!
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