Daycare drop off/pick up times

mrsnala · August 2013

What time do you do drop off and pick up?

DS just started daycare this week, and I am starting to feel like the worst mom ever because he is the first kid there in the morning. Both DH and I work in town and daycare is near home, in suburbs. We work 8 - 4:30, and usually drive in together, so daycare drop off is between 7-7:15am and then we dont get to pick up until 5:15 or so. I just feel like no one else leaves their kid in daycare that long. Please tell me I am not alone.

jd614 · August 2013

i dont use day care yet but we are looking into it. if thats the route we go....DS will be dropped off at 7 and picked up btwn 530 and 6. so it could be worse...you could be me!

financialdiva · August 2013

Drop off between around 7:30am. Pickup around 5:15pm. You're not alone.

I know what you mean bc for a while it seemed liked DS1 was the first and last when he was an infant. Then I came 10 minutes earlier, and there were still a lot of kids still there. You are probably just missing the other parents by minutes!

LoCarb · August 2013

Drop off at 6:30 am and pick up around 4:45 pm. There are several kids who are dropped off when DC opens at 6:30 am. Some days, I run errands, meet a friend for dinner, have a drs appt, etc...and leave the kids to 6:30 pm.

FemShep · August 2013

You are absolutely not alone, and you're not a terrible mom for putting your child in a safe place for care.

I usually drop LO off between 7:15 and 7:30. There are at least 2 other babies there when I drop her off. I pick her up around 4:30 2/3 days a week and around 5:30 the other 2/3 days. She has only been the last baby in care a handful of times.

Working parents have to work. Doesn't make you a bad parent....

dizzycooks · August 2013

You're not alone. It feels awful, I understand your pain, but your child is safe and happy there. I am one of the first two to drop off at 6:30 and the way I feel ok about it is knowing DD gets about 30 minutes of one on one time with the teacher and they ADORE her. I pick up at 4:15 or 5:30 depending on the day.

QueSrah · August 2013

When DD was an infant, I dropped her off at 7:30 (as soon as daycare opened) and DH picked her up between 5:30 and 5:45 (right before they closed at 6). At that point she was at an in-home with 9 kids total, and we showed up at the same time as two or three other kids most days. But I think she was also one of the last two or three kids there. But it's not like anyone was actively shaming us for using the DCP for the hours she offered and we needed. (Thankfully.)

As DD has gotten older and moved to different preschools, DH and I moved our schedules a little and switched dropoff and pickup, so that most days we drop her off around 8 and pick her up around 5:15/5:30. You never know how you (the adults) might find ways to work out your schedule as the baby gets bigger.

aeh72 · August 2013

I drop DS off between 7:45-8:00 and don't pick him up until 5:30 - so he's there 9.5+ hours most days. He's rarely the first child there but almost always one of the last ones to get picked up. Don't feel bad - it's just a fact of life when you're a working parent. You are not alone with your schedule. Just focus on all the fun your son is having and all he is learning during the day.

Mustardseed2007 · August 2013

I bet you pick up earlier than a lot of parents since you get off at 4:30. You're hours are definitely the norm. Someone has to be first! Someone has to be picked up last too.

Nita14701 · August 2013

Drop off 7:45, pick up 5:15. But daycare is near work which is a 45 minute commute from home, LO naps most of the time in the car. It does kind of stink but i've made peace with it for now.

jf198400 · August 2013

9-5:45, I only work 15mins from DC, I used to work much farther away and dd was there 8-5:45

Sunidaze · August 2013

I try to get her there by 7:30 although most days it is closer to 7:45 and I get the side eye from the daycare workers (if your child is going to be there for breakfast, they prefer to cut off by 7:45...and getting her fed at home in the morning would add more time to my already hectic - albeit it primarily self-induced - mornings...and she is much more likely to actually eat at day care). DH usually picks her up by 5:30. She is definitely not the first there in the a.m. and in the evenings she is usually not one of the last still there.

KL777 · August 2013

Summer camp drop-off/pick-up this year was 7:35 am - 5:15 pm. There were always plenty of kids there before him and after he was picked up.

sapphirebride06 · August 2013

Starting next week my oldest will be in kinder so he will get dropped off first around 7:40 and then my youngest right before 8. But if I get the job I'm interviewing for (prayers/good wishes/good juju please!!!) then I will move it up and drop off the kinder at 7:30 (that's the earliest we can) and the youngest around 7:45 and be at work by 8 because it's 5 minutes from the daycare. Pick up will be the youngest first since he is closer and that is at 5:10ish and then the kinder from after school care around 5:30.

eyenigh · August 2013

mrsnala said:

What time do you do drop off and pick up?
DS just started daycare this week, and I am starting to feel like the worst mom ever because he is the first kid there in the morning. Both DH and I work in town and daycare is near home, in suburbs. We work 8 - 4:30, and usually drive in together, so daycare drop off is between 7-7:15am and then we dont get to pick up until 5:15 or so. I just feel like no one else leaves their kid in daycare that long. Please tell me I am not alone.

That's our exact schedule, right down to us driving to work together. On days that my husband doesn't work, I leave a half an hour early because I don't take a lunch so I get there a little before 5. I used to get hung up on the time, too but, honestly, my son loves it there and is always having a good time when I pick him up. Usually I have to pry him out of the gym yelling! I try to take a lot of Fridays off to spend a little extra time with him, though, and that helps me feel better.

tdavis126 · August 2013

Right now I drop dd off at 6 and she is one ofthe first ones there and I pick her up between 2:45 and 3:30. It may change if I getthe job I just interviewed for and if I get that she'll be there from 7:45 to 5:45. And I am definitely struggling with that but I know it would be best for our family financially. But I know I'll more than likely have some guilt about it too.

TheBorg7of9 · August 2013

My advice is to not focus on the numbers. You get there when you get there. Your kid is in a safe and fun place. But if you focus on how many hours she is there everyday, the only thing you accomplish is making yourself miserable. I think a normal job requires 8-9 hours a day, plus commute, so I am not surprised.

BTW, my son is in daycare from 7:30 to 6. It's the best we can do, and I am happy with it.

emberlee3 · August 2013

DS is there 7-4:30. He actually gets mad if I pick him up any earlier. Sometimes it is closer to 5 for pickup.

cchill01 · August 2013

You're not alone. We drop off between 7 and 8, and pick up between 5 and 6. So, some days it's almost 11 hours. I do feel guilty, but I try to make the time we are with them really count.

traveltheworld · August 2013

DS's DC is in my building, so we drop him off at around 8 and we pick him up at around 4:30/5:00. I thought that was already pretty short, but he is frequently the first kid there and the last kid to leave. I really want to know what kind of jobs the other parents have that they can work less than 8 hours a day consistently. Try not to worry about it though - think if it this way: he gets more one on one attention if he is the only kid there!

ASmallWonder · August 2013

OP, your schedule is mine exactly. They're often the first ones dropped off (or close to it) but never the last picked up. Try not to compare yourself to all the other families. Everyone does what they need to do

JennaNAaron · August 2013

DH drops off between 7-7:30 and I pick up between 4:30-5. Our oldest will go to before school care when she starts Kindergarten next week and I'll be dropping her off around 630 on my way to work and picking up after I get the two littler ones so between 5-530.

BeckyP005 · August 2013

cchill01 said:

You're not alone. We drop off between 7 and 8, and pick up between 5 and 6. So, some days it's almost 11 hours. I do feel guilty, but I try to make the time we are with them really count.

Just a lurker but glad I'm not the only one that will have long hours....if this cycle works...lol. It breaks my heart to think of him/her being there so long!!

RibbitGrl930 · August 2013

We drop DS off around 7:30 and usually pick-up around 5:15, though sometimes as late as 5:45. There are usually lots of kids there at drop-off (they all gather in one room, regardless of age, until 7:30-ish), then DS is usually one of the last infants to be picked up. Don't worry about leaving LO for as long as you do. He is in daycare because you are earning a living to provide for him. That is what is important. ETA: Becky, I loved your post because of your Steelers siggy. Rock on.

ccam · August 2013

We drop off at 6:30 and pick up between 4 and 4:30. You're not alone. DS is there for close to 10 hours most days.

MidwestGidget · August 2013

LO's not the first dropped off, but always the last to be picked up. I could get there a half hour earlier, but I need to do the other daily errands, get the dog, etc. DH needs the time to get work done, and I'd rather he be present and engaged with LO when at home. LO has two options: be in a loving place with people focused on having fun and learning, or be dragged around by me to the store, to the drycleaner, wherever. We go with the former, and I think it's better for all involved.

jennyelf · August 2013

7:30 to 5:15 here. It is what it is, he's not the first most of the time (DC opens at 6:30), but he's often the last (DC closes at 5:30). He just gets extra attention in those last minutes from the DCP.

RissNRuss · August 2013

A's daycare is open 7:30am- 6pm. I drop off and pick up (Hubs commutes via mta, so he can't based on location). She is arriving around 8/8:10 and I pick up around 5:45/5:50. I broke my hour lunch into a half hour and two 15 minute breaks (for pumping purposes) so I can't even just cut my lunch and give her an extra 1/2 hour.
Also, I used to work in a daycare, and there were a few kids who were dropped off at open and picked up at close. It's not ideal, but at least the kids are safe, and well cared for!

BeckyP005 · August 2013

We drop DS off around 7:30 and usually pick-up around 5:15, though sometimes as late as 5:45. There are usually lots of kids there at drop-off (they all gather in one room, regardless of age, until 7:30-ish), then DS is usually one of the last infants to be picked up. Don't worry about leaving LO for as long as you do. He is in daycare because you are earning a living to provide for him. That is what is important. ETA: Becky, I loved your post because of your Steelers siggy. Rock on.

Lol...I was wondering before I read your post

YellowTulips521 · August 2013

I'm not back to work just yet, but drop off will be around 7:45 and pickup will be 5:15. I will do 99% of this by myself as my H works longer hours. I also plan to leave work at 4 two days per week to get a quick workout in before I pick her up.

Reilly626 · August 2013

Dropped off at 8, pick up 3:45 to 4.

CMattus · August 2013

Mine is there from 7:15 - 5 everyday. He's never the first and never the last which makes me feel better... but hey, we do what we can!

BringOnTheCats · August 2013

DH drops off at 7:00 am and I pick up at about 4:00 pm. I actually get off of work and home by 3:20 pm, but I use those 40 minutes to get stuff picked up and organized, dinner ready, etc. They might be two of the first ones dropped off and all of the kids are pretty much picked up within 5 minutes of each other.

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