Daycares... Goddard School, Montessori, Etc.

nooooo no no no!! stop this line of thought immediately. HE IS 5 MONTHS OLD!! you are doing FINE. as long as you play with him, love him, take him to the park, (when he gets older) set up playdates and activities for him, teach him everything you can think to teach him (it's EASY trust me!) you will be fine. if, when he's 3 or 4 you decide to put him in preschool to prepare him for kindergarten, great. if not, great. some kids (with the right minded parents) do just fine because parents are capable of teaching everything a preschool would be. i would suggest some kind of group setting (sunday school, soccer classes) to get him used to being in a group and listening to the "teacher", but this is years down the line for you! IGNORE those other overachieving moms (who i am sure think they are SOOO much better than you- NOT TRUE) and just ENJOY your baby. that is what having a baby is all about.

Your post is hilarious. And I can completely identify. Child rearing has become such a science. Rediculously so. Do you take your son to the grocery store? Park? Does he spend time outside? With those of different generations? When I think about socialization, it becomes important around 3/4. Before, bonding, security, belonging is what makes socialization even possible and positive. Before 3/4, do you really want your child being taught by other children? I'm not saying don't do it, but its not necessarily of the highest importance. Variety of experience, personal contact, tactile variation, that is what is the best for your non-Cheeto, wife-beater boy: )

Check out a book called "Einstein Never Used Flash Cards - How are children really learn and why they need to play more and memorize less."

There are a lot of free or very cheap mommy and me type classes around if you want to socialize your kid and not pay for day care. Just do a search for "mom's groups" and you'll find meet-ups. With the bonus that if you find the "right" group (re: not a hyper competitive group), you can make some really great friends and have a support network of your own (think trading off babysitting so you can each get a night out with your spouse)! Sometimes local moms will just set up a regular time at the park so their kids can get together, it's the same setting as a daycare... they'll learn to play, take turns, share, not hit/bite/steal. If you are that worried about it you could also execute a simple "curriculum" at home (abc's, 123's, sitting for stories, practice sharing and taking turns... that's all these schools do). Don't worry, helicopter parents often do their children more harm than good! :)

STOP!! you baby need to be with you and your husband! babies and young children do not need to be socialized. Have you ever seen 2 yr. old playing together?? really playing together? I haven't. they play side by side and have very little interaction with each other game. I am not sure where all this pushing our babies to be social and early learning. I think it is totally unnecessary. Young children want to learn life skills. they want to copy you. There is so much for them to learn at home. when your child is in daycare you have no control of what they are being exposed to, and until your child is able to verbalize what his day was like I think you should keep him home if you can. Now I am not that daycare is bad, there are many good ones with loving and attentive caregivers, but if you have the option I would keep your baby with you. maybe look into attachment parenting and that might give you some confidence in knowing you are doing the right thing. :)

This is ridiculous. At 5 months old, your child benefits most from being loved and nurtured by her parents. I think there is absolutely no merit to owrrying about this until they are at least 3, but most professional educators agree that 5 is the right age to worry about it and that is why they start school then. Many professionals argue that there can be irreperable harm in starting this over stimulation too early. Creative play is most important in the early years. Recently I read that children like to have company in the same number as their years old. So you see, you child rather enjoys being alone right now. And when she is 1, she may like to do things with 1 friend. And when she is 2, 2 friends, and so on. If you go and observe what they do with babies at day care centers, you will see there is absolutely no point to it whatsoever. As they start to get older, and they use the bathroom on their own, and are fairly independent, then a couple days a week in a structured environment is fine, but also still not necessary.

Love your baby - and your baby will feel loved. And that is what your baby needs right now. Giving your baby to someone else to watch is just that - giving the baby to someone else. The years we get to have extra time with the children are so short - take advantage of that!! And if you need creative inspiration for some structured learnign at home, then look on the internet - there are tons of blogs with great ideas.

Take Care, and take it easy on yourself!!

Babies only need love and affection, and safe places to explore their world.

It's been my experience so far that faith in our idea of formal learning is misplaced. A majority of what children learn comes straight from their parents.

Parks n' playgrounds, church playgroups, or mommies groups, all can provide outlets for play for you and whatever socialization you need as a momma.

Don't future trip! be here now with your baby. Worry is only praying for what we don't want.
<3

I have some boys that come on the weekend so mom can work another job. During the week she sends them to Kindercare. My 10 year old and I went there recently to pick them up when the mom ran into a personal issue and needed me to keep them overnight. I didn't think much of the place one way or the other. It seemed a little cramped, there wasn't many kids left or many adults around at 5:30pm. My 10 year old was very surprised though. She said she thought it was too full of stuff, too chaotic, messy, and didn't think she would like a place like that. She wants to run an in-home daycare when she grows up. Well, that's what she says now :)

I agree with the others. You are doing fine. I have 2 words for you... Public Television! :) Just chill and watch some of these shows with your kids and you'll get all kinds of ideas for what to do and learn together.

I haven't read the other responses, but I wouldn't worry too much about this. I taught elementary for 13 years and can tell you that exposing your child to a variety of experiences will only benefit him in the long run. That doesn't mean he has to go to an expensive preschool or Montessori although both offer wonderful opportunities. There are plenty of things you can do on your own to provide richly engaging activities. Check around your community, like the library and Parks and Rec for fun things to do. Many places offer activities for free or ridiculously cheap, even for infants. You can find a lot of books about Montessori or activities for infants and toddlers to do with your child. Attend a music class like Kindermusik or Baby Maestro. Research shows that children exposed to music at a very young age develops their sense of musical ability and are known to be better thinkers as they get older. You can find books on baby sign language or find a class for that too. This helps develop communication skills and vocabulary-and can help alleviate frustrations in the nonverbal years because kids have a way to communicate their needs to you.
I think allowing a child to watch quality educational shows is a benefit more than a hindrance. However, parking a kid in front of the tv and expecting Dora to teach him all he needs to know IS NOT what I am talking about here. Pick a few shows that you and your child like and watch them together. Nick Jr. and PBS have a huge variety of these programs and usually have supplemental activities on their respective websites to extend learning further. My kids are now 2 and 3 years old. We do a lot of activities through our church which gives them much exposure to socializing with other children.They also attend a Mom's Day Out program once a week. The structure and socialization there mimics that of a preschool program, but the cost is minimal. Only $11per session for toddlers and $12.50 for infants. We also have season passes to the zoo, check out the children's museum frequently and check out seasonal activities like the strawberry patch in spring/early summer, apple orchard and pumpkin patch in the fall.
You have made the best decision of all to work it out so you are able to be home with your child. How much you actively engage with him on a regular basis will set him up for future success rather than throwing money at a prestigious preschool. Good luck!
A.

I'm going thru the same thing, although my daughter is 2 years old. All the other mom's in my mom group are enrolling their 2 year olds in preschool at least 2x/week. They think I am crazy for not wanting to. So, when I am getting lots of pressure and am feeling guilty, I remind myself how many years of school and all that entails (getting up early, good teachers, bad teachers, good kids, bad kids) that she has in front of her. Like any good parent I expect that she will go to college for at least 4 years, so that makes about 18 years if you add 1 year of preschool, 1 year of kindergarten. So, having a few years with my little girl and teaching her myself in these vital years are worth it. The pressure will probably only get worse as he gets older, but stick with your decision and keep thinking he already has 18 years of school to go, how many more do you want to add?

DO NOT feel bad for not putting your child in a glorified childcare center, which is what the Goddard School is. I have a friend whose son was in their school in Scottsdale & the place was a joke. I have also had my daughter in daycare centers (Kindercare AND Tutortime) which claim to be "schools" & the quality of care is not equivalent to the price you pay. My advice is to do your research & go with your gut.

Hi there. I have recently looked into Goddard, Montessori, and Head Start for my 4 year old daughter who will be enrolled for half day pre-school this coming fall. First of all, Congrats on your family addition. Try not to worry too much right now. I know people with children in all of the school types. Which one is right for your co-worker may not be right for you and your little one. Both Goddard and Montessori are extremely expensive. The good thing about Montessori is that they usually have some type of tuition assistance program if you get started in the enrollment process early enough... not at 5 months old though. I just visited both Goddard and Montessori. Each school is different, but the Goddard I visited seemed more like a daycare setting than a school setting. The Montessori I visited and chose for my daughter was actually more about learning in groups and I could tell a difference in the children. If you don't need daycare right now, don't bother with it. For the last 2 years I've practiced shapes, colors, numbers, letters, etc. with my little ladybug at home. Your baby will be just fine if he is home with his loving parents. I think people are too ready to get their children in daycare too soon nowadays. It is there for those who absolutely need the help. My daughter is advanced and I feel like if she had been in daycare, she would have been bored with what they teach. What's wrong with sitting around in a wife-beater eating Cheetos all day? ....just kidding... He will be just fine. Don't stress.. you have plenty of time to get him enrolled in school. Don't push him out the door already like your co-worker is doing.