Getting Ready for Daycare

I think if it is a reputable and trustworthy place, then they will give the attention required to help your baby transition. I think you need to visit the place and have this discussion with the director and the teachers. Spend some time there and observe how they deal with infants. I would also suggest that you pay special attention to the number of babies they have in one room. I know there is a state regulated ratio, but it makes a huge difference if they have 12 babies and 3 adults in one room, compared to 4 babies and one adult. I think the more crowded the room, the more chances the babies will not sleep. Also most places do have swings and bouncy chairs to help with the sleep. I think you have to go there before hand and observe observe and observe. If they can't accommodate, then look for place that will.

I think your daughter will be just fine at daycare. If it is a good place, they will help you with the transition. It will probably be the best thing for you in the end as they will help you with getting her in a regular sleeping/feeding routine that you can carry on in your home as well. It may be hard the first week or two to let go, but once the both of you are used to it, it will be great!

My son has been in a wonderful day care facility for three years and will be leaving this month to go to pre school in the fall. I am heart broken that he is leaving because he thrived there! I am sure your daughter will have the same experience.

Good luck!

Hi K.,
So we had a similar situation when my daughter started daycare. She was only breastfed and we went through like 1000 different bottles and nipples before she finally took to one (the most expensive) kind. She also was used to falling asleep in my arms in a quiet room.

Our daycare let me visit for 2 days and I was able to show the teachers what cries meant what, let her see that mommy was smiling in the new place, and I got to see how the teachers would handle certain situations. See if your daycare will allow this even if it's half a day.

All should be fine. My daughter is 5 minutes away and in those 5 minutes I cried three times the first day I dropped off. Be prepared to cry and miss her but it is to get back into the adult world. ;-) Enjoy your last week off from work!

Kristal

i am in the same boat as you. you have just described my son (also 3 months old) expect that he will only sleep in the sling during the day, i have to wear him on me, thats how i walk around and get things done during the day
he will start day care in mid september, he will be 5 months old by then, i am hoping something will change in the meantime

he will only do 2 days a week, i am going back to work part time, but i am still very nervous about leaving him. the good thing is that my daycare is right next door to my office so i will run over on my lunch break and nurse him, i already discussed that with the school and they encourage that.

i feel good about the school i am planning to use, thats my only consolation, and the fact that it is only for 2 days a week! i know it will be hard and i am hoping my son will adjust but i am very anxious

good luck to both of us!

What about having one on one... like someone at your home watching him instead of day care. At day care -they usually have one person for every 5 or 6 children.. so they can't respond solely to yours.. which is hard since he is so young. Or perhaps finding someone locat who watches one other child.. maybe this will help until he is older like 12 mo. or older. good luck

Hi K., I agree with what Robin wrote. Your baby will adjust to the circumstances. Just make sure the daycare you've chosen is a good one. They should have all of your info and you should get to meet everyone who will be watching your baby. Also they should ask you about your baby's preferences. I had a bad experience with a daycare in my town. It was the first one I ever used with my son. When I came in for the first time they didn't even ask me for contact info. They just kinda took him. I had to volunteer the info. Some of his stuff went missing as well. I thought it was kind of bizarre but I never used a daycare before. I only ended up taking him there 3 times. I don't mean to get you freaked out. I just want you to know that not all daycares are created equal.

Hi K.: I sympathize with you. I have been a work outside of the home mother and for the past 17 years have been a daycare provider in a family daycare setting. Babies are amazing. We providers can never replace the mother. Mothers are always number one in their baby's life. But we can be the next best thing to you caring for your baby because that is why we chose the job we are in. We love babies and children. Babies adapt amazingly well. It is most difficult the first two days but they do adjust and create their own schedule with another provider with the help and guidance of what your baby was use to at home. Your baby may not eat well or sleep well the first few days but for me and many babies later, it has never gone over a week for really good adjustment. They will always have the special routine you had with them. Your baby will be absolutely fine. But will you? It is best to communicate all of your worries to the daycare staff. See if they will allow you to be there for a little bit. Come at lunch time. Call them. What helps me when I begin a new baby, which is about to happen in four weeks is I ask the parents for a written schedule for what their child has been use to at home. I ask for anything special he/she sleeps with so the smells are the same. I ask if they put their child to sleep any special way i.e. sing, softly stroke face, rock, etc...I invite them to visit or call. It is a transition for all of us and when communication is good and positive, it works. Good Luck and God Bless, R.