Mom's of 2-Year Olds and Older

Even though my boys are grown, I do know that 2-year olds are just unpredictable so please don't take things personally. Unless something has radically changed in his/her environment, just remain consistent and keep sending him/her. It is probably just a phase. Good luck!

+B+

I used to take my 2 year old to a daycare which he liked to go to everyday. Then after a couple weeks later he would always cry when I dropped him off. I found out it was 2 things, 1.) he was scared of the helpers there (he said that sometimes they would raise their voices at him) and the other kids were too young for him. I eventually took him to a place where they had kids his age and the helpers were friendly there. He is now 3 and has been going almost a year and he loves it there. I love it too because they not only watch them but at the same time they are teaching them abc's, 123's and how to identify shapes, letters, and numbers. It is the best daycare I ever took my son too. Hopefully you can find out why your child refuses to go to daycare. You may want to ask your child if he/she is afraid of someone at daycare, sometimes there are bully kids there too.. Good luck

I don't know if it is typical, but my daughter is doing the same thing. Glad to hear I'm not alone. I hope if you get any good advice, you can share.

Ask him if he likes the other kids as well as the worker(s). Hopefully everything is fine at day care. He might have discovered he doesn't want to leave you and his toys at home. They do get to an age when the figure out they have or try to have a say in how they want things to go.

I checked with my husband on this to be sure I was giving you good advice. He is a preschool teacher and my source for information that I may have forgotten in my old age. :-)
He says that little people that age are very routine driven, and since this is not new, a sudden change in her behavior means something has changed at daycare that she doesn't like. It may be as simple as a new kid, or new teacher. It might be a new routine. I would talk to the people at day care and ask about changes recently, this may give you a clue. You might want to make sure there are no bigger kids there that might be too aggressive for her.

I remember when I used to do daycare in my home. One little boy decided he wanted to be with mommy instead of coming to my house. There was nothing at my house he didn't like but he knew how to push mommy's buttons. One day he started crying and hanging on to her leg. She was so filled with guilt for having to leave him. I finally told her to leave and make sure he could hear her heels click down the driveway and to sneak back up and peak in on him. The minute he heard her heels click away he stopped the tears and put on a smile and said Hi to me. She felt much better after that.

I agree with the other postings. Most likely your child's behavior has to do with some change in routine or new-found dislike of transitions (i.e. from home to car seat to school), but it would certainly be worth a couple of unannounced drop-in's at something other than your regular pick-up times just to be sure everything is kosher. You can be subtle (i.e. "Oh, I forgot to bring her jacket/lunch/blankie so I thought I'd drop it by", etc.) and then just hang out for a bit. If you are concerned about your child having a hard time with you stopping by and then leaving without him/her, try to schedule at a time they're most likely to be engaged in something exciting like outdoor, story time, etc. Even if your child throws a fit when you leave, it's still worth it for your peace of mind. You can never be too careful--even if you love the caregiver. It keeps them on their toes if they don't know when you might stop by.

First, I recommend talking to him to see if anything has happened/changed. It could be your child doesn't like a new staff member. Also, check with the licensing agency to see if there have been any complaints.

True Story: My sister went through the same thing with 3 of her kids. Suddenly, they didn't like their homebased sitter and they wouldn't say why. A surprise visit by the licensing agency revealed that the kids were being locked outside during the day and let in only for lunch and to use bathroom. My sister freaked and felt guilty for the longest time. She eventually found a great lady that she stayed with for years.

I'm really glad you noticed your child's behavior and are seeking out advice.