day care

[kate]

hi. my baby is 5 weeks old. i am going back to work soon, and we are doing day care. is 6 weeks too early to bring him in? 7 weeks? i feel guilty, but really have no choice. any comments? anyone doing day care? i will really appreciate any comments. thanks.

[ra11en]

I totally understand your feelings of guilt and trepidation. They are so tiny at that age, aren't they?

I was lucky enough to be able to wait till my daughter was 10 weeks old, but there were lots of other babies at the daycare that started at 6 wks. At our daycare, that is the soonest they will take them and it tends to be the average starting age in the nursery. Like you said, no choice. Sure you don't want to leave them that young, but you have to, as did I. I was extremely apprehensive, but the nursery attendants turned out to be so nice and comforting. They put me at ease, as much as they could anyway.

Good luck, and congrats on the little one. :)

[Emmy]

I know how you feel. I had to put my son in daycare when he was 10 weeks old. I cried the first time I left him there. However, over time, I really liked the daycare he was in and I felt completely comfortable with all his teachers. It also really helped with his social development as he got to see and interact with other babies all day. It was actually one of the best decisions I've ever made with him, even though it was so hard for me at first. Just make sure you feel completely safe and comfortable with the daycare you have chosen. Also, would it be possible for you to stop by during the first few days of going back to work to check up on him just to make sure he's okay? I was lucky because the daycare and my office were close enough that I was able to stop by and see him occasionally. Just do whatever you need to do to ease your mind, and I know this is hard, but don't feel guilty. You're going back to work to provide a financially stable environment so that your child can live a comfortable life. Good luck!

[rmschmitt49]

Agree with Emmy....I did a week of trial days...would leave my son there for a couple hours at first, then half a day, then a whole day before I went back to work. It also helped me get back into the routine of actually waking up and getting myself together for the day. By the time I had to go back to work, we had the morning routine down!!
Both my kids (and my 3rd when born) went back at 1 month old, since that's all the maternity leave I am able to take. Both adjusted very well, I think it was because I broke it in gently with both of them so they were used to the nursery/day care setting before being away from me for a straight 8 hours.

[Sullie06]

This is one of the issues that's been stopping us from conceiving. We are going to have no choice but to start our baby in daycare at 6 weeks (we are not pregnant yet, hopefully soon). It's a scary thought because of how little they are and how much they need you but sometimes you have to do what you have to do.

We have started researching daycare facilities already.

[kaiya23]

It is scary. And you'll cry as much as your child when you leave, at least for the first few weeks.

They will take them at 6 weeks generally, but make sure your baby has shots first. And be prepared for him picking up a sniffle or cough during the first month. It's usually harmless, and he'll get used to the environment after a little while, but get the aspirator ready.

I had the great opportunity to be able to go on an extended lunch break during my daughter's first week of daycare where I could go feed her and cuddle. I think it helped the transition. Go ahead and give him a week of half days...go grocery shopping, get some new work clothes, just take a bath.

It's helped us too to have a daycare that is within a 5-10 minute drive both from my workplace and our home. It helps to ease the distance that you can sense once you're away from the baby. And it makes it easy if the baby should ever be sick and you have to go get him.

Look for a center that is formatted as a learning center. They are great because the teacher in the baby's room has care of up to 5 babies (no more I think) and only has to manage the schedules of the babies, not older kids. Each room is divided to similar age groups...my daughter just started in the first toddler room, where they no longer sit in high chairs and they will learn how to eat with utensils. They will move her on to the next room when she starts to show signs for potty training. It's just a great setup and they can monitor kids much closer than when all the kids are in the same room together.

[APEMBERTON]

I Am Sorry You Have To ,but When You Have No Choice It Is Def. Not Too Soon. They Are So Sweet & Little & I Don't Blame You For Feeling Guilty , But In Time It Will Get Better. Whether You Are Taking Him In For School Reasons Or Work You Are Doing The Best For Him In The Long Run So Remind Yourself Of That!! Good Luck!!!

[Mommy2Beans]

It is a scary thing to leave your newborn with someone else. I was lucky enough to say home with my dd for 9 months (she's 11 now) but that didn't make taking her to daycare any easier. Luckily I had a couple in mind that I had heard rave reviews about. We checked all of them out (unannounced) and picked the one we felt most comfortable with. I also looked all the centers up on the social services website. I live in Va and we have a link on our social services site that gives all the inspection dates, violations (if any) and what was done to correct the problem. It also lists the centers certifications, CPR, Med Aid etc. We took her p/t for a week before I started working. My dh dropped her off (I wasn't ready for that yet!) and I picked her up. It made us more comfortable and she had a much easier transition that I think she would have had we left her 40+ hours a week. She is not in daycare now as I am looking for a better job but she will be going back as soon as I find one. Good luck and try not to feel guilty, most of us here understand how you feel.