5 Month Old Son Just Started Daycare

Updated on November 12, 2008
J.B. asks from San Angelo, TX
6 answers

I work night shift and have been keeping my son home with me during the day. But as he has gotten older and is sleeping less during the day I had to start him in daycare. After lots of searching I found a in home daycare that seems great and the lady is extremely nice and professional. He has been to daycare two days now and both days when I pick him up he seems to be in a zone or a blah mood. He is usually a very happy smiling baby. It also seems to take him a while to recognize who I am. I was just wondering if this is a normal adjustment to starting day care and he will soon become himself again or if there is something more going on. I am also afraid that I am going to miss so much and he is going to forget me.

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So What Happened?

Well, thanks for everyone's comments and concerns but it seems like my son just needed to get adjusted and his mother even more so. Friday of last week he smiled at me when I went to go pick him up and the other day when I went to get him he was laughing and playing. Come to find out he was sleeping well the first few days because the other babies crying scared him and he would cry too.

More Answers

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K.R.

answers from Houston on

It sounds to me like there might be something up. GO with your gut instinct and take him out. God forbid she is putting something in his bottle, like benadryl or something....

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A.P.

answers from Houston on

Get Your child out of that daycare. go with your gut feeling. Your child should not be acting like this. You should take a look at this website not to scare you but to make you aware. It's her myspace page and she tells her story to the world to educate mothers and prevent what happen to her baby by the hands of a caregiver from happening to your child.

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.view...

You can read about Baby Kaleb and his story on what happened when his mom picked him up from daycare and he seemed out of it. Just look at it and watch the video you will get your child out of there asap! let me know what you do.....

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C.B.

answers from El Paso on

By the sounds of it, something is not right. Your baby should not act different when you pick him up. You should probably check into it a little more. I personally, if it was an absolute must, would put my child in a daycare that is checked by the state. I have found a great daycare that my son is extremely happy in and I can make random visits and they are always doing something productive. The thing that scares me about home daycares is that you never know what is going on behind closed doors. Sorry this is not more positive! If you would like more information on building a business from home, where it is possible to replace your existing income, please feel free to contact me anytime. It has worked wonders for me and my family...I am getting ready to take my son out of daycare and enjoy spending my days with him!!

C. B.
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W.C.

answers from San Antonio on

I did exactly this for the same reasons that you have mentioned. I also started my own in-home daycare by the time my daughter was 18 months, because of the same fears.
One thing that helped me was speaking with my supervisers. I was about to talk them into a 4day work week (10hour days). This worked beautifuly for our family and my husband is currently working that same shift (4on3off) now that I am a stay at home mom. I worked Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday. My husband worked Monday-Friday. This way we were able to cut our daycare needs down to one day a week. (Monday) It really has a lot of benefits for ou and the company. It is worth a shot. Then you can decrease your time away from your little one.
Now, as a daycare provider, I had a 2week trial period, which I believe is pretty standard in the industry.The reason that I had this policy was because it CAN take upto 2 weeks for a family to adjust to a new provider. (And yes, it is the FAMILY that needs to adjust because it is a change for everyone. It is a lot of earning trust and becoming comfortable.) That being said, it has never taken an infant long to adjust in my daycare, infact infants are usually the easiest to adjust. If you are uneasy, I would suggest keeping him there until the end of the week and seeing how you feel then. If you are still leary, by all means switch providers, but please call and let your current provider know. It is perfectly ok to share your feelings with your provider.
The fact is that your son is and should make a connection with his new daycare provider. This is extreamly important and also one of the hardest things that you can do for him. You will miss things, but he will not forget you and you arre teaching him smething that many children don't have the privledge to learn until much later in life. He will have to opertunity to form bonds with other people besides yourself. After a week or so, I was absolutly sold on my daycare provider and I grew to love her like a member of our family. My daughter loved being at her house and I was proud that she was so adaptable and exepting of others. I did have they all of the same fears that you shared here. The first day I was inconsolable when I dropped her off. I thought, "What did I just do? I don't know what is going on in that house." I had to just open my heart and trust that I had made the right choice.
You are doing a good thing and doing what you have to do by working. I hope this works out for you and your family.

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J.T.

answers from Victoria on

My son played his little heart out the first week at daycare. He was so tired when I went to pick him up. Does your son recognize you after his evening nap? If he just seems odd all evening then yeah something might be wrong. Starting kids in daycare usually means that there going to get sick. If he seems like he is getting a cold then take him to the doctor. I serisouly doubt that a certified daycare would be slipping anything into his drink. Did she have you sign a handfull of papers? Make sure she is approved by the state if you are actually consirned about her. But it sounds more like the mommy blues. I was sad and scared when I first left my son at daycare. The first day he came back he held his own bottle. I love that she helps me keep him on track for his age. I would totally baby my baby if she werent there to help me. Let us know what you decided. Hope he is doing great.

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M.R.

answers from Austin on

That's really scary that he is not recognizing you and seems out of sorts. I would look into that further and ask the other Moms if they notice the same thing. Sounds like something is NOT right.

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