Son Doesn't Seem to like Daycare

We've got my daughter on a blend. I think that daycare can be a lot of fun and stimulating, but 5 days a week of full time daycare can be too much for them. I have my daughter in daycare 3 days a week and home with me 2 days a week. I still have to work from home those 2 days, so have a very affectionate nanny here for those two days. My daughter ADORES her nanny, and gets a ton of one-on-one attention from her. I work from her playroom so see her all through the day and we have lunch together and she naps on my lap while I continue to work on my computer.

I think staff turnover is probably the biggest issue there. Familiarity and routine is what children do well with, in my opinion, and frequent changes in his care givers at school might be part of the problem. I don't think he is too young. Our son had about six months out of school, from age 9 to 15 months when we moved from California to Colorado. Everywhere we went and he saw other children, he was SO happy and excited.

You might look at a different school. Check to see if there is a Lutheran church in your area that has day care for the little one. And, they tend to have LOW turnover rates. Religion aside (I am not Lutheran) they have excellent programs for small children. Our boy is three now, and has been going to the same school since July 2008. The teaching staff that was there when he started is still there now. One teacher left, but given the state mandated student/teacher ratio, the school did not need to replace her. So, for almost two years our son has seen the same teachers five mornings per week. I think that has been the key to our success, based on what I have heard from friends with children at "chain" schools.

BTW, because the schools run through the Lutheran church are NON-profit, the tuition is relatively cheap. Full time at our school is about 800 per month, which is a bargain.

Good luck.

i used to be a 2 year old teacher at a learning center, and i can say, that is very normal. 2 is just a very manipulative age. a lot of them freaking out when you leave is really a show. I know that sounds mean, but i have seen tons of kids do it and they are fine once they know that mommy or daddy is gone. After nap is also not unusual. especially if he is getting woken up and is not naturally waking up on his own. a lot of us are grumpy when we first wake up! if it is not a requirement for him to go to daycare, then i would suggest maybe dropping it to half days or only 2-3 days a week. that may help! he may just not be ready for the long days.

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My son use to do that, and of course I worried, but I had to work so staying at home with me was not an option. Very soon came the next stage, which was I'd come to pick him up at the end of the day and he wanted to stay longer so he could play more. Mind you, he was still crying when I left him there in the morning. (If I watched from a window where he couldn't see me, he'd be over it in less than 5 minutes). It's a confusing age.

I would advise you to drop by unexpectedly couple of times without the teachers seeing you and watch your son interact or how he's been communicated with. Do you personally like the teachers, is it a clean comfortable place, do th teachers offer to take the child from you and hug him to comfort him when you leave?
I switched Daycare of my son when he was about 1 yrs old, he always got sick there and he was there only 1 a week. He always had dirty nose, they never wiped any of the kid's noses, discusting no wonder everyone was sick!
Then I go to take a peek at my son in t he new daycare, he is crying histrerically ALONe on the floor while two teachers are watching unshaken and the other kids eating lunch. My son is crying unconsolable. I am standing there in disbelief, the teacher picks him up and washes his hands , no emotion, he is more upset, back on the floor. I just got in there and got him. I was pretty upset myuself seeing what I saw, thank god I was there. it's hard to imagine that people can be so harsh and stupid.
That teacher is no longer there, she left on herown, always rude and talking down to kids. I moved my son to another room asap that week and he's fine
So yes, be present and ask lots of questions when picking him up.
Good luck

I agree with some of the other posts, however both my kids have been in daycare since they were 6 months old. I selected to put them at a daycare home, instead of a center, which has been wonderful. This year, my 3 1/2 year old started preschool and he loves it. I think home daycares are great for little ones and some give exactly the same curriculum as a center, without the staff turnover and the craziness of the amount of children that you usually have at a center. A home daycare is more one on one, is usually less traumatic due to the environment, and I think if you're having doubts, you may want to try it. They are usually less expensive as well and from my experience, I am glad I did that instead of a daycare center. Good luck.

You mentioned that there are staff turnover issues. Does he have the same "teacher" or has that recently changed? My experience with daycare is that there is no one "teacher", but there are several caregivers that work together. He may have been very fond of one in particular and if she's gone, he could be suffering a loss.

It's possible that this just isn't the right daycare for him.

if there is a huge staff turnover issue, the teachers are obviously underpaid and/or unhappy which will affect the kids negatively as well. try to find a different daycare and see if that doesnt solve the problem. its hard but you need to find a good daycare where the kids look happy, teachers stay a long while, etc. i had similar issues with my 6-month old when we put him in daycare. we waited a month and when he still would cry all day every day, we pulled him out and put him into a different daycare that had glowing reviews from parents and he adjusted in a week! he was smiling and waving goodbye to us! so definitely do ur research on daycares and see if that isnt the issue. good luck!