My first week back was better than I hoped.  Dropping Nolan off was ok - he didn't cry or get upset. I was very fortunate.  I was hoping it would be an easy transition.   It was hard working all day though because my mind kept wandering constantly. Pulling items from my memory about work was like dusting off memories of another life time & fighting with cobwebs.  It was very hard with little sleep.  He got up a few times during the night that week because he caught a cold at day care. He gets to nap during the day and I don't so that part has been VERY hard.  My husband's been great about starting supper and doing the dishes at night so I do not have as much to cope with.  I agree though spending time with Nolan is even better than before because we enjoy eachother so much because we missed eachother during the day.  All in all if I won the lottery I'd quit working but I'd keep Nolan in daycare part time  :)

It's hard - no doubts about it!  Nolan still gets up at night and if he does sleep during the night I still wake up in anticipation.  I really really feel comfortable with the women at the daycare. They all completely adore him and take such good care of him.  I see him light up when I drop him off and he makes an effort to go into their arms - I'm almost a little jealous  *laughs*  but it's good.  I think that makes  a huge difference.

Gina Li wrote:Hey Melanie, I'm glad to hear that Nolan's doing well in daycare! That must be a huge relief for you. I'm going back to work next month, and I have mixed feelings about it. Madeline is waking up at night now more than ever! I hope this phase will end by the time I go back. Well, as another friend of mine has reminded me, things will change again. I remember that every time Madeline developed a pattern, the pattern would change! LOL Take good care, Gina

Hey Gina,

Close to the 12 month mark the little ones go on another growth spurt and they also experience another level of seperation anxiety. She may also feel your anxiety about going back to work. If she has started cruising, pulling her self up or walking this will also disturb her sleep pattern for a bit.  The patterns definately change a lot... the best thing is just not to get too comfortable with any pattern b/c it will change again.  Good luck with the transition back to work.

 

I love the daycare I'm using in Richmond Hill.  They are awesome!  I feel so comfortable leaving him there and I think that makes a big differenct  :)

Anna Moldavski wrote:

Hello Everyone,

I'm Anna - a relatively new member of this fabulous community.

I am wondering if some of you could share with me your experiences of sending your boy/girl to an infant program at daycare.

I have started my search (my girl is 7 months now), but I honestly have no idea how a child could survive there.

For example, I doubt she will hold a spoon at 1 year, so will they feed her each time?

Will they dress her each time to go outside?

What about diaper changes?

What if daycare schedule does not match hers and she wants to sleep and eat at a different time?

Can someone shed some light on this for me?

Thanks!

Anna

 

 

Hi, Anna
All really, really valid and important questions. When interviewing day care providers, you should be asking ALL these questions. I put Naomi in daycare at a year, and even at a really young age, she preferred to feed herself (albeit it was always a messy affair) so I was worried that the daycare might actually try to control that and she wouldn't want to eat.
Anyways, I've had experiences with two daycares: Rocking Horse (she transitioned for a little over two weeks there) and Thornhill Woods Daycare (I moved her here as it was closer to my mom-in-law who could pick her up everyday.
http://www.rockinghorsedaycare.ca/
http://www.thornhillwoodsdaycare.com/
Here is what both did with infants (i.e. baby - 18 months) regards to your concerns:

FEEDING
========
Rocking Horse staff spoon feed the infants and make sure they eat. They don't really like kids making too much of a mess so they do their best to not let the infants hold the spoon and just let them hold bread or pasta. But attention is paid to each one to make sure they finish their meal.

Thornhill Woods Daycare also pays individual attention to the kids. They start with the proteins (chicken, meatballs (if child is alreayd eating a bit of solids), then veggies, and end with carbs which is in way, a good strategy so the child doesn't stuff themselves with just rice or pasta. They let the kids make a mess if they want to feed themselves and clean up after.

It is standard for daycares to give a parents a daily report of how much your child ate, how long she slept and how many diaper changes occurred and how many bowel movements they had.

DRESSING UP TO GO OUTSIDE
=========================
Absolutely, they will dress them up! It's up to the parents to provide hat and coat. Occasionally, there are differences in opinion on what is "cold" so it's important to make sure you give them instructions e.g. "make sure my kid is wearing a hat even if it's 18 degrees outside".
At Rocking Horse, in spite of having a large lovely playground, infants are left in their strollers when outside. At Thornhill Woods, the children get to play in the toy cars and house structures that are in the little playground. My little one wasn't walking at a year yet she was allowed to be on the ground (in toy cars etc) which was great fun for her.


DIAPER CHANGES
=========================
Most daycares (at least all those I interviewed) have a schedule on when diaper changes happen. Of course, if your child poops, then they won't wait till scheduled time to change him or her :-)

It is standard for daycares to give a parents a daily report of how much your child ate, how long she slept and how many diaper changes occurred and how many bowel movements they had.

SLEEPING SCHEDULE
============================
Ahhh, this was a BIG CONCERN for me as well. All daycares will eventually want to have all kids sleeping at the same time which is at about the noon hour, or after lunch. You need to tell them your child's sleeping schedule. At Rocking Horse, during transition, they knew her schedule (one morning nap and one afternoon nap) but tried to get her on their schedule. But she was cranky and upset by the time lunctime came around so their plan was to put follow HER schedule until she felt more comfortable with the caregivers. And they've done this with other kids.

Thornhill Woods daycare absolutely follows your child's schedule. At least, this is what they did during the period that Naomi started (she started at a year, and she is now two). Eventually, after a few months, (can't remember exactly when), she and all the kids in her room were sleeping after lunch.

It's been a while so I can't remember all the questions I asked daycares but here are a few:
- What if my child doesn't like the food that is served that day?
- What is your menu, and where is it cooked, where does it come from?
- If I give you bottled breastmilk, will you give it to her?
- What is your strategy if my child is crying and inconsolable?

Hope this helps!

Joanna