Transition to daycare is hard on both the parents and kids. You're so accustomed to spending time with your little one, but since you have to go back to work and your child needs a caregiver, consider sending them to daycare. Once you take your child to a daycare center, you'll spend the entire day thinking about your baby.
Are they doing fine? Are they enjoying the stay? Do they miss you? Do they have enough food or milk? Are their diapers changed? It's inevitable that you'll go through all kinds of emotions and thoughts during your first week. You can make it easier for you and your baby by doing the following.
Select a Good Daycare Center
You need to feel confident that your child is in a safe and caring environment even when you're at work or school. The only way to accomplish this is to thoroughly vet the daycare centers. Pick one that meets most if not all of your selection criteria.
Ask for a Transition Week
Typically, you'll have a few months of maternity or paternity leave. Before your leave lapses, set aside the last week or two as the transition period into daycare. It gives you time to prepare for anything, and you'll be at home in case your baby needs you.
You can agree on a transition week schedule with the daycare center. The schedule will allow you to gradually increase the time spent in the center every day. This means that on the last day of the week, your child will have spent at least one full day in the center.
If you haven't exhausted your leave days, you can use the second week to watch how your child adapts to being away from home the entire day. Also, during the week, you can shop for new clothes, shoes and anything else you'll need to get back to work or school.
Confront Your Feelings
Of course, you'll feel guilty, jealous, and anxious about dropping off your baby at a daycare center and going off to work. It's normal to feel jealous that someone else is spending more time with your child.
It's normal to wonder if your child will become more attached to caregivers than you. After some time, your child will begin to enjoy spending their day at the daycare, and that's alright. You'll be emotional about it, and the best way to confront these feelings is to talk to someone. Talk to your partner, parents, friends, or other parents who have been through the same experience.
Share23 July 2021
Welcome to my blog. My name is Eddie, and I love to talk about technology, but I also love old fashioned fun. That includes anything, from playing hopscotch, to telling stories, to knitting, to gardening. I have three grand kids, and I see them immersed in an exciting world where they can explore those old fashioned things but also immerse themselves in technology. It truly doesn't have to be one or the other. I am very interested in child care centers that have found interesting ways to blend both of these categories. I wanted to foray a bit more into the tech world myself so decided to create this blog. I hope you like its ideas and facts.