Does anyone do daycare drop off and pickup? Is it miserable?

[Anonymous]

We are thinking about switching from a nanny to a daycare. Below would be my schedule. Crazy?

4 days a week
8:00-drop off kids
9:00-arrive at work
3:30-leave work
4:30-pick up kids

Day 5-telecommute from home so still do dropoff and pickup, but have no commuting.

Before I agree to this, I thought I would try to get some real life perspective. Thank you.

[Anonymous]

I do both drop off and pick up (earlier and later than you) and it's not a problem.

[Anonymous]

I do both dropoff and pickup. Our schedules is 5 days a week:

9:00 drop off kids and go to work (work is nextdoor to my daycare)
6:00 leave work and pick up kids

It can get wearying, I can tell you. But I really never have done anything different so I don't have anything to compare it to, so I just do it, ya know? It is a cumultative wearying experience, so, by the end of the week, I'm pretty much spent, but, like I said, this is just what we've always done so I am used to it.

I will say this much: the time in car has been good for DC and me. I feel a lot closer to them than DH does and I really do think it has been good quality time for us.

Good luck.

PS From what I can tell, looking around at the other families at daycare, most other families have one parent doing both dropoff and pickup as well. I think that's b/c usually one parent works significantly closer than the other one. For example, my DH works downtown and ourdaycare (and my office) are both in Tysons. But we chose it that way on purpose, so, maybe diff. strokes for diff. folks.

[Anonymous]

I do both - drop off at 8:30 and pick up at 5:30. Sometimes DH does one or the other, but usually it's me. It's tiring but you do get used to it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are thinking about switching from a nanny to a daycare. Below would be my schedule. Crazy?

4 days a week
8:00-drop off kids
9:00-arrive at work
3:30-leave work
4:30-pick up kids

Day 5-telecommute from home so still do dropoff and pickup, but have no commuting.

Before I agree to this, I thought I would try to get some real life perspective. Thank you.

That's fine - that's nothing. It will be a breeze.

[Anonymous]

I do both. 8:30-5:30 as well.

I'm a single parent, so I didn't have a choice. I agree that it does get tiring, but you do get used to it.

We sing and talk in the car, sometimes take the Metro to shake up the routine, sometimes stop at a restaurant on the way home just because. If we take the Metro, some days we'll walk to a different stop and chase squirrels or eat snacks at a park on the way.

Our commute is about 45min, so it makes for a very long day, but it was the best option at the time (we're moving closer this month).

[Anonymous]

I do drop-off only though I have done pickup a couple times. It's not terrible for me but I am currently working at home so that makes things a ton easier.

A couple thoughts:
- I assume you work a part-time schedule or if you work 40 hours will be working in the evenings? I think working in the evening to get to 40 hours would take its toll on me (if that's relevant and different from what you're doing now)
- For me, drop-off usually takes 15 minutes. Park the car, walk DS to the classroom, put bottles and other food away, fill out the report on when he woke up, was last fed and last changed, get him settled, walk back to the car, and leave. pickup takes less time but you may want to talk to the DCP, hear about the kids day, etc.. So you may need to factor in some extra time on both sides if you haven't already. I guess I am saying, "9am arrive at work" may be more like 9:15.

Tons of people do it, it's really just about what works for you and your family.

[Anonymous]

This is OP. Thanks everyone for the feedback. To answer the PP question, I would work a 32-hour week, so no work for me in the evenings, just short 6-hour days 4 days a week and then a full 8 hours on telecommute day.

[Anonymous]

Maybe I am missing something, but why would it (should it) be miserable?

I do both drop off and pick up for my 4 y.o. and have been doing that since she first went to daycare at the age of 3 months. Now we also have a baby, and DH does drop off and pick up for her (so I am fully in charge of the 4 y.o. and he's in charge of the baby - it just works out better that way for us, logistically). The only downside is that it doesn't leave much wiggle room in your schedule, so for me it sometimes means work from home in the evening.

[Anonymous]

My only concern -- and it may not apply to you/your job -- is that by doing both, you give yourself no room to ever go to work early or stay late should you have to. Sometimes it's important to have at least a little flexibility.

[Anonymous]

I think it's not that it will necessarily be miserable, but for someone who's used to having a nanny come to the house, it will be an adjustment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Maybe I am missing something, but why would it (should it) be miserable?

I do both drop off and pick up for my 4 y.o. and have been doing that since she first went to daycare at the age of 3 months. Now we also have a baby, and DH does drop off and pick up for her (so I am fully in charge of the 4 y.o. and he's in charge of the baby - it just works out better that way for us, logistically). The only downside is that it doesn't leave much wiggle room in your schedule, so for me it sometimes means work from home in the evening.

I am not sure why it would be miserable either? Anyway, I do it every day. Drop off at 7 at work by 710. Pick up 355. Home by 420.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Maybe I am missing something, but why would it (should it) be miserable?

I do both drop off and pick up for my 4 y.o. and have been doing that since she first went to daycare at the age of 3 months. Now we also have a baby, and DH does drop off and pick up for her (so I am fully in charge of the 4 y.o. and he's in charge of the baby - it just works out better that way for us, logistically). The only downside is that it doesn't leave much wiggle room in your schedule, so for me it sometimes means work from home in the evening.

I think it depends on your commute and schedule. For me, it gets exhausting. Daycare pickup and dropoff add an extra 30min each at least. And while I enjoy the time with DC in the car, talking and singing, some days I'd give just about anything to have those 45min of driving to myself, to decompress from my work day. Esp on days that I'm cranky or DC is cranky or those awful days when we're both cranky and traffic is horrendous and yes, I know you're hungry and no, I don't want to listen to that song for the 135796th time.

And bringing work home in the evenings is a PITA sometimes, esp when it's something that will only take 45min or so and it hangs over my head all evening. If I had someone else able to do pickup, I could have knocked out that 45min at the office and then gone home and relaxed. It just makes the day seem like it will never end when I know I have to sit back down to work after doing dinner, bath, bedtime, and cleanup. I'm absolutely grateful for the ability to leave on time and finish work at home, but it does make for a long day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I do both - drop off at 8:30 and pick up at 5:30. Sometimes DH does one or the other, but usually it's me. It's tiring but you do get used to it.

Same here. 2 miles from both home and work which helps a lot.

[Anonymous]

I do both - single parent. I drop off 5 minutes from home at around 8, pick up at 6, 15 minutes from work. No problem, man.