Experience with eating at daycare

[Anonymous]

My 14 month old daughter is starting daycare next week and I have so much anxiety right now. This is her first group setting as she's been home with grandma. We took her in today to meet the teachers and other kids. She played happily until I walked out of the room for the few minutes and cried looking around for me. It broke my heart! However, my main concern is whether she will eat at daycare. She is a horrible eater, and I feel like we have to force her to eat at every meal at home. We still spoon feed her as she is not good with table food and still eat puree. We literally have to turn on baby music on YouTube for her to eat. And even then she would take forever. I'm worried that she will not want to eat at daycare. I just wanted to see if anyone else has a difficult to feed toddler and whether they ate better at daycare and also how long did it take for them to transition? Thank you for sharing for experience!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My 14 month old daughter is starting daycare next week and I have so much anxiety right now. This is her first group setting as she's been home with grandma. We took her in today to meet the teachers and other kids. She played happily until I walked out of the room for the few minutes and cried looking around for me. It broke my heart! However, my main concern is whether she will eat at daycare. She is a horrible eater, and I feel like we have to force her to eat at every meal at home. We still spoon feed her as she is not good with table food and still eat puree. We literally have to turn on baby music on YouTube for her to eat. And even then she would take forever. I'm worried that she will not want to eat at daycare. I just wanted to see if anyone else has a difficult to feed toddler and whether they ate better at daycare and also how long did it take for them to transition? Thank you for sharing for experience!

I've found that kids will eat better if there are other kids eating at the same time. DD always ate easier at daycare with her friends than she did at home, our provider served the kids home cooked foods (she provided meals and snacks as part of her program).

[Anonymous]

same as pp, my kids (and super-picky nephew) all eat very well at daycare, way better than at home. Seeing the other kids eating X food seems to make them more willing to try it, and being really active, they have an appetite I'm sure your girl will be fine.

[Anonymous]

Totally agree with PPs. My DS is a decent eater at home but eats a variety of foods at school he will not touch at home. The group eating is so wonderful. He eats well at school and I am less worried when he is pickier at home. It is actually been one of the best parts of our daycare experience!

[Anonymous]

My kid ate everything at daycare. If the kids eat together, it creates the good kind of peer pressure.

Also, in terms of separations, never sneak out. Drop your kid off, cheerfully tell her you will see her at X time, and then leave. Keep the routine short, simple, and consistent. (Even if she cries--the odds are excellent that she will stop crying shortly after you leave.)