Reply to Your <6 Month Old Infant in Daycare

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[quote=Anonymous]OP - where are you, and how many weeks do you have left of mat leave?  Please tell me you've already reserved a spot somewhere... infant spots in this area are notoriously hard to get.  Unless things have changed in the past 3 years, in which case, ignore!

What age did you put your child in daycare? 10 weeks (center based)
What time of year was it? (Spring, Fall, Summer, Winter) Spring
How big was the class size? Maybe 4-6 babies in the "little babies" room, with another 4-6 in the "big babies" room (aka mobile babies)
How often did your children get sick in the infant class during that first year? Never?  In the first year, DD got ONE ear infection, that was it.  DH and I, on the other hand, picked up EVERYTHING that ran through the infant room... pinkeye in both eyes, strep, every little cold, you name it.  It was crazy, but it was only the first year.  After that, we are back to healthy :-)
Do you feel that your child got enough 1-on-1 attention in the class group setting? Yes.  The infant ratio is 1:4 I think?  When she started smiling and cooing and acting happy to see the DCPs, it made us feel a lot better.  She also has grown up, literally, with other kids her same age, which is nice.  3 years later, she's still in class with some of those kids that were infants together.  She's pretty socially in-tune, and I can only assume it's because she spends so much time in a larger social group.
How difficult was the separation for you as mom, how did you cope?  It was not that hard for me, but probably because DH always did drop off.  When I left in the AM to go to work... I was leaving DD with DH, which was not hard.

I feel like it was so hard to judge real "first" - I mean, first step.  How do you actually categorize this attempt = not a step, and that one = a step!  DH and I were pretty laid back about the milestones in general, so is it possible she said her first "real word" or took her first "real step" at daycare?  Yes... but we're not losing sleep over it.  We still got to watch her develop those skills, and that was fun too.

DH was not comfortable with in home daycare unless it was someone we knew, and we don't know anyone who does that.  Combine that with our sorta weird work hours, and a center made the best sense for our family.  It's nice in that they only close 1 day per year that DH or I don't already have off (MLK maybe?  We're not feds).  We don't have to worry about their vacations, sick days, etc.  They have (not in the infant room of course) exposed her to soccer and yoga and all kinds of stuff.  It's great.

The first time I showed up and DD ran AWAY from me crying because she wanted to play on the playground WITH HER FRIENDS (she was 2) completely absolved me of any lingering guilt.  If you find a quality center, and it's a good fit for your family, the DCPs just become part of the village for you (in that whole "it takes a village" scenario).  Also, the transition to Pre-K is pretty much a non-issue... yes, she's moving to a different room, but that new room is already full of her friends that are a few months older than her.  The transition to full-day K will be a non-issue aside from the "it's a different school" thing.[/quote]

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