I know there was a post like this before but I can't find it. Anyway, I was wondering if any of you have ever put your child in daycare. I was considering it for my 2 yr old. He is just all over the place so I wanted to try to put him in daycare for a few hours a couple days a week. I just think he needs a break from mommy. I know some may think that the purpose of doing childcare is so that we can be home with kids and not have the burden of paying daycare. But I at least want to try it out to see how it goes. I talked with a home provider but I didn't let her know that I was a provider as well. I'm not sure if I will tell her either. She wouldn't let me know her rate. She actually told me that she doesn't have rates and that she sits with each family and comes up with a rate which was interesting. I wouldn't dare let a parent come up with the rate, I would probably go broke doing that. Well anyway, have any of you all done this with your kids?

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I sent my children to preschool 2 days a week. That way they get a break from Mommy being the authority and they get more social interaction with kids their exact age. Works for me!

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I might send my 3 year old to preschool but I would never put any of my own kids into daycare, thats why I do it myself.

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When my daughter is 3 I plan on putting her into preschool part-time, maybe 2 days a week. There is one within walking distance, so I will be able to walk the dck's over to drop her off and pick her up.

That's a couple years off now though.lol. The plan could change.

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I started my son in a preschool program a few days a week 3 months ago.

I looked at home daycares, for the price I wanted ,but I wasnt impressed. I got lucky and found a preschool program for a few dollars more that I am very happy with.

My son was bored at home with me. He would start acting up during the day. Even though we have cuddle time twice a day for at least an hour and half, where we would play and hug and cuddle. He also gets everything first, gets to choose what the kids eat for lunch. So getting attention wasnt an issue.

But since he has started school he acts better at home and he likes it and hes happy to go!!

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I will also put my daughter in preschool when she turns 3. I wouldn't put my daughter in daycare because for me it defeats the purpose of staying at home. Plus before I made the decision to stay at home we interviewed a couple of places and I was less than thrilled! Having said that I don't see anything wrong with giving him some time away from mommy to make new friends and get out of the house!

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Exactly!!!

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It sounds like your son did what mine is doing now. Attention is not an issue with him either. After reading that most people have their child in preschool, I just might wait til he turns 3 to put him in preschool...idk

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Never!
Perhaps you need to re-evalutate your current situation - maybe you are taking care of too many children?

You say "I just think he needs a break from mommy." Are you sure it's not the other way around? I don't mean to criticize, we all need a break from our children every now and then but to put them in Daycare?

It's time to sort out your priorities.

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I couldn't agree more.

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FWIW~ I put my own 2 yr old son in another daycare while I ran mine. I did have my priorities straight and knew it was the best thing for him.

He went to another daycare 2 days a week for half days. He needed to experience a bit of independence without his mother hovering nearby and he was one of those kids that respnded well to others but not necessarily to me since I was(am) his mother. As providers we all can attest to how differently children behave for their parents compared to a provider/teacher etc.

It had nothing to do with me not being able to handle my child or his ability to learn and behave but it did have everything to do with the fact that he needed a bit of space and he needed to be able to have something of his own.

Also, no matter what anyone says, we all treat our children a bit differently because they are ours and rather than fight with him continually about what hat mommy was wearing at the moment, I enrolled him in a child care center where he could have some friends, some space and a place where he was a regular child and not Miss C's son" or "mommy's little guy".

I can completely understand.

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My daughter had a rough time ever leaving me and had problems socially outside our home. When I would leave her with her grandparent she would have a screaming fit for an hour. Without hesitation I decided that it would be beneficial for her to go to preschool at 3. Over the summer she went to my friend's who is a SAHM one day a week to get her ready for school. When the first day of school rolled around she walked into the building like she had been going for years ...best decision i've ever made!

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One of my good friends runs a licensed daycare from her home like I do. We trade our children two days a week! My daughter is 18M and I feel that it's important for her to be able to function and be independent without me there. (Like PP, in the past she would just have meltdowns and not be able to do anything if I wasn't there). My son is 3 & is going to preschool two days a week as well.

I've been doing daycare for just over a year and we just started this daycare/preschool arrangement within the last month or so. While I made this career switch to be with my children, this is what works best for our family. Just do what you know is best for yourself & your child (and don't worry about anyone else's opinions).

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I started my home daycare so that I could be home with my kids. I realized that my 2 year old really needed one day to be away from mommy--to have someone else be the teacher, to be in a social situation away from his home. He started a kids day out program one day a week this fall and it has been wonderful. He is with my 6 days a week and at "school" 1 day. It is also my mom's preschool, so I feel really good about him being there. If it wasn't my mom's preschool, I probably would have waited until 3.

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Yes I am sure it is not the other way around. If I need a break, my husband takes over. What would be the problem with putting my child in daycare?

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Thanks for understanding!

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I couldn't disagree more!

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My daughter goes to preschool 2 afternoons/week. I've seriously considered sending her to daycare. Same as what Blackcat said, she responds well to others but she appears to be deaf to Mommy. And I do believe that good daycares have a lot to offer in terms of socialization. I know that I've done a good job - the preschool tells me so, and the other kids are great - but my daughter just doesn't show it on her own turf.

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I did come home to do daycare to spend time with my kids. But that being said there were reasons that have to do with "family time" that were not actually daytime hours. When I was working all the time things werent getting done like the laundry, dishes, school work,ect. So now I do all that stuff as I can throughout the day and I am able to spend the time with my family in the evenings.
My son goes to preschool 2 days a week and I dont feel one once of guilt about it. He needs it and I will totally admit that I need the break!

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If I felt the need to bring my child to a daycare, I would first find one i reallly liked. Then be upfront with them and let them know you are flexible. Maybe you can be a fill in for a parttime opening, maybe you will meet someone you can meet for play dates, or get a break in pay for filling those little slots??

I know I would accept another daycare providers child, especially if it was part time and flexible. I know if the child was sick they could stay home, I know holidays, etc will be expected off and know they they will respect me, ( i woudl hope!)

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Thank you.

I'm not against 3-4 year old PreSchool or 4-5 year old PreK for a few hours a week for same age socialization and education.

At 2 a baby still needs Mommy. I just hate to see work (of any kind) getting in the way of Motherhood.

I have an old fashioned opinion and am just stating it openly.

Taking on other people's children so that you can stay home with your own is great. Shipping your own to someone else so that you can take care of other people's children is just ironic. Sorry, I just don't get it.

(And no, I didn't have perfect angels for children but I didn't take care of more than 2 other children besides my own either.)

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I would want the other daycare to be on specific days, with regular hours, rather than a drop-in whenever they had an open spot that day. I would think it'd be harder for your child to get used to being somewhere else, and it'd be harder for you as the parent and daycare provider yourself, to arrange your own daycare schedule if you never knew exactly when you could bring your child to the other daycare.

I think it could be very beneficial for your child to attend another daycare a couple days a week, if you can find one accepting part timers. If you found one offering preschool for 2 yr olds that'd be an even bigger plus! The owner at my daycare/preschool had her daughter with her everyday at her daycare, and I really believe for their sakes, it would have been good for her to have gone to preschool somewhere else, or to a daycare for a few hours a week. She was the youngest in the family, and very babied. She wanted her mom to do everything for her, even the things we expected the younger toddlers to do by themselves, she had to have help with (at 5 yrs old). The rules meant nothing to her, because she felt the daycare was "hers", so rules shouldn't apply, and she thought the children should do everything she wanted them to because it was "her" place. She also wouldn't listen to me because her mom was there, and she seemed to think she shouldn't have to listen to anyone except mom. When I'd be doing preschool, she'd be disruptive, run off everytime she didn't get his way, or decided she'd rather play than do whatever we were doing. She was not used to any other authority figures because she was always with her mom or dad, and she wasn't used to doing anything for herself because mom could do it for her, etc. When she got to Kindergarten, she had a rough time of adjusting to being out of her own territory, and being away from her mom.

Soo, long story short (sorry I got long winded), I think the owner's daughter would have adjusted better to Kindergarten and life outside daycare if she HAD had some time away from her mom and the daycare.

If the other daycare provider has children, and if you're honest about why you're looking for daycare, she may be interested in trading children a few hours a week. Meaning she'd take your son and you'd take her child. Just a thought....

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How does working get in the way of motherhood? I would not be shipping my child off to take care of someone else's child, perhaps you are replying to the wrong post because in no way did I say I wanted to put him in daycare to take care of another child...

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We had Avery in daycare for three and a half years... she did pretty well there and learned a lot. But i think she picked up a lot more bad habits from the large amount of kids in the daycare... its an interesting contrast between our twins being at home... we will see how it goes. Of course here im trying to get more kids to watch!

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My favorite set of parenting books ("Your X-Year Old" by Lousie Bates-Ames) basically says, in the "Your Three-Year Old" book, that preschool was invented for 3 year olds! They just need a break from home, mommy, routine. If I remember correctly, the two-year-old book even says that nursery school or playschool might be beneficial if the relationship is strained.

Kids are people too and sometimes just want/need to be around someone else for awhile...just like grown-ups. We need a change of pace and a change of scenery; why shouldn't they?

My 3 year (soon-to-be-4-year) old would be in preschool this year if I could have afforded it. Instead, my sister comes over twice a week with her preschooler and we do some homeschool-preschool, and sometimes my DD goes with them to do something fun, like the science museum. Works for us!

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I think she means that its ironic that you are looking into putting your own child into childcare when you are taking care of other children. Your own child may look at it as my mommy takes me somewhere else but other children get to stay with her-why can't I?

I know my own children and one in particular always feel the dck's seem to have their mom way more than they do. They are always hearing no don't do that while they are here, no we can't do that while their here, no I can't attend whatever while they are here, etc. Really make sure your child knows that the daycare children are not replacing them, especially if you decided to send them to another childcare or preschool.

Remember also, it doesn't seem like it but before you know it your child will be entering kindergarten. Take this time to nurture, love, and do everything in your power to let them be a child. Once they go to school, unless you have a helper or something, you will be missing out on tons of things they want you to come and do at the school with them.

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This was really a very very RUDE and un-called for post! You should be ashamed of your self!!

I have more I would like to say to you, But I am a better person and wont. All I have to say is KARMA!!

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If you were such a better person, you wouldn't have gone unregistered. Just sayin'

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See this is what I am talking about, people judging people. Joyce you are judging me! I am not registered because I CHOSE TO BE unregistered. Why does it bother you that I am unregistered? I could register and give a silly name like hummm days of our lives or maybe loving granny. So what would it matter?

So if your just sayin, then who ask you to say???

and lets see I will give myself a name...Just Saying!

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Just Saying () I agree.

I think there are many unregistered posters on this forum that have a lot of valuable advice, comments and helpful bits of info Just because I have a cute little cartoon cat next to my made up name doesn't mean my opinion should count any more or less than anyone else......especially if the unregistered poster ("Just Saying" in this case) is stating HER opinion. We ALL have that right. Registered or not.

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"Just Saying" says THANK YOU!! I don't have an image so I will use...RED ROSES...smiles

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We have universal pre-k here, and my ds goes. I work for an organization, and your own kids are required to put them out from when they are 2. For ds and I it has worked really well. He doesn't have a bunch of babies and little kids in his things, and when he comes home I can totally focus on him (he's out every day until 4:00 except Tuesdays when all the kids are home). He's 3.5 now and for us it has worked well. I also enjoy it. I like being able to focus on daycare / daycare kids while they are here, and on ds (and his big sisters), while they are here. No telling him to be quiet because babies are sleeping, no wanting him to leave the little kid toys alone or whatever. For me it has worked well, even though on paper it seems silly that I am sending my own 3yo out to care for other people's 1 & 2 year olds.

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