I'm nervous about putting my 6month old in daycare.?

Answer 1

I would be to I didnt put my daughter in daycare/pre-k until she was 4 and was able to fully comunicate!
Research and shop around and find one your comfortable and dont just visit 1x or more than 1x at the same time trying going at diffrent times to catch them off guard

Answer 2

I do not blame you because 6 month's is a little young. Did you check out the school to see if it's safe? That's what you should do.

If you really have to put him/her in daycare check the school out however, if you could stay home with your child for a little while longer that is even better. I am a very paronoid mother and I do not trust no one with my children because of all these bad people these days.

I have a 3 year old and she just started Pre-k this year and I feel that she is in a safe school because I did some investigation first. I refuse to put my daughter anywhere... The good thing is I was able to stay home with her until she was older but not every can do the same...

Do not worry, your little one will be fine as long as you feel the school is a good school. If you have doubts find some place else... (Good Luck)!!!!!

Answer 3

as a full-time working mom...don't be nervous about. Research your daycare facility first before putting them into it. Go meet with people there, while taking your child. See how they will interact with other kids. I didn't put my daughter in until she was 2 years old. That was hard because she was older. The younger the better. Before putting my child into daycare, she was shy and didn't want anything to do with people. She's now 4 and she's very interactive with people and is so friendly. She has tons of friends too. She LOVES going to daycare! She only goes 2 days a week though because that's all we can afford.
Another thing, our daycare is also a preschool during the school year.

Answer 4

I don't blame you. I think 6 months is better than 6 weeks. If you have to put your baby in daycare, check on him/her during your lunch break. Concentrate on the positives that daycare will provide like extra money to be able to meet your child's needs and the socialization.Make the most of the time you will have with him/her.
My daughter is 1 and I would love to put her in daycare part time but I would have to pay full time prices and I can't afford it even if I go back to work part time. I really feel that she would thrive at daycare at this point.

Answer 5

You are right to be nervous. That's nature telling you that this is a terrible idea. Listen to your instincts!

Here's why you're nervous: when a baby enters day care before age five, and especially before age one, the father is less approving, the mother is less attached, the iq is lowered, social skills are impaired, school performance will be impaired, depression and anxiety are more likely. And that's just the research on the stuff they can measure.

Here's the stuff that's harder - in the first year of life, the mommy must be available on demand for a baby to form the opinion that the world is a safe, reliable place and that his/her own actions count. Imagine your baby crying for you in day care. You never come. The baby learns 1) you don't care 2) you are unreliable and 3) the baby learns he/she cannot get what he/she needs using his own methods. People think when a baby stops crying, the baby is happy in day care, but this is wrong. A baby stops crying because it sees crying doesn't work. It gives up. It learns helplessness.

When a baby is away from his/her mother, his/her brain floods with stress hormones. This is evolutionarily determined - a baby without a mommy is in grave danger from the sabre tooth tiger, no? So, the stress hormones flood the brain - actual research has been done on this - and guess what - learning is impaired, and the baby is harder to calm down.

A one on one relationship with someone who is always there (we used to call that mommy) is necessary for the child to learn to attach well. Day Care centers typically will change out your child's caregiver many times in his/her young life. This puts their ability to bond at HUGE risk - as you can see from America's overflowing with sociopaths condition...

Also, the one on one relationship between mother and child is the basis of discipline. When you totally let your child down by not giving him/her what she needs most - you - they no longer have only a desire to please you. They also have anger at you.

In the 14 years since my son was born and I quit work because I saw that he was desparately unhappy without me (and he was with daddy! who doted on him), I've watched many little kids go off to day care. Invariably, their family is not close, the kids are constantly being sent away when the parents get home from work because they are so exhausted, and the kids over and over came to my house and told me how much they hated day care.

It's a lousy way to grow up, a lousy way to spend your time, and it's a way that has nothing to do with the biological needs of human infants and toddlers.

Being nervous about destroying your baby's happiness shows you are at least paying attention. Now, you need to find a way to give your baby what she/he is expecting from you - a real mom.

Answer 6

I understand your nervousness. I worked in child care/day care for 12+ years, so I know both sides. My first child starting attending day care when she was 6 mns. too. And let me tell you I cried like a baby while she whimpered for a second and then went to playing. Sure if it was a magical world all of us whom wanted to stay home with our child would, However... I know that is sometimes not even close to an option. My first piece of advise is to be involved.. day care, school, etc. the more the teachers know you the easier it will be to communicate. And really focus on the positives... your child will learn to interact with others, they will learn social skills, they will learn routine, they will develop a more tolerant immune system, and if you have chosen a good center they will gain and extended family, not to mention much more.

I have not worked in a center in 5 years now and I still communicate with the families of the children that were in my classes. It is like they are nieces and nephews of mine.
Just like everything in life you have to take the good with the bad... There are plenty of parents out there that had kids to say they have kids and those poor children are at day care every hour of every day that they can possibly be there. Sad I know but it's the truth.
I am not saying my child did not have bumps from playing at day care or have an occasional ear infection. However, I think that overall it has helped her be the outgoing, adaptable, personable child that she is today. Besides being nervous is natural.. your child is your million dollar prized possession that can not be replaced. That's what makes you mom!

Good Luck!!! If you've done your homework on the center and have chosen them...then I am sure it will be fine :-)

Answer 7

I would be nervous too!! Our babies get sick all the time ( yes even in the nice daycare's) they don't get ALL the attention that they need, and third if you are leary in any way, go with your Mother's intuition and don't do it. It was giv'n to us for a reason. Go with a nanny, they will take better care of your baby than any daycare could. I use to be a nanny and am a mom now, and daycare's have always made me sick!!.... Go to "www.greataupair.com", you can find a nanny anywhere you want :)

Answer 8

I was nervous about putting my twins in daycare, but I couldn't afford to be a stay at home mom as I am a single mom and need to work. I was very lucky to find a daycare registry that had only licensed daycares on their roster. I contacted them, told them the area that I wanted to stay in, what my requirements were and they sent me a list of names. I only wanted in-home providers so that is all I got.
I contacted and interviewed the ones that I got a good vibe from over the phone and found the perfect place.
The best thing about my daycare provider is that she understands that I can be a paranoid, overprotective mom sometimes and she doesn't mind it one bit if I call her every hour on the hour if one of them is sick. She talks to me about what they do during the day, what they ate, how they slept, etc.
Once you find someone that you are comfortable with have someone you trust (sister, friend, etc) go with you to meet with them and see if they get the same vibe as you do.
Good luck! Don't feel bad about going back to work....not everyone is fortunate to be able to stay at home with their children. It isn't a bad thing to put your child in daycare!!!

Answer 9

I don't blame you! Is there ANY other alternative?? Too many germs, sharing bottles & pacifiers. Strangers won't take care of your baby like you or a relative would.
I'm sorry, I know you're nervous and looking for comfort. If this is your ONLY option, then sneak up on the daycare workers when they're not expecting you and see how your baby is being treated.

Answer 10

6 mos. is a luxury for some people. Both of my kids started at 6 weeks old. It took several tries before we found a good match at a Word of Faith organization with one of the worse experiences being a day care offered through a nearby catholic church. The WOF center was full so we had to temporarily bring him to the nearby church group. Less than a week later we bring my infant son home to find remnants of glitter in his diaper. Never went back. Don't know why the glitter was there and don't care. Despite being full, the WOF center immediately accepted him when they found out what had happened. That infant is 15 years old, a honor student and accomplished musician. My oldest son is a sophomore in college and has done well also.

I credit the day care for providing them with the early education experience and at least the beginning of their early social skills. By the time they started real school they we both comfortable in school settings and never had problems interacting with others of all races.

You do have to choose wisely. People spend more time picking out a new car then making life altering decisions. Visit the centers, contact referrals, pop in unexpectedly at different times to get a sense of what goes on and most of all: relax and forgive yourself for having to place them in daycare. Volunteer when you can. The older kids frequently took field trips and I can say I was able to enjoy a few of them. Again it will give you a good idea of what goes on. It is not all negative and like I said, I credit the day care experience with easing my kids into more complex social settings like High School.

Answer 11

This was one of the deciding factors for me when I grudgingly had to use a daycare: invitation to WALK IN unannounced.
The lady told me I could walk into her home ANYTIME (during business hours). No appointments were made for interview- just told me to pop by. I did- 3 times- different days and times. This made me feel good about leaving him there. There were other factors as well, but this really made me feel good- no one else said the same to me that had a home based care center.