My baby boy is 14 months old. I need to start working again. Should I take him to the kids day-care center?

Question

I'm afraid this is not the best for my kid..., but I'm not sure, could you please help me with some tips to make this easier for my baby boy?

Answer 1

Wow, I am sorry you need to go back to work. If it is NOT for financial reasons then maybe you could put it off a while Sounds like your mommy sense has kicked in about daycare.
I decided to live with less money & with an older car that did not cost extra for insurance, less clothes/gas/lunches because you are not leaving the house everyday...NO child care expenses... and loss of my income ACTUALLY helped SAVE with OUR TAXES (c:

I did NOT want to leave my son with a babysitter of any type until he was OLD ENOUGH TO tattle on her (c:

Answer 2

I'm a stay at home mom and I couldn't bear to have someone watch my son. But my situation could be different than yours. I live in a very depressed area and the jobs that are here wouldn't pay enough for me to even pay a sitter. I checked into it and the daycare centers are 150.00 a week. That's 600.00 a month! I don't know that I would go with in-home care unless I knew the person very well. I just have a feeling that it would be easier to "cover up" things if they are not accountable to someone. In daycare centers at least they do have other people around and my son would definately have to ba able to talk well. It's a tough decision. Definately take your child there and let them play for about 15 min or so while you take a tour of the place. If they are not willing to do that then I wouldn't leave my child with them.

Answer 3

If you can find a good daycare center it will be great for your boy. Check out local daycare centers and go to visit the ones you like the sound of. Make sure they are properly accredited and so forth obviously.

A good daycare center will have a settling in period where you take him for longer and longer periods over a couple of weeks. At mine you were able to wait in their staff room and could go peek at your baby through a window to see how he was getting on. It was also nice to hear the staff chatting and get a sense of what kind of people were looking after my baby.

My little girl has been at daycare since she was six months old and she loves it. She positively wriggles with pleasure as I'm getting her out of the buggy at the nursery and she obviously gets a lot out of interacting with the other babies and adults.

I was initially upset that I couldn't stay home with my girl all the time, but now I really think it's the best thing for her and would want her to spend time there even if we could afford for me not to work.

They can offer her so much that I couldn't do at home or wouldn't want to. They have lots of lovely toys and allow lots of messy play which would be a pain at home! The first week she was there she got to play with shredded paper which thrilled her to bits - and I didn't have to clear up the mess afterwards! Since then she's done painting and 'made' us a calendar with paint and glitter.

You may indeed find that your baby catches colds and such-like from day care, but it can't be helped and will do him good in the long run by giving him immunity when he's older.

Answer 4

Day-care is a great way for your baby to learn how to interract with other kids and develop his social skills. My daugther has been in day care since she was three months old and she is a fabulous baby with the confidence and personality of an old soul. Babies love other babies so i'm sure that after a few days, your son will be totally fine. Day care is expensive though. My daughter's day care is $388 every two weeks! But the day care is a wonderful place with the nicest staff imaginable and the day care my daughter goes to is actually a learning center as well and will prepare her for school.

Research the particular day care facilities in your area and don't necessarily go for the cheapest one. Your baby is worth the extra bucks if that means he's going to be happy and safe.

Good luck.

Answer 5

The trick is to be consistent and do not give up!! The "naughty spot" has worked for me. The rule is 1 minute per year lived (2 years=2 minutes). You can choose any place in the house or just buy an inexpensive bath rug, and designate it as the "naughty spot". No toys allowed in the spot!! It's going to be a little bit of work in the beginning, until your son understands that he can't move from the spot until you say so, so you have to keep bringing him in, but after a while he'll just walk by himself once he's told. It is very important that at the end, you talk to him an let him know why you put him in the "naughty spot". A hug, kiss, and I love you it's also nice at this point! =P It can be a naughty corner, spot, chair, bench, etc, as long as he is sitting or standing there by himself without any distraction (toys, crayons, books, etc.)

Answer 6

I am personally a stay at home mom, but a couple of my friends kids are in a day-care and they are CONSTANTLY sick, like all the time. Alot of people think they are good for kids but I just couldn't trust a complete stranger to look after my baby. Do you have a trusted relative you could put him with? If you have to go to the daycare maybe it would make it easier on him if he went their with you a few times before he stays alone, you never know he might love it.

Answer 7

Try to find an in home day care provider. I started out with one and she set the bar so high with the quality of care that even with my daughter in the best day care, it still doesn't measure up. Just know that no matter how good of a place you find, you're still not going to like it, no mother wants her child to be cared for by somebody else. Look around and do your research until you find somewhere that you are comfortable with. A lot of daycares will let you sit in and monitor if you want to, if they don't let you then you shouldn't have your child there because they may have something to hide. Good luck!

Answer 8

You have to see what are the different options and which you prefer/can afford. At 14 months, it may be good for your baby to meet other kids and play with them. He may even enjoy it! If you don't like the idea, maybe you could send him only part time and get a part time job... Try to find a place where you feel secure and confident to put your kid, maybe a family daycare... maybe a place close to your job so you can see your baby during breaks.

Answer 9

Day care centers are really expensive- or at least the ones I know about. If you don't have a good job, then maybe you wouldn't really earn anything at all because it would go to the day care center.. do what's best for you and your kid and consider the options again carefully.

Answer 10

If a day care center is not best for your child then don't do it. Take him to an in home day care provider. There are not going to be as many kids and more one on one attention.