Baby Talk - 9/12/19

I share with you some of the wonderful daycare suggestions I have heard over the years from my studio moms. They are wise ladies!

• Quick goodbyes – For the sake of everyone involved, keep your drop-off short and sweet. Long, drawn-out goodbyes tend to be upsetting for your child, as well as raising the stress level of other children and even the daycare providers. If you present a positive attitude, your child will go into the day similarly. Developing a goodbye routine – kiss, hug, fist bump – signals to your child that it is time for mom/dad to leave.

• Social behavior – Reinforce social skills at home that mirror what your child experiences at daycare. Playing nicely with others, cleaning up a mess, and sharing toys are examples of social proficiencies that can be successfully developed by your child, if they occur both at home and at daycare.

• Work with your daycare providers – You and your child’s daycare providers should function as a team. To this end, sharing small and large “issues” with your daycare providers helps them to better serve your child. From a night or two of poor sleeping to major life concerns (e.g. divorce, death of a loved one), the more your daycare providers understand your child, the better equipped they are to work with her/him. Similarly, if your providers share behavioral concerns regarding your child, take the feedback constructively and work at home to address these “issues.”

What suggestions do you have for starting your baby or toddler in daycare? Please, share.