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This post is dedicated to the mamas of pandemic babies and pandemic cusp babies. That last one might not be a thing, but now it is! My youngest daughter is a pandemic cusp baby. She was born in 2019, right at the top of the year. That year was a typical postpartum journey. We mostly stayed inside and focused on growing, nursing, and getting accustomed to our new lives together. By the beginning of 2020, we were done nursing and ready to get out there and mingle!
Because we live thousands of miles away from most of our family, I was really determined to make new mom friends at my daughter’s preschool and give the girls the opportunity to be social. But then the pandemic hit. Because of this, my youngest never got a chance to make friends with kids her age, start daycare or interact with many people outside of our house for her first 2 years of life. Well, like it or not, that all is changing right now.
I’m sure a lot of moms with pandemic babies are going through this rough patch with me. Even though the COVID-19 pandemic is reportedly worse in 2021 than anything we saw in 2020, we are being pushed back into the workforce which means our children are being forced into daycares and schools. It’s true that socialization is good for kids but in the middle of a pandemic? Honestly, that’s a subject for another post. Bottom line is, for the time being, we have to do what we have to do.
Pandemic aside, going to daycare for the first time can be a rollercoaster ride. I have recently had to do this and after about a month things have settled. This post will walk you through what you can expect when introducing your toddler to daycare for the first time and how to make this transition easier.
Most Children Cry at Daycare Drop Off
I’m sure you know that this will happen, especially if your child is at least 6 months old. In our case, my daughter was very excited to attend ‘Baby School’. She had an idea that school was an amazing place because her big sister was always going there. Unfortunately, she got the idea that she would be going to school with her sister, which was not the case. So on the first day, there were no tears, but on the second day, the waterworks flowed.
My tip for you is to continue to push through this. Anyone who has worked in a childcare facility will tell you that this is very normal behavior. This is especially the case if your child has never been to daycare or looked after by people outside of your family. Keep your routine consistent, meaning don’t skip days as much as possible. Keep your attitude high. Speak positively about school, encourage them to make friends, and affirm that going to school is important for them. Most importantly, try not to linger during drop-off. Say your goodbyes and go! The longer you stay, the harder the cry!
Most Daycares are helpful with Potty Training
We started our potty training journey about 6 months before our daughter started daycare. At this point, she was wearing underwear all day, having no accidents, and being vocal about needing to use the bathroom. The daycare facility we chose asked us about potty training and let us know that they would continue what we were doing at home. In my experience, most places are like this, so if you were concerned you need not be!
To prepare for daycare potty training, you should send an extra pair of clothes and underwear with your child. An extra outfit and pullups for naptime are what we pack in her bookbag and send daily. Don’t be alarmed if your child has a few accidents when going to daycare for the first time. Keep in mind that your child is getting used to the daycare staff and it might take him or her a while to be comfortable enough to speak up in enough time to make it to the potty. It also takes the staff time to get familiar with your child’s cues and their level of independence.
For the first 2-3 weeks our daughter had about 2 accidents a week but that has drastically dropped off now that she has been there for 1.5 months.
Expect a Few Colds When Starting Daycare
Don’t be surprised or alarmed when your child comes home with the sniffles by the end of their first week of daycare. And please remain calm when those sniffles turn into a full-blown cold that keeps coming back. The same thing happened to us when our oldest started daycare for the first time. Kids who are almost exclusively with their families pretty much go through an immune system hazing at daycare.
How often and how severe the sicknesses are depended on the cleanliness of the facility and other parents. It’s a sad truth that many parents are forced to send their sick kids to daycare because most employers have an inhumane sick leave policy, if they have one at all. Sadly, this is still very much the case as we deal with a global pandemic.
You can help your child fight off colds when going to daycare by doing a few things daily:
- Make sure they are taking vitamins. My girls take a chewable vitamin C tablet (here) in the morning and an elderberry gummy vitamin (here) in the evening. Since starting this regiment I feel like the cold symptoms aren’t as harsh.
- Try to keep their hands clean! When I pick them up from school, I hand them both a hand sanitizer wipe to clean their hands in the car. Immediately upon arrival home, I send them to the bathroom to wash their hands and change their clothes.
- Rest, Rest, Rest! I pushed their bedtime up by 45 minutes to make sure they are getting plenty of sleep so that their bodies can recuperate from the day before
For more tips on how I prevent and treat tiny colds, check out my blog post from last year. Try to remember that even if you follow all of these tips, your child will still get sick and it is just a part of the process. They are building an immune system that will help them down the line. My youngest has had at least 2 colds in the first month since started daycare and a runny nose that just won’t quit. But alternatively, my oldest daughter has not caught anything from her baby sister, despite the fact that they share a room and a bed. This is because she has built up the defense to these colds from her own daycare experience!
Expect to Feel Guilty Even when you Shouldn’t
Even though putting your child in the care of someone else is needed in order for you to work you will still feel guilty. This is especially true during the first few weeks during drop-off. It’s very difficult to see your child crying for you and saying “I want mama!” and even “I don’t want to go today!”. My daughter cried every morning before ‘baby school’ for weeks. It would start with her asking me where we were going and then crying at home, in the car, and in the lobby of the daycare when she found out she had to go. But here we are, 7 weeks later and yesterday she actually said, “I learned that at baby school. I need to go there!” on a Sunday!
Keep in mind that even though the transition is rough, daycare is a great place for kids. They get to be around other children and learn social skills, play with new toys and learn new things. They are also around teachers who are giving your child attention and care while you handle business. This is all a good thing and everything will be fine with time!
I hope these tips help make going to daycare for the first time a good experience for you and your child!
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This is such a beautifully written blog post. And so very important for our current times. There are so many parents and first time parents as a matter of fact who are truly struggling as a result of the pandemic and the effects it had on their child or children. Thank you so much for sharing this and I will be sharing it with several moms that I know.