How long does it take a baby to transition in?!

[DaycareLady]

Hi there, I was just curious on how long it usually takes a baby to become comfortable in your setting. I know every baby is different! This is my first few weeks and I have a JUST 10 month old…she is here M,T,W for right now and the Monday she cries every waking minute, the Tuesday about half the day and the Wednesday she is better….then starts all over the next week. She sleeps like a champ though which I love hehe. She is my first to transition in and I have 2 more babies starting in the next few months (plus my own baby-I know A LOT of babies!!)….I am fine with the organized chaos and running around like a crazy woman, but when the baby is crawling after me bawling all day that is when my head starts to twitch lol. This is week 3 for her and her schedule will be changing to possibly more days when her Mom starts back to work next month.
Have you ever terminated for a constantly whinny baby?!

[Bookworm]

For a child that young it could take several weeks for them to finally settle in. The fact that she gets better as the week goes on is a good sign. I would stick with her as she seems to be settling in, it's just that part time children take longer. If she was there full time I'm sure it would happen quicker.

[mom-in-alberta]

The improvement over the week is hopeful. With any luck, Mom gets more hours and she can be with you full time, at least for a while. It will be much easier for you (and baby) then!!

[DaycareLady]

Thanks so much girls! This is reasuring :)

[Inspired by Reggio]

On averages most of mine since working from home have been about two weeks for them to be 'mostly happy' in program with the odd crying if the kids get too busy and their anxiety level raises on them.

In centre care the longest time for a child was 10 months of screaming for the majority of the day unless he was being walked 'outside of the classroom one on one' or being held or sleeping he would cry ... and to make it worse he would only come to me for comfort any other staff member he screamed and cried and tried to get away from them regardless of what they tried to do so I ended up being the 'primary caregiver' and my two staff were basically left to deal with the other 9 babies between them .... but the kid had some serious anxiety the minute there was more than 1 kid present he could not cope in the room ~ when I was not in the room the screaming would get so bad for the other staff he'd throw up and get diarrhea and they'd have to send him home to the point where if mom arrive and found out I was 'sick' she'd just take him back home cause she knew she'd get a phone call in 30 minutes to pick him up anyway ... the centre was just at the point of telling the mama that perhaps a nanny would be a better match when a switch went off on the kid and he 'got happy' not sure what happened for him but it corrected itself part of me thinks it was he learned to 'walk' cause he was just turning 13 months old and perhaps that freedom gave him more confidence who knows ... but I can still hear that kids scream and picture his little face 25 years later :eek: often wonder what ever happened to him!

[DaycareLady]

Oh dear Raggio, that is a long time!! Poor guy, poor you!!! I think that might be part of this little girls problem too, she is just learning to crawl so can't really get anywhere too quickly yet...I feel so bad for her!! Her older brother (who is almost 3 but not in my care), has CP, no language and some other disabilities...genet ic testing showed many concerns and now her Mom is worried that she may have something too? She is a real sweetie though and I think it is good for her to be here, since home life is very unpredictable...I hope she adjusts because I dont want to think about her having to go through more changes :(

[Momof4]

I have transitioned the last 3 babies into my daycare slowly as part-timers before the Moms went back to work but one cried for 2 months, one for 4 months and one for 2 1/2 months. I'm not doing that any more. From now on they are coming in full-time as fast as possible because that's when they settle in. Part-time transitioning seems to take forever. Anyway, that's my experience. There are no rules, every child settles in at their own pace. But I definitely talk to the parents about not picking them up at the slightest whimper, helping them learn to be apart from them even if it's in the next room for a bit and everything else they can do to help their child adjust to being away from them a bit more. Also, I find it's important for the parent to hand their child to us and be happy about it and stress free so the baby isn't stressed at the beginning of the day.

[DaycareLady]

Thank you SOO much for those tips!!!

[DaycareLady]

The above little girl hasn't cried at ALL, ALL week (not even Monday!!)...all smiles, all the time! Phew! I guess I spoke too soon, thanks though for all the help!!

[Crayola kiddies]

Glad to hear she is doing better !!