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I need some encouragement. I have been running my home daycare for four years and I am currently going through a brutal transition period. This child pretty much cries all day. She had 1 week of transition and 1 week of full-time daycare so far...and it's not improving. I am emotionally exhausted :(
I have never had a child cry this much for this long!
Oh I feel ya!! I have a new boy who has been here for 3 weeks now. He still cries a lot, not the whole day like in the start but still a lot! LOL Today is a bad day for him. I am guessing the time change didn't help and he was also picked up an hour into naptime yesterday. He has been so cranky today! I cannot wait until nap. Other kids are driving me nuts, my daughter is being so sensitive today! UGH....15 more minutes until they all go to bed!!
Oh I feel for ya!! Last Fall I transitioned a new boy who cried every day, all day for 2 weeks straight. It has been the only time I have seriously considered terming. It is very exhausting to listen to a child cry and not be able to do anything to stop it. I had experienced this one other time but it was when I worked in a centre and that boy cried for months all day!! It was easier though because us staff members would take turns in the room with him so we wouldn't have to listen to it all day.
With my boy last Fall, I continued on with our day as normal. He was a trooper and did participate in some art and sensory activities but cried the whole time. He cried during lunch, outside time, free play time, art time etc. He napped a little bit but usually cried the whole time. If it got to be too loud or too out of control or I just couldn't handle it anymore, I would place him in his playpen and tell him that when he calmed down he could play with us again. The playpen would settle him a bit because he got to have his soother and blankie. He would calm down enough that I would allow him back out. He was allowed to sit on my lap with me and play if he was just whimpering but as soon as he started to cry loudly off he went. I played beside him, with him, encouraged the other kids to play with us, brought out new toys, rocked him a bit here and there to comfort him but wasn't in his face about it. Finally the 3rd monday came and I was prepared for another horrible day but he came in, waved bye to dad and has been fantastic ever since!!! It is amazing to see him now and to think back and realize how close I was to terming him.
Oh and I also am not a huge drinker but wine was my friend those two weeks.......LOL
LOL...Mickyc and I have a lot in common and will often email each other at the exact same time....I see we both started off our posts the same too....hahaha.
OMG.....been there and it's BRUTAL! How long are you willing to give it? I tend to like kids to be mostly transitioned, or at least to have made huge gains, by the end of week four.
But, yeah, it's HARD. I started using my Ipod during transitions like this. I can....not.....take. ...the crying. It has a physical affect on me. So I put in my Ipod and nod and smile a lot to the other kids when they talk to me. It might not be optimal but neither is going through the stress of listening to screaming for 9 or 10 hours every day.
Also, never feel bad about putting the new screamer in a PNP in another room for a while to give everyone, you and the other kids, a break from listening to it all day long. It's not fair to anyone to have to listen to that.
Good luck, and I sincerely hope that child settles down - and FAST!
On a side note....I have noticed, over the more than a decade in his biz, that kids are taking longer to transition now. It used to be a kid was mostly transitioned in three weeks. But now it seems to take almost double that.
I'm having the same problem right now. My dcb is 22 months and understands no English. He has been here for 1 week. Starts crying as soon as I move 5 feet away, I have to be within eye sight. During nap yesterday he climber out of his playpen and screamed for the first 45 min. This is the first time in 4 yrs having a child having a rough go at transitioning. I feel for you OP it's rough I hope for both of us it passes soon!
Wouldn't it be nice if kids came with a mute button? Seriously, I've been there too and it can be so draining on everyone. Hope you see some improvement soon. Sending you soothing vibes.