Screaming Children

[Loyer]

I have a new baby in my daycare he will be 1 on Feb 7 2013 and he has done many play dates with his mom and also has done a transition period for 2 weeks of half days.Throughout this time All he will do for 6 hours is Scream and cry and I have done everything possible to help the situation and nothing seems to work.

I do not want to let him go but at the same time he is affecting my whole routine because I can't get anything done. Also I can't even get any of the kids dressed to go outside or go to the bathroom because he will just scream and cry if he doesnt see me.

Does anyone have any advice to give me because I just don's know what to do anymore.

[BlueRose]

if I am reading this right, he was fine during the play dates and transition period, but isn't ok today.
He might be teething, or coming down with a cold.

Also I can't even get any of the kids dressed to go outside or go to the bathroom because he will just scream and cry if he doesnt see me.

it will not hurt him to cry well you do these things. Don't let him stop you form going outside, the fresh air might do him good. If you have to go to the bath room go, don't damage your bladder because of him.

my own son has done this to me. I will hold him for a while, but them I will put him down and let him cry.

[sunnydays]

I went through this recentlt too and was tempted to terminate care, but I really like this baby's parents and they were trying so hard, so I kept at it. In total, it took 4 full-time weeks to get him adjusted, but the first two weeks were the worst. The ladies on here gave me some great advice, so I will pay it forward now What worked for me was to sit with him and watch the other kids play first...then I moved to sitting with him on my lap on the floor (he cried at first, then settled)...then gradually, I moved him off my lap and put him beside me on the floor...every time he tried to crawl back onto my lap, I put him back on the floor calmly and gave him a toy. Finally he got comfortable with that and eventually I was able to move a small distance away and then finally I was able to get up and move around. I did not go and pick him up when he cried...I would just tell him he was okay and go about my normal routine (as much as possible with a screaming baby). Within 3 weeks he was barely crying. After 4 he stopped altogether and he is such a sweet, happy little guy now Good luck!

[mimi]

Good grief, this will drive you nuts! He needs time to adjust and who knows how long that will take. Let Mom know what is happening and for your own mental health and your dck's, set a time frame to which if you don't see any improvement you might need to terminate. Is he f/t?

[sierra]

I have a 2 year old in my care who goes bonkers if I am not in view as well. I continue talking to him and giving reassurance that all is well and I am right here while I quickly get accomplish my task. I have noticed that story time circle really helps him to learn to sit close but not on me and interact with the group and still feel secure.lts anlong process if I'm on my feet and he is not feeling 100% about it its a cry fest. its been a month and his parents think he's still in transition. nap time is time a horror show of screaming. it disrupts nap time and fills the house with noise. thankfully he is a short term contract !

6 hours is a long time to deal with crying, what do he parents say? are you able to get a nap in for a break? will he stop if you are holding him? for your own sanity I would plan with he parents a end date for care.

[Bookworm]

I agree that he may need more time in a full day environment. Let him cry, do not pick him up right away when he starts crying.Also, talk to the parents about his crying. Make sure they delay their response to his crying a bit too, so he learns that crying doesn't have immediate results. I agree with Blue Rose that you should continue on with your routine as if he wasn't there. Put him in a playpen and let him cry while you are busy doing things with the other kids etc. Put it in the room with the children playing around him, give him some toys and let him cry. He will eventually settle in, some kids take longer than others.

Sierra, are the parents doing things at home that undermine his settling in at your home? Do they rock him to sleep etc. If so, I would talk to them and let them know that it needs to be consistent at home and daycare so that it is easier on HIM (not them). I would give them a deadline to get things in order, or risk termination, so that he can settle and your other children are bothered by constant crying.

[Mum2Boo]

I have recently taken on a 10 month old DCG, and I have a similar screaming problem (and she seems to have the loudest scream in the world....lol )

I've put the screaming down to a small baby suffering from separation anxiety from the parents & adjustment to my d/c.

After reading this thread I think I am going to try Sunnydays technique (thank you).

I have noticed that Mondays are the worst...I'm guessing that its a result of the parents being over attentive to the daughter over the weekend (understandable when they've hardly seen them all week) & the baby having to adjust back into my routine.

I'm also going to put a timeframe on improvement, i.e.if after 4-6 weeks I don't see a change in behaviour and settling into the routine then I will have to terminate care. More out of concern for the baby and the well being of the other children in my care

[sunnydays]

I have had a few kids do this when they are relatively new. It usually subsides eventually, but can take a couple of months I have found, especially if the child started with you as a 2 year old. I have a 2 year old who did this for at least 2-3 months (only when I left his sight), but he is now fine. it just takes longer for some kids to trust you...especially if they have had bad experiences in the past or if they have experienced a lot of change (ie. changing daycares). I don't know if there is anything other than time that can solve this

I have a 2 year old in my care who goes bonkers if I am not in view as well. I continue talking to him and giving reassurance that all is well and I am right here while I quickly get accomplish my task. I have noticed that story time circle really helps him to learn to sit close but not on me and interact with the group and still feel secure.lts anlong process if I'm on my feet and he is not feeling 100% about it its a cry fest. its been a month and his parents think he's still in transition. nap time is time a horror show of screaming. it disrupts nap time and fills the house with noise. thankfully he is a short term contract !

6 hours is a long time to deal with crying, what do he parents say? are you able to get a nap in for a break? will he stop if you are holding him? for your own sanity I would plan with he parents a end date for care.

[Loyer]

I have a 2 year old in my care who goes bonkers if I am not in view as well. I continue talking to him and giving reassurance that all is well and I am right here while I quickly get accomplish my task. I have noticed that story time circle really helps him to learn to sit close but not on me and interact with the group and still feel secure.lts anlong process if I'm on my feet and he is not feeling 100% about it its a cry fest. its been a month and his parents think he's still in transition. nap time is time a horror show of screaming. it disrupts nap time and fills the house with noise. thankfully he is a short term contract !

6 hours is a long time to deal with crying, what do he parents say? are you able to get a nap in for a break? will he stop if you are holding him? for your own sanity I would plan with he parents a end date for care.

He is full time and his parents say he is just getting used to it but the thing is. I have 4 other kids to take care of and i can't even turn to feed another baby while he is beside me because he will start screaming He does nap but as soon as he is up it starts all over again.

[Loyer]

During the playdates with his mom he was fine but the two weeks of transition he cried and today is his second full day but he has been here for 2 weeks but half days he has cried everyday for hours and hours no matter what I do. And to make this better his mom is deciding to go on a week trip with him in march when he just started full time today. so this is frustrating. and not going to help my situation