Bad experiences with day care providers

[Tinkerbell]

As a provider myself, with over 19 years experience, it has been my experience that not only do part-time children take longer to adjust, it also takes some of the full-time children longer to adjust lately. I am finding that parents are not preparing their children for daycare at all. A lot of the little ones I have started in the past year had never been looked after by anyone other than their parents, they were not socialized in play groups, etc., never slept in a playpen, never encouraged to feed themselves a bottle/cup or food, never made to self-soothe, never left to play on their own for any period of time without constant stimulation by the parent. All of these things make our jobs as providers more difficult. Learning to be independent helps with patience (when you're not the only child in daycare) and gives the child the ability to be happy without constant attention. True, every child is different, but if you what a successful transition into daycare, please take the time to prepare your child for a positive experience by allowing them to have some independence and not be so reliant on Mom/Dad...it doesn't mean you love them less...it demonstrates your confidence in who you are leaving baby with and they can sense that. Essentially, you are giving them a head start to happy experiences because you have enabled them to have the necessary coping skills required to make the transition from Mom/Dad's arms to ours.