DS doesn't want to go to daycare!

[wild_reilly]

My DS (3 yrs in March) has been in daycare since he was 5 months. He was part time then and has fluctuated (my job is irregular so sometimes I work a ton and other times I don't) between 3-5 days a week. Since September, he's been 4-5 days a week (probably one 5-day week for three 4-day weeks, if that makes sense).

Anyways, it seems like it is becoming a harder and harder sell to get him out the door to go to daycare. He did start a new daycare in September... (Our really awesome in-home daycare closed down, we found a new one, didn't like it, stayed there for maybe 4 months, found another one we liked better - the daycare seems fine, we like the DCP, we like the other kids, and our son does too...)

Is it normal for a kid at this age to shift from being okay about going to daycare to just not wanting to be away from us all the time? When he's there for 4 days, the first day he's with us he just wants to hang out with us - doesn't even really want to leave the house or do anything social - and he's a very social kid.

Starting in February, I'm able to drop him down to 3 days/week at daycare which I'm hoping will help for a little while, but he'll be back in 5 days/week next September (well, in September he'll be starting at a Montessori preschool).

Does anyone have any suggestions for making it easier to get my kid out the door to daycare without a meltdown?

[claras_mom]

Originally Posted by wild_reilly

My DS (3 yrs in March) has been in daycare since he was 5 months. He was part time then and has fluctuated (my job is irregular so sometimes I work a ton and other times I don't) between 3-5 days a week. Since September, he's been 4-5 days a week (probably one 5-day week for three 4-day weeks, if that makes sense).

Anyways, it seems like it is becoming a harder and harder sell to get him out the door to go to daycare. He did start a new daycare in September... (Our really awesome in-home daycare closed down, we found a new one, didn't like it, stayed there for maybe 4 months, found another one we liked better - the daycare seems fine, we like the DCP, we like the other kids, and our son does too...)

Is it normal for a kid at this age to shift from being okay about going to daycare to just not wanting to be away from us all the time? When he's there for 4 days, the first day he's with us he just wants to hang out with us - doesn't even really want to leave the house or do anything social - and he's a very social kid.

Starting in February, I'm able to drop him down to 3 days/week at daycare which I'm hoping will help for a little while, but he'll be back in 5 days/week next September (well, in September he'll be starting at a Montessori preschool).

Does anyone have any suggestions for making it easier to get my kid out the door to daycare without a meltdown?

Yes to the bolded bits. With my kid I find that planning activities together helps; lots of face time; and a simple "mama works, dad works; you go to daycare to be with your friends" statement of reality. I describe my work day to dd1 a well, so she knows what I'm doing all day.

[Addy's Mom]

MIne's just about the same age and acts the same way. He is fine once I'm gone from day care, though, which makes this tolerable to me (although still no fun). The teachers in his 3 year old class tell me that once they hit about 3, or 3 and a month or so, they really calm down about the transition to day care. So I assume it's something developmental.

Mine doesn't get clingy until we get to day care, and then I ask him to hold the door open for me as I leave, and for some reason he gets a big kick out of this and it eases the transition. It's not 100% but works often.