Mommy Survived The First Day Of Daycare

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IMG_1018After weeks of searching and talking to different daycare providers, we finally found one that we felt comfortable with.  We went with a small home run daycare. I had spoken to the provider several times and liked her. She only had 4 children at on a time on a given day. They do a lot of outdoor play, nature hikes, picnics and arts & crafts similar to what Mai and I do already on a regular basis. During our interview, Mai took to her immediately and jumped in and started playing. I felt relieved that I had found a place that I felt comfortable with, but as the first day neared my anxiety started to grow. I couldn’t sleep. I tossed & turned all night. What if the kids were mean to her? What if she didn’t eat? Would she nap in this strange house? Will they remember to put sunscreen on her when they go outside? What if she gets stung by a bee? I was beginning to feel like maybe daycare wasn’t the way to go.

Her first day arrived. We packed up our daughter’s backpack, got her dressed & walked out the door bright and early.When we arrived, we were greeted in the driveway by Miss Laura. We did a quick recap on the ins & outs of all things Mai. By this time our daughter had already made herself comfortable & was playing happily with some toys. I told Miss Laura about Mai’s poor eating habits, reminded her that she needed sunscreen. I realized that we forgot her favorite owl blanket which she never sleeps without. I made sure to add that my cell phone was on me at all times.

I looked at the time and realized that it was time to go or I would be late for work. There were some tears, a little bit of clinging, but then I pulled myself off my daughter and dried my eyes. “Mommy has to go to work.” “Bye mama!” There were no protests, just a quick kiss & then back to exploring her new environment. I drove off with a pit in the bottom of my stomach.

At work I kept checking the clock. I was counting down the hours until daddy would be there to pick our daughter up. Miss Laura said that I could call if I wanted to check on her, but it had only been an hour. Tick tock, tick tock. About 3 hours after having dropped off my favorite girl, I received a text:

Just want to let you know she is having a wonderful time!
Playing with the other kids and all the toys.
She is a very sweet girl 🙂

Yes she is! I received a few updates over the course of the day. While mommy was having a difficult day with our daughter in daycare, Mai was happy as can be. She played with her new friends, ate all of her lunch & even made a new craft. With all the new fun, she never did take a nap. Daddy showed up promptly to pick her up & sent me one more update in the form of a picture message.

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Mai must have had a pretty fun day.

 

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14 comments

  1. That last pic shows the sign of a successful first day for Mai for sure! But seriously, glad she has acclimated so well and hugs to you, because I know this wasn’t a decision made lightly. Just know that you did the right thing and you are a great mom 🙂

      1. I know totally what you are saying and I still remember the first time I left Emma when she was only 8 weeks old. I think I told you I cried my eyes out for the first few days. I promise though it does get better and you will get through this (I swear).

  2. I know the feeling! I’ve hated the two times I’ve had to put one of my babies in daycare. Sometimes it’s harder on us than them!! Glad she is doing so well though. That’s always a good sign.

  3. Awww…kudos to mama and Mai. You have finally taken the step. I am contemplating putting my 3 year old in a daycare. But still dithering; doubts creeping up always. I will surely let you know once I take the plunge. Lots of love to little Mai. 🙂

  4. It’s never easy leaving your child – my little man has been in nursery since he was one – starting out at 1 day a week and now 2. As much as I love my Mum having him the rest of the time, I do wish we were in better financial position so we could up his days in nursery as he absolutely loves it and gets so much out of it. Mum saves us a fortune though so we are very lucky else we wouldn’t have been able to buy our house! Glad your little one has taken to it well- I bet you’ll notice big changes in her over the next few months xx

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