Returning to work. Any tips on how to cope.

Titilola - posted on 06/24/2011

Hello mums, I would like to thank you all for your response to my conversation. I am sorry its taken this long to respond back....its been a busy transition for me and my DD.
I would like to report that my DD adjusted real well to the playgroup and has become everyones sweetheart coz of little adorable things she does while there. She cried for only the first 2 days and by the 3rd day, was waving bye-bye to me. I didnt know I would miss the days when it was just the 2 of us at home but I did and still do but I am not so worried about whether she's being cared for properly coz I know she is. Even though there are days that once we get home she wont leave me for a second(almost to make up for the hours we were apart), she's becoming quite an independent little diva.

Jodie - posted on 03/28/2011

HI, Ive been back at work nearly 3 mths now...and have had a very good transition to childcare basically. I strongly advise taking the time to transition. For 3 wks before I started working i took my daughter to the childcare centre on the days she would stay and stayed for an hour or two... playing with her and taking some time out of the room for her to adjust to being alone with me not far away, and then we'd go home. Then the first four wks I only worked 1-2 days and then afterfour wks we started her at 2 and a half days and then by 6 wks she was up to 3 full days. This baby is my 3rd and has been a little clingy early on but she adjusted beautifully. During that time I was also able to meet the staff and develop friendships with them, I was able to share my concerns about her diet and her emotional states, etc. I was able to observe how the staff were with other children, and what their responses were to things that happend out of the ordinary. I had some concerns about level of attention given to each child and reminded myself that to be brutally honest, no one will love and attend to my daughter as much asI would, but that my daughter will get cared for well and it wont hurt her to be one of the kids,,,. She has adjusted really well and doesnt cry unless unwell or if something has hurt her. Other kids sob their hearts out, and Ive even seen her crawl over to them and sit beside them with her hand on their knee in compassion...shes such a sweetheart.
As a mum, our hearts are really really challenged to have to let them be cared for by someone else. Thats our motherly instincts. We always worry for our children. But there are reasons we have to work, and ultimately if we have to work to provide good things for our kids, then there is a pay off somewhere.
Dont fret. She will be ok and you will be too, try not to give tooo much emotion to it.

Bonnie - posted on 03/26/2011

I work in child care aswell as i have 2girls some kids will cry alot and others wont my dd1still crys after being in care. For 6 month but dd2will happily go it depends on your child they quickly cheer up once parents leave. And think about the expiriences they will get that are hard to give them ay

Bonnie - posted on 03/26/2011

I work in child care aswell as i have 2girls some kids will cry alot and others wont my dd1still crys after being in care. For 6 month but dd2will happily go it depends on your child they quickly cheer up once parents leave. And think about the expiriences they will get that are hard to give them ay

Camillia - posted on 03/24/2011

I know how u feel......i actually had to return to work when my son was only 7 weeks old and that first week i was calling the daycare like everyhour to check on him. lucky for me they where very good to my son and he did not cry at all i guess cause he was still young. he has adjusted well over the months.......

Char - posted on 03/21/2011

Your feelings are perfectly normal. My daughter recently started with a new caregiver. Although I am very confident in my caregivers abilities my daughter cried each day I left her for the first few week. I coped by calling mid afternoon and getting an update on her progress. She is now in her third week of care and climbs out of my arms to go to her caregiver each morning. I'm almost sad when she waves bye bye. I had the same problem with my two older boys and they are now healthy and happy at 10 and 17.