Day Care and Developmental Milestones

Melissa - posted on 09/01/2012

My daughter started day care before she could crawl, I found it amazing how quickly her milestones were being met because of daycare- being that she was constantly watching other children crawl- walk- jump- and do all the things that pushed her to try.

That is the physical aspect, yet also the mental milestones were great to.

The day care workers are not baby sitters- A good day care will have play time geared to learning and teaching the children. Sensory play and so forth that helps them understand the cause and effect and practice it daily. I have actually had my non day care buddies comment on how much my daughter was advanced and compared sometimes to their own non day care children.

Give it time and you may see, it really does help.

Amanda - posted on 08/25/2012

My oldest has been in a daycare institute (oppossed to a home daycare) and was rolling over early. At about 6 months old by husband stayed home with her or she went to a friends house, she didn't start sitting til about 8 months, starting going to a home daycare at about 10 months and was crawling and walking within 2 months.



Basically, if you are going to a good place then milestones should not be an issue at all. Plus you have to remember that every child is different so don't try to compare your child with the other infants that are in the daycare because you will drive yourself crazy!

Lori - posted on 08/12/2012

I had my daughter in a home daycare from 6 weeks until about 18 months after which we moved and I had to put her in a daycare center. When we switched her we were informed that she was behind on some things that she should know by 18 months. Since she has been in the center she has blossomed. She is now one of the smartest kids in her class. I think hitting the milestones depends on who you have watching them. The home we had her in was not very interactive with her (it was free childcare though) but the center is. My son (4 months) is in a home daycare and they work with him. They plan on working with him on his crawling, walking, eating, potty training and anything else as the time comes. He just rolled over for the first time yesterday. Every child hits milestones at different times. The time frames we are given for these milestones are averages. Most kids hit them in the same age range, just remember there are always exceptions to every rule.

Gabrielle - posted on 08/12/2012

My daughter started day care around 3-4 months, and there were never any delays. The teachers are our day care were wonderful, attentive, caring, and clearly into the children they cared for. I think it can help babies to see other children developing. Our daughter always watched the older children and tried to imitate them. Our day care also used some sign language, which has been shown to help with language development.

Nicolette - posted on 08/07/2012

I have found that my daughter, who started daycare from 3.5 months (due to me having to go back to work), reach her developmental milestones sooner than those of her two half brothers who were kept at home until the age of 4; she was able, at the age of 2yrs 3 months, to count to 10, where as her half brother, at the age of 3, was only able to count to 5. Various other things have been noticed, which have been put down to the possibility that she has learnt to do more at a younger age, through interaction with other children and following a "syllabus" appropriate to her age throughout the year; her half brothers were minded primarily by the TV

I have also found that she is very much an easy going, happy, sociable child which i attribute to the constant interaction with other children during the day. I feel that it has been all round a good thing for her as she is kept busy during the day and never has a chance to express frustration due to boredom and is such a busy bee with puzzle building; independent play

Christina - posted on 08/06/2012

Thanks so much Annabelle! Here in NC it is also 1:4 for 3 star programs, but we've decided to go with a 5 star program that is 1:3 because we feel he needs more specialized care...he's always been a fussy baby that likes to be held and interacted with a lot. It's almost as if he can't get enough stimulation! I've watched him advance ahead of the pack on some milestones, but fall 'behind' on others.

Like most babies, he hates tummy time and cries to be picked back up when on it. He's also very reserved about using his hands and arms. I'm afraid without a more hands-on approach he might not find his way to sitting up or crawling until much later. I know it's not a race! However, like every parent, I'd like to get him mobile ASAP so that he won't be so fussy.

Annabelle - posted on 08/06/2012

As a former home child care provider (and I have worked with infants in a daycare setting) I found that babies often reach some of their milestones quicker in the child care setting. So much is going on around them and their natural curiosity intrigues them to "keep up". I always took time with the babies to help them reach their developmental milestones however, every baby is different and will not always be on target with all others. The most important thing to understand is that the development of the milestone isn't the accomplishment it's the process it took your baby to get there. Think about all the brain power, muscle power, and abilities your baby had to master to achieve sitting up alone, for example, that's what you should always celebrate. I wouldn't worry about your little ones development unless you suspect he is REALLY behind at some point. The ratio of adult to infants under age one is 1:4 (in MO anyway) so a well trained care giver shouldn't have any problems giving your little one their fair share. As a mom of 5 and having a degree in Early Childhood Development I was very diligent about the care and development of the kids I watched as every child care provider should be. Keep communication open with your child care people and make sure you are discussing these things with them often!