How do you cope with leaving your baby at daycare and going back to work?

[twiggy327]

I am hysterical right now. I feel guilty and anxious and cant concentrate! My son is 8 weeks old and today is his first day in daycare! I dont know if i can do this. It doesnt seem right to let someone else raise your kid for almost 10 hours a day! I will only get a few hours with him each day and that hardly seems like enough! I didnt have to work until my daughter was over a year old so this infant daycare stuff is new to me. Is there anything i can do to make myself feel better about having to leave him with strangers?!

 

[myra]

I am hysterical right now. I feel guilty and anxious and cant concentrate! My son is 8 weeks old and today is his first day in daycare! I dont know if i can do this. It doesnt seem right to let someone else raise your kid for almost 10 hours a day! I will only get a few hours with him each day and that hardly seems like enough! I didnt have to work until my daughter was over a year old so this infant daycare stuff is new to me. Is there anything i can do to make myself feel better about having to leave him with strangers?!

I'm sorry - I don't have any answers for you. I was coming on here looking for the same advice. My son is a bit older than yours but he's only been out of the hospital for 3 months and only been in a good place for the past couple of weeks. I don't know how I am going to go back to work in a couple weeks but I'm starting to have such anxiety about it. We're looking to hire a nanny for his first year since right now he is still a bit high need and needs one-on-one attention, but even that makes me anxious. How can I trust a complete stranger with my child all day...and I'm going from being around him 24/7 to only a few hours in the evening and on weekends. I don't know how I'm going to do it...

 

[LDC]

Hi there,

My lo wasn't as young as yours when she started going to nursery, but I still had the same emotions. On the Third day I broke down when I got home because I'd only seen her for two hours that day.

It is totally heartbreaking, especially when you've been the primary care giver and then you're leaving lo to be looked after by someone you don't know.

I promise it gets easier, my lo has flourished at nursery and has developed much quicker than she would have with me as she's learning off the others in her "class", she's one of the youngest so follows the older ones.

The nursery also give feedback each day on what she's eaten, pooped and activities she's done. They take pictures and put it In her book which really helps me to get by as I feel included in what she's doing.

I was worried about how she'd settled in but she's been wonderful and I've had no problems and tbh I'm so busy at work I just don't have time to think about the situation (as awful as that sounds!)

Good luck Hun xx

 

[daneuse27]

All I can say is that I really feel for you. My daughter just started daycare, she's 1 year old. It was tough being used to spending all day, every day with her, and then suddenly have her spending most of her waking time with strangers. Its only been a month, and I still have weak moments, but she's doing better than I am. There is a 6 week old baby who just started where she is whose mom has just gone back to school.

Remember that moms have gone through what you're going through, and there aren't very many that would tell you their baby didn't LOVE daycare. They flourish there and learn social skills. As your son grows over, no caregiver will ever replace you as his mom. He won't even remember these days when he's older; he will remember who put him to bed every night, read stories to him and parented him at home You might be doing whats best for the family right now, so just try to think of the positive outcome of you working instead of what you're missing out on.

I have also found that since not being with my daughter 24/7, I've been even more appreciative of the time we have together. I love having all day with her on weekends and enjoying breakfast in the morning and dinner at night, and putting her to bed. I enjoyed all of those things before too, but they seem more precious now that I miss her all day on weekdays. I guess its sort a absence makes the heart grow fonder situation.

It gets easier I promise.