[Moo point]

I have enrolled DS into long daycare (one day per week to start with) in one month's time, he will be 7.5 months old. Having spoken to the centre at length about our concerns (he is fully breastfed, never taken a bottle and rarely will drink EBM from a cup, and only just starting on solids) and they were very reassuring that they would take the time to settle him/us in, help get him to drink EBM etc.

However when booking him in for orientation they informed me that it is only for an hour on a day before he starts. Does this sound normal? Or too short? I had the impression that I could take him for an hour or two while we were there, then maybe leave him for a few hours without us to see how he coped, ie gradually introduce him. It's going to be a rude shock to him to go from spending an hour there with strangers to leaving him for 8-9 hours Unfortunately the centre is not near my work so I can't just pop in if he's struggling, plus I'm only working one day per week and don't want to cut my days short if he's unsettled.

We are currently looking at moving so I will potentially be looking for a new centre anyway, and am wondering if perhaps this centre is as good as I first thought. I am also going to look for something close to work. My mum or MIL are both happy to watch DS one day per week, am wondering if I should do this to start with and leave daycare until he's older? Part of me doesn't want to go back to work at all, especially until he's figured out how to feed without me around.

Sorry this is all over the place, mixed emotions and first mum paranoia setting in too. Would appreciate your thoughts/experiences.

[Kay1]

Personally I would go the mum/MIL route. At that age I'd MUCH rather leave my child with a relative than in daycare. Especially since you are likely to have to move him when you move house anyway.

Having said that I think an hour's orientation is fairly standard but I have had daycares tell me I can pop in with my child as often as I like prior to them starting.

[AntiBourgeoisie]

I have enrolled DS into long daycare (one day per week to start with) in one month's time, he will be 7.5 months old. Having spoken to the centre at length about our concerns (he is fully breastfed, never taken a bottle and rarely will drink EBM from a cup, and only just starting on solids) and they were very reassuring that they would take the time to settle him/us in, help get him to drink EBM etc.

However when booking him in for orientation they informed me that it is only for an hour on a day before he starts. Does this sound normal? Or too short? I had the impression that I could take him for an hour or two while we were there, then maybe leave him for a few hours without us to see how he coped, ie gradually introduce him. It's going to be a rude shock to him to go from spending an hour there with strangers to leaving him for 8-9 hours Unfortunately the centre is not near my work so I can't just pop in if he's struggling, plus I'm only working one day per week and don't want to cut my days short if he's unsettled.

We are currently looking at moving so I will potentially be looking for a new centre anyway, and am wondering if perhaps this centre is as good as I first thought. I am also going to look for something close to work. My mum or MIL are both happy to watch DS one day per week, am wondering if I should do this to start with and leave daycare until he's older? Part of me doesn't want to go back to work at all, especially until he's figured out how to feed without me around.

Sorry this is all over the place, mixed emotions and first mum paranoia setting in too. Would appreciate your thoughts/experiences.

They wil have a 'standard' orientation for all children including older ones.
No childcare centre in their right mind would 'force' you to abide by that for younger babies. They will work with you to make it painless for both of you.
But don't forget, this is the first time you have done it, but the 1000th time they have done it. An experienced childcare worker will have no issues making sure your baby will be well fed, well played and well rested. With all due respect, they usually do a 'better job' than grandparents. Don't stress!

[junebuggy11]

Our orientation was a bit longer then that, but we also switched day cares after a few weeks when a spot in our preferred option came up, and had to do it all again (after I had already started work, so it was a bit annoying!)

A number of my friends kids started at the same age as your child, as we did as well, and they didn't take bottles, not v good with cups etc and they all survived really well.

As a PP mentioned your child won't be the first they've had to deal with, with those issues.

I love our daycare, and think the socialisation aspect is great for DS, but understand it's not for everyone. I was so frightened when we started, but it's great now.

[Bluenomi]

We put DD into fulltime childcare at 6 months. Before I went back to work I put her in for a few short days, just 2 or 3 hours to get both of us used to it. That gave her a chance to get to know the carers and since she was so new to the centre and so young she was mostly looked after by the room leader. She has so much experience and bonded with DD so well so quickly that it really made things easier for all of us.

She was a fussy pot. Refused bottles,cups, anything with milk in it that wasn't a boob as well as refusing soilds. Daycare worked on it and with all their advice and experience did get her to drink something in the end. They have much more patience and skill than I'd credit any grandparent with when it comes to small kids in care.

[axiomae]

I'm going back to work full time at 12 months but I have DD booked in part time from 11 months so that the whole month is effectively orientation. My daycare has on open door policy - you can stay as long as you like and pop in whenever you please. I plan on staying a full day with DD a couple of times, then gradually phasing it out over a week - go out for coffee, for a morning, a bit longer each time etc. Granted, this is more for my benefit than hers - the ladies there are wonderful and Im sure she'll fit right in. Could you do something similar perhaps?

[MissingInAction]

If you're going to be changing centres soon anyway, I would hold off on enrolling in daycare because your DS will most likely just be settling in and then you're going to change it up on him... no way... i'd be sending him to your ma or MIL until you know you can enrol him in one for the long term, saves shuffling him around and unsettling him.

[lozoodle]

If you have another option on offer, which it sounds like you do, I'd opt for that for now. Daycare is fine of course (both my girls attend) but the illness is shocking and your child will cope better when they are a little older. Plus the socialisation etc isn't really going to be much for a baby compared to a 2 year old in terms of what they get out of it.

As for orientation, though, that sounds fairly standard to me.

[bonnybabe]

if you leave your child there, then you need to pay for the day, that is why orientation is only an hour. So you can phase her in, but on your days where you pay.

[No girls here]

That's similar to what we had with my older 2. I'm about to start my youngest, and am sending him for a month before I actually return to work to gradually ease him into it, but I am paying for the days.

Don't stress too much about how it's going to work, they are used to it. DS2 refused to take a bottle from me or DH before I sent him (he was 5.5 months) and we had been trying for a month or so without any success but somehow they managed to get him to take it without any problems. I had been stressing about it for nothing.