what was it like the first time your child went to daycare?

I am not marrried nor have a kid of my own. But I took my cousin's daughter on her first day in school. She seems excited while she's still in their house even got upset with me coz I wasn't able to pick her up early though I arrived at their house 1h before her class starts. But when we reach her school. She don't want me to leave her . It end up her sitting next to the window and where she can see me and me waiting for her outside instead of just dropping her off. But then when we I took her home she keeps talking about what she did and what happened in the school.

I remember from a cousin i had, since im not father yet.Well, that boy was happy! I was surprised to see his mother be anxious like you said you are, but he was happy before, and even happier when he returned home after 4hours or more, i dont remember. The teacher, or whatever they call those women there said he behaved well, didnt cry and kept good tone, playing with kids etc.Dont worry about it.If first day turnt bad there will be others, just give her time to get used to the idea.

It can be very worrying, you imagine what he will eat,his general safety, whether he will be treated well by the new teachers let alone his fellow classmates.And my country being one where child kidnapping is on the rise, you get very nervious when time to collect the child strikes-there are imposters who are known to claim to be parents of children that are not their own and they take advantage of the first day in day care or nursery school.

I just hope that you found a great daycare provider, becasue that is the key. My first daycare provider came to my house. She was a neighbor and a retired nurse. What else could I ask for. Well I guess it was asking too much of her to not smoke in my house or around my son. I told her that I didn't mind her going outside to smoke when he napped, but it was evident that she was smoking in my house. She lasted one week. Then I found another daycare. I knew the provider so felt very comfortable leaving my son there. He was fine going in the first day, but was crying when I got there to pick him up. He cried the next day and didn't want to go in. He was also crying when I picked him up. Then somehow she said he climbed out of the crib~ he was just a yr and didn't climb out of the crib at home. He had a huge bump on his forehead. He lasted there 1 week. Then I found a friend to watch him. It went really well until he was 2 and said the F word at the dinner table. Iasked where he heard that word and he said that Jody~ the sitter~ always says it. That was the end of sitters for me. I quit my job and opened my own daycare. I have no problem with new kids when they come. I make sure to take alot of time with them to make them feel comfortable. Hopefully your daycare provider is a keeper.

My son is the only one of my children who went to daycare. He turned 32 a few days ago and I remember that first day like it was yesterday! I don't know who cried more him or me! Thankfully the woman in charge took things in hand and got me out of there and all was fine after that! lol...

Absolutely positively horrible. OF course on both sides. But I had to change day care when we moved and I found that if I went for a day or just a couple hours with him and just hung with him and showed him all was okay, it sure helped when he started at the new day care. And then.... it gets to where I'd go pick him up and he'd tell me "Do I have to leave right now? Can you come back in a little bit?". Talk about a heart breaker! - I was glad that he was so happy there, but upset that he didn't want to come home right away! but at least he was happy there and I'd give my happiness for his any day! So it turned out okay

For the past 50 years, in our parental family or my family for the past 15 years, we never sent the child to day care centre. That is because we all live together and there are plenty of people to take care of the children when the parents go out for work. In fact my mother's sister who is a widow must have helped in delivery of 40 children (15 to 20 families) for over 35 years. So none of the children went to day care. They were sent to school and after school hours brought back home. They were all well taken care with food on time, play and participation in games. The house was looking like a mini school. I now have a child and my wife is a housewife and hence he was not sent to day care centres.

hmmmmmmmmm I don't have any kids

I hated it, he cried all day (and normally he is a very happy boy whom I can drop off allmost everywhere without crying!)I cried all day, so I decided to quit my job, and now I'm working from home, we bought a company that allows us to do that and if we have to go away we can take him with us. He is now six months old and when he is about a year and walking and so we have to keep him in the eye more then we can so we will take in an aupair, he can stay at home then, mommy and daddy around but the aupair will take care for him when we need to work.

I hated taking my kids to daycare. My two year old would cry everytime I took him. I felt so bad leaving him. Now I get to stay home with him all day!!