My daughter just turned 4 last month. She’s been in daycare since September and it took about 5–6 weeks for her to fully adjust. After that she was doing amazing, excited to go, making friends, talking about her classmates all the time, etc.
About 3 weeks ago she was home sick for a week. During that time she kept asking when she could see her daycare friends again, so I assumed going back would be fine. But after her first day back, she came home really sad and ever since then everything has changed.
She suddenly doesn’t want to go to daycare anymore. Every morning she says her tummy hurts (which I think is anxiety-related), barely eats breakfast, clings to me, and begs to stay home. This daycare has cameras so I can check in, and the teachers are genuinely kind and attentive. They comfort her a lot, include her in group play, and keep me updated daily.
At first I thought maybe one of her friends stopped playing with her, but even after the teachers made extra effort to help her socially, nothing improved.
Now this week she’s started having night terrors and eating poorly too. She keeps saying she just wants to stay home with mommy. It’s honestly breaking my heart because I don’t know how to help her.
The teachers say she has some okay moments in the mornings and will sometimes play with friends briefly, but by afternoon she mostly stays close to the teachers and waits for me. When I pick her up outside, the other kids are usually running around playing while she sits on a bench or stands beside a teacher instead of joining in.
I’ve started picking her up about 45 minutes earlier which helps a little, but the anxiety is still there.
Something else I noticed: recently I took her to an indoor playground with her cousin and she wouldn’t leave my side because there were other kids there. It took almost an hour (and me actively playing with her) before she warmed up enough to play.
I talk to her every day and ask gentle questions:
“Is someone bothering you?”
“Is there something you don’t like?”
“Did something happen?”
But she mostly just says she wants mommy and doesnt like daycare or playing with other kids.
I’m wondering:
\- Is this a normal phase at this age?
\- Could the week off somehow reset her separation anxiety? She had a week off before when we went on vacation and she ws fine after
\- Should I get this checked out professionally?
\- How can I help her feel secure again without making the anxiety worse?
Would really appreciate hearing from parents who’ve gone through something similar.