High nurture parents - how are we handling the concept of daycare?
Looking for perspectives on daycare in this sub, coming from parents who are like minded in terms of being anti early separation of mother-baby, etc etc.
My 16 month old has started daycare and gone most days/mornings for two weeks. She apparently naps there fine. She is still sad a lot and cries between activity transitions.
But the thing I just can’t shake is the visual of me passing her off every morning and her screaming “mama” and reaching out for me, followed my me abruptly leaving.
I have been having the thought: how is this completely dissimilar from mom-baby separation at night? The caregivers keep reminding us that it will take “6-8 weeks for baby to adjust”. But all I hear is “they will learn to get over it/self soothe. It only takes ‘3 nights’” (i.e., sleep training rhetoric).
The daycare seems to be a good place and staff to baby ratios are okay. I desperately need the break and I come home to nap after drop-off. But I can’t help but feel like I’m doing the wrong thing and causing her significant distress. Help!