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Kids eating breakfastI can honestly say – I came this close to giving up. I was SO ready to dump the idea of leaving my kid in the care center and for SO many good reasons. Where shall I begin…

In the 6 weeks he’s been going to the center, we were all sick with the bugs he brought home from there. There wasn’t a day when he didn’t have a runny nose or a cough. Some days – actually weeks – were worse, he would get tonsillitis, high fever and be in bed, sick, miserable, not eating and on antibiotics. What a world of pain we were living in.

He wouldn’t eat or drink in the center, his sleep time was fraction of the normal sleep. I was worried about him getting exhausted or dehydrated. He was insisting on sleeping with me at night – when we never shared a bed, and in general was more nervous and insecure than ever.

The reasonable side of me was whispering into my ears: “You’re sending him there so you can get 15 hours of kids-free working time a week. The kid hates it there and cries every time when you leave. He comes back sick and you’re missing work 3 times as much, sitting by his bed. And you have to pay for it, as if he was attending. And the whole family gets sick with the bugs he brings home. How stupid is that?”.

I began to think about looking for a nanny again. Yes I would pay twice as much, but at least he would be home, happier, healthier, so this solution would serve its purpose. And when I made a decision to start the nanny search, what was supposed to be his last week in the care, became his first good week. My kid has been promoted to the Toddlers room.

Eric is taller and stronger than many kids his age, and being at a higher level of development, was always drawn more towards older kids. Although he was only 20 months old, they decided to put him with 2 and 3 year-olds and he LOVED it.

That day changed everything for us. He enjoyed his days in the center and wasn’t crying any more when we were dropping him off there. He had a fantastic time playing with more sophisticated toys, being with older kids, doing yoga and dancing. He wasn’t getting sick as much – I don’t know why, maybe it’s because the older kids have better developed immune systems and they were healthier in general than the little babies in his previous group.

It’s always darkest before the dawn.

How difficult was it for your kids to get used to child care? How long did it take for them to like it?