Hello again everyone. After a short time of no work, my husband got called back to work beginning in February. That left me scrambling to find childcare for our two girls. I only work part-time so we needed very casual hours. We were fortunate enough to find in-home day-care that was willing to work my hour fluctuating hours. I was sure my girls would do well as they were used to me working and occassionally daddy as well. Our oldest was no problem, and although deathly terrified of dogs, she has even managed to over come that fear with the family dog, where she goes for "daycare." The youngest was fine the first day, so we thought we were off and running. However, since that first day, the youngest is fine there for the first 10 minutes or so, and after that she will cry, scream and literally carry on until snack time, meal time, nap time and home time. The playroom and nap areas are both in the basement of this woman's home. It would seem that each time she takes my youngest down there, that is when it all starts. She seems fine when they are on the main floor of home. We are at our witts end. I feel so bad for this woman, with my screaming toddler all day long, but we can not seem to find a way to help her I hate to take the girls out of this home, and start from scratch, since my oldest loves going there, but I can't let the youngest carry on like this, it's not good for her, the other children or the provider. Even if I leave her there for just an hour, she's crying in hysterics by the time I arrive back. Does anyone have any suggestions? She is not a child that has favourite toys, only a favourite video.
I would find somewhere else. There is something about the environment that your 18 month old really doesn't like. It is hard to find a good fit for everyone but if this isn't your childs normal behaviour I would pull them.
I think she is trying to tell you something. I would look for another place. My daughter is 16mos old and is afraid of almost everyone. She is very cautious and takes a lot of time to warm up to people. We just switched her to a new "baby school" and she was-- to my amazement-- fine after 3 days.
Get ahold of your local 4C office...
http://www.mi4c.org/
They can complile a list of all providers with openings for your age groups and in the area you want it in.
I also am a licensed provider and can say i have never had a child cry on and on like that...
How many kids does the provider have?
If its the meal time and play time area perhaps she isn't paying quite enough attention and your daughter could be getting picked on by an older one...
If I were this lady, I would try to tailor things to your daughter... Like put her down for a nap upstairs, bring toys upstairs more... BUT that also depends on how many other kiddos she has to watch at the same time.
Perhaps your daughter is scared of down there... At 18 months old kids are usually exploring anything and everything... Is she a bit shy and hesitant? Has she fallen down the stairs recently?
We as parents have no idea what is usually going on in our kids heads... But follow your mommy intincts and do what you have to do.
As a provider I can tell you that dealing with a screaming kiddo is easier when its NOT YOURS... You know that at a certain time mommy or daddy will come get them... That is when you breath, cuddle, rock (the crier), and watch the clock. :-)
I think you should probably start looking around. I would expect her to cry for a couple days but this seems excessive. I also own my own daycare, I can only imagine how stressful it must be on you, your daughter and the provider. For the best interest of all involved it may be time to move on. Good Luck.
Personally, I'd take that as a hint that this place just isn't working out. There is no other way to communicate that she doesn't like it there other than to cry. I don't think I read how long it's been... I'd say, if it's been longer than a week or two and it's still going on, you should really start looking for somewhere else. It sucks to have to give up a place that will work with your hours, but there has got to be a better solution for all.
