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Warming up to Daycare

Baby Babble
WARMING UP TO DAYCARE

By: Ashley Hoppe | April 7, 2023

My parents started me at daycare last month. It’s been….fine. I don’t necessarily love it, because before I was at home with my best friend, my nanny, and we had a great time together. We would play with all my toys, I never really had to share, we would go to the park and read a lot of books. I had my own space. Now, at daycare, I have to share everything and I don’t have my own toys. I have to get up and go somewhere; I don’t get to be in my house and my space. It’s been a rough go of it. Whenever I get to daycare, there are other kids around, and I am pretty shy, so I start crying. It’s like, I know my parents would never take me somewhere that is unsafe, but I am so shy, and I miss my parents so much when they drop me off. I’m not sure why they can’t stay with me, but they must have their reasons.

I do have two good friends there. They are about my age, and I recognize them, but they still aren’t the same as having my parents as playmates. The grown ups that work at daycare are great too, but their snuggles aren’t the same as my parents. However, I know that I have to get used to daycare because my parents are very busy, and this is what they think is the best situation for our family. So, I will try my best to get used to it and even enjoy it.

The first thing that happens when I get to daycare is that I go inside and I get fed some fruit. On great days the fruit of choice is banana. On not so great days the fruit of choice is something like a berry. Now don’t get me wrong; I actually like berries, especially blueberries and raspberries, but when I eat them I make a huge mess on my shirt and then I don’t look like my dapper self all day. The fruit choice really sets the tone of the day. Will it be bananas and we will all stay relatively clean before naptime, or will it be berries and we will all be pretty messy when we go to take a nap? Then, we have play time followed by a more formalized breakfast. During this playtime I usually try teetering around, grabbing different toys and generally making a mess of the toys, but everyone else is doing so, so I must be doing something right. I talk with my fellow playmates, talking back and forth really understanding what their night was like or what their morning was like or what they hope to accomplish that day. Sometimes they want to be able to sleep an extra ten minutes, or sometimes they hope to play with the water table outside. Sometimes they even just want to spend the whole day eating.

During breakfast we all sit in our high chairs and have something else such as pancakes or waffles or croissants or banana bread. It’s so yummy. Everything is prepared right there in the daycare facility so I know it’s fresh and it always smells so good. We all chit chat while we eat, and the employees read to us or do a funny dance. It’s a great way to stay entertained. After breakfast we take a nap, and this is such a fun part of the day. At home I sleep alone for my naps, since I don’t have siblings, but at daycare I get to share my room with the other kids. It did take me a while to get used to, but now I am comforted knowing they are there with me. I don’t usually like to sleep because I get FOMO, but, since I know they are all sleeping as well, I know I'm not missing out on much.

We also have activities. Some days we do yoga; some days we have music class; some days we do art. We get to do so many different activities. They are silly because it’s not as if I or my classmates are very good at any of them, but we love watching the teacher do it, and love trying it ourselves. I’ve also recently gotten really good at the downward dog position. I like being upside down, holding my body up with my hands and feet. It makes me feel so strong. But, whenever I do it at home, my mama gets a little nervous because she tells me that there’s an old tale that when toddlers do that it means a baby is on the way! I think my parents have their hands full with me right now, but I would love a sibling–someone fun to play with–it would be like having a little best friend. And then maybe I wouldn’t have to go to daycare since I have a playmate at home. But I digress.

I guess all in all, daycare isn’t half bad. I just miss my parents and my best friend, but I am learning so much. I keep hearing older kids complaining about school, and I don’t know how I will like that, but, for the time being, I guess I can be happy. After all, I get lots of snacks and playtime every day.

Ashley Hoppe lives in Novato with her husband Brett and their son Jackson. You can find her hiking or trying a new coffee shop. She’d be delighted to hear from you at ashlauwain@gmail.com.