Daycare Day 5 + Transition Week Summary

Yaay! James has completed his transition week at daycare and I think he had a great time there. Friday was his longest stay from 9am - 3:30pm. As usual I dropped him off along with his food, milk, etc then went along with my day. I had to run some errands on my way home so I didn't get to see how he was after I left. But while I was there, he was enjoying himself and waved bye-bye to me. Once home I logged into the webcam and searched for James. He wasn't in the shot so I realized that he was napping.

So I had all this free time now (right Adit, lol!), I made some breakfast and watched the end of the Nate Berkus show. Then I decided to rearrange the kitchen and de-clutter. This took longer than I expected and was a far larger task that I had hoped. I checked the webcam to see James from time to time and I could see that he wasn't really drinking any milk but he was happy and playing. At around 2:00, I pumped some more milk and then got myself ready to get him for 3:30. I didn't see him on the webcam so he was probably taking his second nap, but I raced over anyway. At 3:30 he was still napping. I checked in on him and he looked so peaceful in his little crib. 

In the meantime the teachers were filling me in on his day. James didn't cry at all for me today which was great! He fell asleep on the morning walk and when he woke up he had some lunch. He didn't have much of an appetite and ate about half of what I prepared. Then they offered some fruit which he refused. Later they offered him milk and he also refused that. He played and went for his second nap. I then asked about his water intake, they showed me his cup and he hardly drank any. This was odd to me since he didn't drink much milk or water. They said that this happens when children transition and that some days are better than others. In any case James woke up and I was excited to hold him. He was crying of course so I prepared him to be nursed. He nursed and I was happy he finally had some liquids in him. Afterwards we gathered his things and headed to the grocery store.

But after leaving daycare I got this nagging feeling that kept bothering me. It was unusual for James not to eat or drink so little water. I started doubting the teachers and wondering if they offered him enough food and drink. I know they give him bottles, but when do they offer him water. It actually bothered me all weekend. Last night I determined a solution: instead of following their schedule, they will follow mine. This way I will make sure he gets enough food and drink. Also I'll ask them to record how much he drank/ate so I know. Taking charge of this situation makes me feel a lot better. James can't ask for things on his own so it's my responsibility to do it for him. 

Overall I am pleased with James's transition. I believe that it went so smoothly because ever since he was a few months we went on many play dates, walks, etc with other mommies and babies and I believe that he feels he is on another play date. I am guessing that he thinks the teachers are moms to some of the kids he plays with so maybe that's why he feels so comfortable. Plus James is a great kid that hardly cries, is very independent, and loves to be played with. James has also taken a liking to his teachers which makes me very happy. They are always holding him and playing with him so I can see that he is genuinely happy.

So over the weekend I got my answer as to why James wasn't eating/drinking. He had a cold and a slight fever. As expected he got it from daycare. Apparently kids can still go with a cold, congestion, and runny nose. It's only a fever, vomiting, and diarrhea where they send them home. So it was inevitable for James to get sick as most kids had a fever the day before or were there with runny noses. This is the only part I don't like about daycare. I kept James at home today since he's still suffering from a runny nose and since he doesn't have much of an appetite I'll need to nurse him. The cold could have been why James didn't want to eat or drink on Friday, but either way I'm still going to have them follow my schedule.

Hope you enjoyed reading about James' transition week. Has your baby transitioned too? If so, share your experience with us in the comment section below! Also any advice on upcoming weeks is appreciated!

Happy reading!

Rachel