Period of Adjustment

Yesterday Logan and I went to his daycare. We played there together for a bit and then his teacher suggested I leave for an hour and come back. When I came to collect him she said he screamed and cried when he realized I left the house not just the room . However once he was distracted with juice and some goldfish crackers he was fine -just like his Daddy! He was a bit clingy when I picked him up but seemed okay.

This afternoon we're trying it again. I brought him to daycare around 3pm and his teacher met me at the door. She suggested I just say goodbye there and see what happens. So I said bye and closed the door...and waited. LOL I heard the other girl and the teacher saying hello to Logan and some talking but no crying. I exhaled and went to the car and then it was me who started crying. It was only a few tears and few second -I'm not sad or worried about his well being. I really don't know. . Daddy has even blogged about little Loggie going to daycare.

I found this useful to understand things from Logan's perspective (the whole article is here):

"Developmentally, young children have a hard time with separation because they don’t have a sense of how time works and they don’t yet know the nature of families. For instance, babies and toddlers can only think about the present moment. If you leave, they can’t imagine you coming back, because they are not fully capable of thinking about the future. They also don’t yet know that you are going to be "their people" for the rest of their lives, so they don’t automatically assume that you will always come back...Children need to learn (through experience) that you will come back and that the people who are caring for them are safe, responsive and nurturing"

We're doing these things to help him adjust to daycare:

*We're leaving diapers, wipes etc. there and then packing a daily backpack with comfort items and change of clothing the will smell like home.

*In his bag we've packed his blanket for naps. Transitioning to napping away from home can be hard. We've noticed that Logan clutches his blanket and brings it up just under his nose when he is falling asleep so it will be nice for him to have a blanket that smells like home. And okay, I admit it, I slept with the blanket after I washed it so it would smell like Mommy. I know he's not a puppy but if it might make him feel better, it is worth a try.

*We've packed soothers and given the teacher the okay to use them if it helps. I've been cutting Logan's soother use down and since Wednesday he's only used it for naps. But we're in a 'period of adjustment' and if it will help him, I'm all for it.

*We've packed some Baby Einstein flash cards. Logan's likes to hold these while getting his diaper changed and has been really still the last week while holding these.
*We've left a bib and a sippy cup at daycare that are just like the ones used at home...again, just trying to make things familiar.

*I wrote up a little bit about Logan for the teacher to know what foods he is eating, what words he knows, what his current schedule is, etc. so that she can help him adjust.

*And we're easing into the daycare thing slowly.

Anyway, here are some pictures of Logan sharing his cookie with his turtle friend this morning...