We've just moved up here to Queensland and in the absence of 3yo kinder up here in Qld I have put DS into daycare twice a week - just from 9.00am-2.00pm. DS is 3 years old.

I had a great mother's group in Victoria and I want him to have the opportunity to play with kids, I know he is missing his little friends from MG. Plus I'm 6 months pregnant, DD is 15 months and I'm having a couple of health issues with this pregnancy so we are home a lot more than I would like, and that is going to be even worse once Number 3 arrives. So I really think this would be good for him.

He hasn't been to daycare before, he's always been home with me. I did try and put him in daycare when he was 10 months old but it went so badly I decided not to return to work. Then when he was 18 months old he was doing a delayed speech course through the RCH and they had organised qualified carers to look after the kids while the parents were given the theory in the next room, but DS was so hysterical he wound up sitting on my lap for the entire 6 week course.

So this time around I really thought he was ready and the first day he was SO excited about going to "school" as he called it we even had to pack his pencil case into his backpack. And now it's all gone downhill.

He cries nonstop for a good hour and a half before he goes - DH actually has to take him because he gets more hysterical when Mummy takes him. Last week I couldn't physically get him in the car because he was kicking out and running away.

But when I go to pick him up he is so excited to see me and he tells me he's had fun at school. However, when we talk about it at home, he tells me he felt sad at school because he missed me and he doesn't like school and doesn't want to go. I try and ask him about the fun or happy things he did and he will then tell me he didn't have fun and only did sad things . The carers tell me he calms down almost immediately after he is dropped off and he is fine the whole time he is there. They have also said that it is normal for it to be all exciting the first week and then the kids to be all "been there done that, I don't need to come back" and then get upset.

DH and I don't know what to do. Should we persevere a bit longer - this has been 4 weeks now. Really, DS doesn't HAVE to go, he could stay home with me, but Mummy is pretty boring at the moment and DS even says that he is bored sometimes. The carers have told me to persevere "otherwise he'll be a nightmare when he has to go to school" but this doesn't hold a lot of water with me...he would be 2 years older by the time he starts prep.

I guess I'm just putting him in care for socialisation reasons. He does go to playgroup and swimming lessons and a couple of other activities and I know he wants to play with other little boys...I seem to only be meeting people with girls!

Will it improve? Is this normal? I don't want to be putting up with over an hour of crying every morning it is a daycare morning and I don't want him to be there if he doesn't want to be and he doesn't have to be...