Going to give day-care a try

[Ginger]

i say give it a try and see how it goes. if you find she's not enjoying it, and therefore you're not enjoying it, then you can always pull her out.

[Glamourcide]

Thanks for the advice and support, ladies.
DD had her first day at daycare yesterday, and by all accounts from the carers, she had a lovely time. DH and I dropped her off in the morning, she didn't even want to kiss us goodbye because she was too busy making friends and discovering all the fun toys in the playground. DH and I were a bundle of nerves all morning, worrying about her, but I resisted the urge to call every five minutes to check on her (except for one phone call to let the carers know that her dummy was in the front pocket of her backpack and she would need it for naptime), and when I picked her up at 4:30 one of the ladies assured me that she'd enjoyed herself immensely apart from a few minor tears over the course of the day (when she got tired).
She'd crawled into a corner and gone down for a second nap (and this NEVER happens, so she must have worn herself out immensely!!) just before I arrived and when I went into the next room to collect her, she was cuddled up with another carer, crying her heart out - a little boy had been so excited to see his dad arrive to pick him up that he'd tripped over DD while she was asleep and woken her up!
She waved goodbye to everybody and was very, very happy to see Daddy when we picked him up from work straight after.
DH and I both fell asleep on the couch while watching the news (it was raining all day, DH hasn't been feeling well and I'd been on my feet all day running errands) and when I woke up an hour later, DD was sitting quietly on the couch reading a book and patting the dog - and she NEVER, EVER sits still, usually the minute your back is turned she's into some godawful mischief, but nothing had been touched so she must have just been sitting quietly the whole time. I'm pretty sure that means she got all the stimulation she needed for the day at daycare and was content to just be around mummy and daddy when she got home - I got up and bathed her, gave her a bottle and she went straight down, so I think daycare was good for her.

I'm really excited about it now, can't wait for next Wednesday - she seemed to have a good time and I know now I'm doing the right thing for her.