Hi
I'm sure every child is different, but from what I've read they don't really benefit from social interaction until 2 or so.
If you have the option, I would say go with the family member if you can - the main reason being that, based on our experience, your DS will probably be sick, sick, sick from being at daycare
DS started at about 16 months, 2 days a weeks. In the first 5 weeks he missed half the days due to illness. He then did 4 weeks in a row and finally settled in (not crying when I dropped him off anymore and starting to smile and talk to the carers). He's off sick again this week
I think at this age most kids are upset when they first start, but will settle in once they get used to it. DS does have fun playing there.
It has defnitely caused a spike in speparation anxiety - he has taken to cuddling a special toy all the time. He never did this before. This has also upset his sleep a lot, as he doesn't want to be left alone at night. It's particularly bad on daycare nights. This too is easing up now, though, as he's getting used to going.
I should add - my negative opinion is very much biased by the mummy guilt I feel at sending DS to daycare....
How old were they when they started? Darcy was 17months old
Did they get upset? No actually. We did a couple of mornings there and she was fine straight away. Actually this morning (two years later) was our first tantrum lol.
Did they benefit from it? for eg. speech? social skills? She could already count to 10 and had a vocab of about 50 words at one so her speech skills were pretty good, however her social skills have been improved as has her routine. She TT in 2 days at 2 and 5months as well.
Did it have any negivite effects on ur child? While her interactions with other children are great, she is our oldest (no older siblings to model off) and quite a gentle child. Learning the 'rules of the yard' so to speak often gets her quite upset. However, I'm glad it happened now and not as her first interaction at big school.
well my little one was 6 weeks old when she started.
she is now 2 and loves school
i believe she has gained alot fo ocial skills and communication as they do alot of talking and reading and very interactive things at school which i prob wouldnt do at home.
she also learns what is acceptable for a child her age,
yes she gets a runny nose but nothing bad enough to keep her home. i think she gets sicker at home from the bugs that are on my uniform when i come home from work. lol
so far only negative is she doesnt want to come home of an afternoon so its a struggle at pick up time but not drop off time. lol
We have used a combination of child care and grandparents and I think both have advantages and disadvantages. It depends on the child too. Both my boys love being around other kids and having stimulation, so child care has worked well for them both. They also enjoy spending time with their grandparents, but I think they find those days less interesting as they don't have much structure, or as many activities. I would love it if my ILs would do more craft and singing etc with them, but they find it tiring.
In terms of what they have got from child care, certainly it has helped their social skills a lot, they have both been early talkers and DS2 particularly toilet trained amazingly quickly and early from being around older kids. DS1 started kindergarten this year and the transition was so easy for him after being in day care so I think that's a huge plus. On the flip side I guess they do also learn some of the bad habits - DS2 went through a squealing phase that he picked up from the other kids - but realistically they are going to come across these things anyway and it has never been too hard to teach them what's ok and what's not.
So from my experience, I think child care is a good option for many kids. There will always be some children who don't do well with the group situation, so it's not for everyone. Often you don't know until you try - some kids can surprise you. Most kids will take some time to adjust, and I think more so as they get older, so it's best not to take them once and never again if they cry! Also I have found that kids adjust quicker if they go at least 2 days a week - a week is a long time for kids that age.
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