i personally prefer day care centres over FDCs. You just never know who's going to be at the house of a FDCer... most have the right heart but I am a worrier!! I had a look at a few and they just didn't sit right with me. I had that same feeling at a few day care centres until I found my dream centre which had a 16 week waiting period but was well worth the wait! Cloth nappies, buying local fresh produce to feed the kids, etc.
My DD started going to creche at 15-16 months old for 1-1.5 hours at the gym a few times a week so I could have a break and occasionally (like every 3 months) she would be babysat by my mum for a few hours. She started at daycare last week at 18 months old and no tears at all (we had LOTS of playdates at the centre though for 10-30 minutes at a time). I have only kept her there for a few hours and will increase this as I feel more ready (I miss her). I also go to a TAFE playgroup starting this year twice a week and I leave her with the students for 20 minutes while I go outside with the other parents and have morning tea. So this is another opportunity for her to be used to being with other people.
While pregnant I planned to go back to work January 2009 hahahaha so don't think too far ahead...
oh so in conclusion I think the later the better but you will know by your child. My daughter did cry with the gym creche but I would go to the toilet and walk back past the creche and she had stopped - if she hadn't of I would've gone back to her and taken her home.
Knowing that the carers would get me if she wasn't able to be settled helped too. Oh and I went to a MOPs playgroup which is 2 hours apart from your child (I cried with this one as it was the first time I'd left her with someone other than my mum) but I checked on her heaps and realised that she was fine without me. When she wasn't they always came into me and asked me to come out to her.
Sorry lots of rambling, hope that some of this made sense!
I believe it depends on the child. DD1 was very needy from birth. I had to go back to work when she was 5 months so I left her with my mother. She had been with my mother heaps before that but she still screamed and screamed. I had no other choice but to work so I couldn't be home with her but at least I knew that my mom was holding her and cuddling her. Eventually she became so attached to my mom that she didn't want to come home at night. When she was 18 months old, my mom asked if we could put her into daycare for 2 days a week to give her some stimulation. She was there for 2 days and the carers told us that if we had any other option, we must try that rather. She cried continuously and was not ready to be without her Nanna or parents. I quit working when she was 2 and have not worked since. I put her into Kindy this year and she did not cope again. She is still a very needy child and separation anxiety gets her every time.
There are some children who run into Kindy the first day and tell their mothers to leave. Each child has their own temprement. Of course, from my experience, I now say that it is better for a child to be home with their mother and I'm glad DD2 has had that experience.
very, very true.. my daughter is extremely outgoing and independent which is why I think she coped so well but when I worked in daycare I saw a lot of children who did not cope at all - would cry so much they would throw up or some babies who we had to say to the parents that daycare wasn't an option try FDC or a nanny as they truly were severly emotionally distressed as they would just not calm down. That must've been so hard having your daughter become so attached to your mum.
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