Daycare is a huge change for kids, give it time, some kids take longer than others to adjust to the new norm. It has only been a week so stick it out, it will get better. Talk to the educators and see what ideas you can come up with to make it easier on your child, maybe they could suggest he bring in a cuddly teddy that you go to the shops and buy together and he can carry this around with him all day and know that when he cuddles him, he knows that he will be ok. You could even unstitch the bear and put something inside that you have both kissed and then saw it back up, similar to the build a bear idea.

It’s only a week in and it’s hard for you both. He will settle in and make friends. Then he’ll join in when it’s time to eat etc. It just takes time and persistence.

From what I’ve seen, they do slowly warm up once they start recognising the carers and feeling a bit safer there. The eating usually comes back with that too, even though it’s really worrying at the start.

It might help to ease him in a bit more if you can, even just shorter days to begin with, and keeping things consistent so he knows what to expect. Bringing something from home can also help him feel more settled.

It really does take time, even though it’s so hard to watch. If it’s been a few weeks and nothing’s changing, it’s completely okay to question things or look at other options too.

Another thing you could do is spend some time at the child care centre and play together with a carer with your child. It takes time for us all to build trust and relationships so for your baby too. When your child sees you trust a caregiver he may think he can trust her too. Always prepare your child on leaving, don’t just simply leave. It can be helpful to bring a soft toy which he loves from home to help him south. Every time reinforce that you come back.

Definitely experienced this. My son started daycare at about 1.5 years old and initially didn’t want to be away from me. He would be quite upset and not want to eat. It didn’t take long for him to warm up to the staff and see how much fun he has there. Eating is still up and down, teething his last molars has meant only plain pasta and bread the last 2 weeks. I give him a big breakfast on daycare days and have a subo filled with weetbix and yoghurt on pick up. They just need to adjust to the new routine, even though it’s really hard for us to watch.

Aw bless I can imagine that’s hard on you but also for your wee boy. It is of course a massive transition for your little man and it is probably something he doesn’t understand at all. Any change you can build it up slowly ? How many days and for how for how many hours is he going ? Could you start with a couple of days and only 2 hours and then expand it ?

My daughter never ate initially when she started childcare, then she warned up and started eating. Its so hard being a working mum and hoping your child is being looked after and so heartbreaking when they dont. If its been too long, would you consider finding a different childcare where they may feel more comfortable