Thats a difficult one and a very personal choice but honestly if you are worried about him being sick and don’t want to spend time away from them then there are other ways to socialise like playgroup or music/storytime at the library or even just park catch ups with friends.

I personally think daycare is good for them. You don’t need to send him everyday, but a couple of days will be good and the you still get to spend plenty of time with him.

How often does he go? It sounds like one or two days a week might be a good thing.

I couldn’t be away from mine. I only get them this young once and every moment with them is special. I feel so lucky to be one of the few that got to be home with my kids although we had to give up everything to do it and they are growing up isolated on a farm. We spent loads of time reading and playing together and now the two eldest are at school and have loads of friends and are doing really well. Mom knows best what is right for her family so you should trust you will do what is best.

I am in a similar situation and I think sending the oldest to two days to daycare will help a lot.

Maybe try a probiotic or multi vitamin

Definitely, day care will help and every one needs a little help sometimes!

I think daycare would help with the speech for your older child. It’s probably going to benefit other things too – social development, confidence around people outside of home, playing with other kids etc. how many days is she going? Even one or two days will be beneficial.

It is surprising how much help staff at daycare can help them to say words. Both of our children improved quickly when ineracting with the staff and other children in their age groups. Is your 9 month old having therapy to help strengthen muscles at all? If not, approach your GP for a referral to get help. The younger child is, the better chance of some success. Are you in SA? We have some very good paediticians, physiotherapists, organizations etc. who should be able to give you advice.

Play is definitely good for children when they are developing their language skills. Children learn language through constructive play with other children and adults.

My two year old was also getting Speech Therapy, and the Day care was recommended by specialists to help her with her speech. It helped her so much, and she also loved socialising with so many other kids. One of the best decisions we ever made.

If your oldest is getting speech therapy then I think it might be beneficial to send him to daycare, he will get more of a chance to socialise and interact with other kids his age and will probably help his speech development. I found both my kids are advanced in their speech development and learn so much at daycare that they can’t be taught at home.

I would totally recommend childcare, but maybe only 1 or 2 days to start with. Kids love being around others kids and it helps them to socialise, share and communicate with other children.
I work part time and my kids have 2 days in care, which is perfect for us. I still get lots of lovely time with them and they get the benefits of being at an amazing child care centre.

Kids immunity really benefits from daycare and helps them build a strong one for the start of school. It also helps with social skills which is also really important. Does your 2year old enjoy going? If full time, maybe cut back so you still get a few days with your 2yr old also but they are still benefitting from childcare. All the best

Thanks to the ladies already having commented. What I mean by sick is colds, flus, tonsillitis, gastro etc. we have had it all! He is always Gerry and has a cough! We started him back 2 days a week last week and he is already sick and has made my little one sick. So 2:36am up with 2 sick bubbas it does make me think whether it’s worth it or not. He was in daycare last year for over 4.5months and in that whole time was never better for more then a week. I think I will persist though as he is learning so much and didn’t even shed a tear. I really appreciate the comments please keep them coming, love to hear opinions,

I would suggest the extra stimulation. learning opportunities and interactions with peers would be really important in your child’s situation.

how often does he go? 2 days is good

Not sure exactly what you mean about being sick but I would say if your children are getting benefits from day care then keep it up but maybe look at limiting it to half days or one or two days a week, I worked when my boys where at that age but they always had one day per week at day care and two days with my mum and I got to enjoy my days at home with them too

Im not clear on the comment sick of being sick? Often when a child starts daycare they get sick as they are around othef children. Having said that, it is immune building and my personal opinion of daycare is positive. My child wasnt walking, wasnt eating properly and was basically bored at home. I was not happy about spending her to daycare but they are amazing! Even in the under 2 yrs room, they have learning outcomes and have picked up on some issues my child has – not interacting in groups (husband and I are shy so appears our personalities are coming out already! ) they learn from seeing other children and interacting with them

Just to expand on my previous comment, my son was in childcare for 2 days a week. And kinder for 3 days a week. So you still get plenty of mummy bonding time with your babies.. kiddies come first. And childcare and kinder definitely help them and also gets them ready and confident for primary school.
Good luck with whatever you choose mama.