Parenting: Why We Enrolled Her In Daycare

I’m a VERY lucky mom. Not only did I give birth to an adorable and smart little girl (bias much?) but I was able to be a stay at home mom for her entire first year. It was something I’ve always wanted to do and I’m so glad we were able to swing it.

Fast forward a few months where an opportunity arose that I couldn’t pass up. It was for a part time work from home job doing web and social media – fields I love! I loved the content I was working with and felt good bringing in some money to help our family. While I was able to balance playing with her all day and working during each nap or night session, it started to be a strain on my time to do both.

I’m lucky that I was able to be at home with her during her entire first year. I’m proud that I was able to successfully breastfed her and hopefully gave her a strong immune system for the germs that awaited in a daycare setting. (Not strong enough apparently since she got Coxsackie Virus her second month there!) Even though I’m home all day, once she turned one, we decided to put her in daycare two days a week and here are a few reasons why:

• Brielle is obsessed with other kids. Just because I was a “stay at home mom” didn’t mean we stayed at home all day! We took advantage of music classes in the area, went to the playground often and had play dates with other stay at home families. Brielle would always walk right up to any kids playing, wave and do her best to communicate with babble. At one year old, it was time for her to get more social interaction on a daily basis instead of our weekly encounters with passersby.

• Brielle needed to learn how to share. We’d see her play with her cousins and, like most kids this age, was very possessive of the toys they had in hand. She needed to learn that sharing is ok and it doesn’t mean you’ll never see the toy again. In the same regard, she needed to learn that throwing toys wasn’t a good idea!
• At a year old, she was less “fragile.” I just can’t imagine putting a 6 week old baby in the hands of a stranger to take care of them. I respect the moms that need to do that to work for their families but it is just unfathomable to me. They just seem so small and delicate at that age. But at one year she is stronger and while not invincible, I feel like there are a lot less dangers in her everyday care and sleeping situations which relaxes this mommy’s mind.

• Brielle needed to learn how to go to sleep on her own. First time mom confession time: I nurse/rock my daughter to sleep. Having someone else put her down would hopefully break our habit and get her more comfortable with that skill. I’m happy to report that we’re having success these last few weeks!
• I had dedicated time to work. Or run. Or dry my hair straight. Or take a shower by myself. Or literally run in and out of store because I was just picking up one thing real quick. I wasn’t trying to squeeze in my work hours at any quiet moment I could. Instead I could sit for hours on end and focus on one project at a time, if I wanted.
• I could have a lunch date with my husband. Not only am I lucky that I got to see my little one every day, but Derek, my husband, works only 5 minutes from home. A RARITY in our state to say the least! He comes home most days for lunch so he too could see our little bundle grow into the funny girl she is today. And on days where she was in daycare, we could have a lunch date at home or out which was good for our marriage.

Now that she is in daycare, I pack her snacks, lunch and milk each morning. To help keep her items separated from the other kids, I have happily applied her personalized Round Labels from NameBubbles.com. I purchased the smallest pack and this 48 count of dishwasher and microwave safe labels have gone far! They’ve been through countless cycles of cleaning and they’re still stuck on tight!

My daycare doesn’t require that we label clothing items, but for those of you who would be using those type of facilities, you might also want to check out their Daycare Labels pack which includes their other sticker types for clothing and shoes! I have them on some of her accessory items, like this hoodie and run them through the wash!

UPDATE: For those headed to school this fall, use code SPOT15 (case sensitive) to get 15% off your order at NameBubbles.com until 8/31/2016.

Learn more about NameBubbles.com through their website or follow them on Facebook | Twitter | Google+ | Pinterest | Instagram

The great people at NameBubbles.com are offering one lucky Spot Of Tea Designs reader a set of Round Label stickers of your very own! To enter, complete the rafflecopter form below (or mobile users enter here: Rafflecopter Giveaway) before November 28th 2014! CLOSED!

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