Babies 6 Weeks of Age?

[Unregistered]

Daycare providers shouldnt take babies as young as 6 weeks of age.

The babies are too young to leave their mothers and need more time for bonding and attachment.

[DBug]

Totally agreed! But if mom is ready/needs to go back to work, and I didn't take the baby, someone else would. At least I can make sure I'm giving the baby the time, attention, and cuddling that it needs!

That said, up here in the Great White North, not many moms go back that early -- we get 50% of our regular salary on mat. leave for one year, even if we're not going back to work (provided you were paying into it while you were working). The employer may top that up. One mom I have is taking mat. leave this summer, and she's getting 93% for the year. And of course the Child Tax Benefit helps too.

[Former Teacher]

Sad thing is..we once had a baby who was only 2 weeks old. Mom had to go back to work and dad was no help even he was unemployed at the time. Dad's exact words to mom was.."you wanted him, you take care of him because I ain't!"

Our absolute youngest was a week old and that's only because mom was the infant caregiver. She convinced my former boss that she would go crazy just being at home. So she came back to work early.

I guess I see both sides of the story. Yes I think 6 weeks old is still to young. However we would all be out of money if parents didnt

[jen]

Daycare providers shouldnt take babies as young as 6 weeks of age.

The babies are too young to leave their mothers and need more time for bonding and attachment.

I think your post may be more effective if based towards parents. While we may agree, it is not our place to tell parents how to raise their infants.

[Daycare Mommy]

In a perfect world we wouldn't be needed at all... but this is reality we live in. Many families need the dual income and most of the jobs out there won't let you bring your kids. Sure there are plenty that don't need to work, but do it anyway to keep their big house, fancy cars, etc., but that's their choice. I can't make them prioritize their babies. I skrimped and saved and managed to take a year off after the birth of each of my children by living off of my husband's income. Not everyone has that luxury though, so I try not to judge. The best we can do is try to make our daycares the best home away from home that we can for the infants and children that are brought to us.

[Unregistered]

seems like a lot of families listen to their daycare provider. So maybe you could encourage Moms to stay home longer. I love the help that is given in the "great white north". Where is that? I wish the lower 48 did that!!!

[nannyde]

seems like a lot of families listen to their daycare provider. So maybe you could encourage Moms to stay home longer. I love the help that is given in the "great white north". Where is that? I wish the lower 48 did that!!!

We don't have that kind of influence especially with a new family. They wouldn't spend a second considering what WE thought was best for their child. We are strangers to them. Either we will take the kid when they want care or we won't. It's that simple.

The only way to make this not an issue is to regulate minimum age for entry into care. I haven't heard of any State that does that. There might be though. I know my State won't pay for child care assistance until they are two weeks old. Private pay can start any time they want.

I have had babies as young as ten days. I'm fine with newborn on. The younger the better IMO. You can really eliminate a lot of transition problems if you get them in the early newborn stage.

[DBug]

seems like a lot of families listen to their daycare provider. So maybe you could encourage Moms to stay home longer. I love the help that is given in the "great white north". Where is that? I wish the lower 48 did that!!!

The 51st state - Canada Talk to (email, write, etc) your Government reps and suggest it. Who knows, one of them may share your opinion and be able to use your backing (along with lots of others, of course), to make a change! I think it's an amazing thing our government does to encourage parents to stay home for at least a little while. True, taxes reflect it, but I'm okay with that, and so are most other Canadians. And the mat. leave benefits don't just apply to moms -- dads can split the time with moms too (ie. dad stays home for 6 months, then mom stays home for 6 months).

And as for encouraging parents to stay home, honestly, if parents had already made the decision to go back to work, my opinion won't matter. Generally before a family starts with me, I've only met them once during the interview. I don't have alot of say until they've been with me for awhile.

An idea for your community might be to start a mommy/daddy & me group specifically for moms/dads and their newborns. You could advertise to brand new parents in the maternity wards in your area, and offer money-saving tips on how to survive on one income, set up babysitting co-ops, organize playgroups, playdates, baby-friendly coffee dates, and movie afternoons. All to encourage parents to take more time off after baby is born.

But, thing is, you'll have to do something, rather than just telling others what to do

[Golden Rule]

Daycare providers shouldnt take babies as young as 6 weeks of age.

The babies are too young to leave their mothers and need more time for bonding and attachment.

In a perfect world, sure.

It takes brass balls to make such a generalized statement. I noticed you did not register first, though so I guess that means you wont stand up for your conviction? That is all I am left to guess....

Glad your life worked out for you so well....hope it continues that way for you. Especially with the inability to understand others have different situations.::

[QualiTcare]

that's totally a matter of opinion, and of course we all know opinions are like....

yeah, so anyway....

both of my children started daycare when they were 6 weeks old and i don't regret it ONE bit! when i had my first child, i was completely miserable after two weeks of staying at home. yes, i loved my daughter, but i went from working two jobs and never being at home to never leaving the house. i convinced my boss to let me work 3 days a week 2 weeks after having a c-section, and i got my mom to babysit. at first my boss told me no, and then my eyes welled up with tears....and he said yes. thank goodness! i respect stay at home mothers - it's just not for me.

in fact, i do daycare from home right now because my old job ended when the grant that funded it ran out. i love kids which is why i chose to be a teacher, but i love teaching kids at school, with other people, other adults, etc. as soon as i get another job offer, i'll stop caring for children at home. i don't want to be at home! it's just a personal preference. it doesn't make me a bad mother. in fact, it makes ME a better mother. you can't be the best mother you can be unless YOU are happy. I'M happy when i'm busy working outside the home.

say whatever you want, but both of my kids were in daycare at 6 weeks and both of my kids are literally obsessively in love with me. we bonded just fine. actually, mothers who are separated from their infants at birth due to the infant needing to go to NICU are at higher risk for bonding issues than children who go to daycare at 6 weeks. the most critical time for bonding is immediately after birth thanks to a hormone called oxytocin. i gave birth to a child i didn't see for hours besides a polaroid picture, and i later researched/wrote about the subject. i know.

[Unregistered]

Aren't you special

Daycare providers shouldnt take babies as young as 6 weeks of age.

The babies are too young to leave their mothers and need more time for bonding and attachment.

Must be nice to be able to stay home longer than 6 weeks. Some of us would have loved to stay home longer than that, but didn't have that luxery! If I didn't have a daycare to take my son at 6 weeks, I would have been out of luck. Thanks a lot.

[Aya477]

don't judge

I believe that alot of issues between parents and caregivers generally falls down to one matter---difference in opinion. Ex: A caregiver believes a child should be weaned from bottles whereas a parent does not believe that is the right step for their child so a disagreement arises. Or a parent believes that a caregiver should be open to allow a child to bring a toy into dc (most likely because it makes for a more pleasant drop off for all involved) whereas the provider prefers he/she should not bring the toy into dc again creating a disagreement. But what does the disagreement boil down to?? Difference in opinion. The bottom line is this: a parent chooses to place their child in a dc program and it is not the place of the dc provider to judge the parent's choices. If a provider does not wish to take in children as young as 6 weeks because they don't believe that is an appropriate age, then don't do so and let that be your choice. But please do not blast the parents that make the choice to bring their children into dc at 6weeks of age. Many a time do we believe our own opinions reign supreme and we fail to acknowledge that what works for our own family may not work for another. Live and Let Live.

[jen]

I believe that alot of issues between parents and caregivers generally falls down to one matter---difference in opinion. Ex: A caregiver believes a child should be weaned from bottles whereas a parent does not believe that is the right step for their child so a disagreement arises. Or a parent believes that a caregiver should be open to allow a child to bring a toy into dc (most likely because it makes for a more pleasant drop off for all involved) whereas the provider prefers he/she should not bring the toy into dc again creating a disagreement. But what does the disagreement boil down to?? Difference in opinion. The bottom line is this: a parent chooses to place their child in a dc program and it is not the place of the dc provider to judge the parent's choices. If a provider does not wish to take in children as young as 6 weeks because they don't believe that is an appropriate age, then don't do so and let that be your choice. But please do not blast the parents that make the choice to bring their children into dc at 6weeks of age. Many a time do we believe our own opinions reign supreme and we fail to acknowledge that what works for our own family may not work for another. Live and Let Live.

Hmmm...are you a parent or a provider? I am guessing that you are a parent. It is not simply the parents choice what program to choose--the provider chooses which family to accept and makes the rules that the parents must follow, such as no toys or no bottles after a certain age. If the parent doesn't like said rules they should find another provider whose philosophies more closely reflect the parents opinions. While I think most providers, myself included, respect the opinions and desires of the parent, in the end our opinion does reign supreme...at least in our own home.

[QualiTcare]

i thought aya's post was pretty diplomatic.

just sayin.

[Aya477]

Point Proven

Hmmm...are you a parent or a provider? I am guessing that you are a parent. It is not simply the parents choice what program to choose--the provider chooses which family to accept and makes the rules that the parents must follow, such as no toys or no bottles after a certain age. If the parent doesn't like said rules they should find another provider whose philosophies more closely reflect the parents opinions. While I think most providers, myself included, respect the opinions and desires of the parent, in the end our opinion does reign supreme...at least in our own home.

I am a parent and what I want for my child will reign supreme and I HAVE chosen centers based on what suits my child and my wants for him. There is no basis for argument there because afterall, I am the parent and have the ultimate say in raising my minor. I believe the instances where a provider chooses a family as you suggested solely occurs in home care settings; not center care facilities. I personally do not prefer a home care setting for the very reasons you specified--the provider mandates what *they* believe to be developmentally appropriate or in general what *they* deem appropriate for the child(ren). I prefer center group settings and in that type of care, the parent chooses where to enroll their child and would have more levels of individuals to bring problems forth to. In a center setting, if something is not working out in a classroom there is atleast an assistant Director, Director, owner, or further level of management to discuss the matter with where parents aren't in a deadlock disagreement with one individual as you would find in a home care setting. The first time a provider attempts to tell me how to raise my child, a notice would be forthcoming. I have no issue with rules. I have no issue with set schedules or programs. I am not unreasonable in what I expect from my child's dc center. But I will take issue with someone mandating their opinion onto my child. I have not had my child in a home care setting so cannot speak for the need for such rules to exist. I would imagine that the operator of a home care setting may need to place rules of their own for items such as bottles, toys, pacifiers, etc for the simple fact that they may have scattered age groups and be the only person caring for the group and the rules would be necessary for the benefit of the provider. Yet another reason why homecare is not an option for my child. But, that was not the topic of this thread was it? I was simply pointing out in my earlier post that disagreements occur because of differing opinions which is just the fact and you proved that with your reply.