To start from the beginning... I love our current daycare. The teachers are wonderful and I love them all. Grayson loves them and has always been a happy baby there. In the last few months, I started to notice that as Grayson aged, he needed and wanted more out of daycare. He needed more room than they have {the room is small - okay for a 4 month old, but not for G}, he needed sensory activities {they just have a small pile of regular toys on the floor}, he needs to go outside {they don't go outside until they move into the next room}. He would push the lunch table around because they have no walker toys for him to use. I began to realize that Grayson needed more than this daycare was providing and I started feeling extremely guilty for not noticing these things sooner. I don't think there was any harm done by having him at his daycare. Like I said, I love them. I trusted them with my 5 month old baby when I had to go back to work, one of the hardest things I ever did. They have a piece of my heart and meant a lot to me considering how much time G spent with them. And that is why it was so hard for me to make the decision to find a new place. I cried. Heck, I sobbed. But I knew it was the right thing to do.
I found a new place, another Montessori school, that has an opening July 1st. The room is huge, and once Grayson starts, it will be six kids aged 3 months - 18 months and two teachers. They have a ball pit, all kinds of sensory activities {painting, bubbles, water table, shaving cream}, musical instruments, two walker toys, very creative homemade toys, a couple climbing toys, story time every day and they go outside on a walk or to the grassy area every day. It's perfect. We went for a visit yesterday and Grayson had a blast. I would have never thought or known to look for these kinds of things in a daycare's program, at least not when he was just a teeny thing.
He starts at the new center on July 8th. This change is still really messing with my emotions, like I didn't expect. I want to burst out crying when I think about the last day at his current daycare. That is going to be a difficult day for me. I think I have finally let the guilt go that I didn't move him sooner. Change is good... I have to keep telling myself that :)
xoxo,
Megan
I'm glad you found something different for him! Don't feel guilty - you are only doing what is right for your son. He's going to love his new daycare! Thinking of you mommy! Looks like you had such a fun vacation!
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like you're moving him at the perfect time! You're doing a great job as a mama, and Grayson couldn't look healthier or happier :) The new daycare sounds awesome, but it also sounds like the first one was perfect for him when he was a "baby" baby. I know what you mean, though. I feel like our house is too boring to nurture appropriate development, so I joined a bunch of mom and baby classes (music, play and learn, drop in playgroups, etc.) Then I realized (around 10 months) that it totally wasn't doing it for them anymore, and they needed places where they could climb/run around/go crazy. We tested out Gymboree and they were SO MUCH HAPPIER that I felt guilty for not doing it sooner. Ah well, live and learn. Just know you're not alone!
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