Day Care Experiences–Baby Steps

This past Sunday, Lily had her very first day care experience. The church my wife and I attend has a nursery for children ages three and under. Parents are welcome to leave their little ones there while they attend Mass. My wife and I thought this would be a good test for Lily before we tried dropping her off at a real day care for an entire day. It actually went better than we thought it would. Neither my wife nor I have family in Atlanta, so Lily has never been watched by anyone but the two of us. In … Continue reading

Choosing a Day Care

Most parents do not look forward to sending their child to day care. They do it out of necessity. However, for the parents of special needs children, the opportunity to send your child to day care should be viewed as a blessing. It means that your child is developmentally ready to take on new physical and social challenges. I highly recommend, though, that you resist sending your child to a traditional day care just to prove to the world and yourself how “normal” he or she is. If you live in a smaller city, you may not have a choice, … Continue reading

Early Day Care Will Not Reduce Illness Later

One of the reasons many parents say that they put their children into daycare or early preschool is so the kids will be exposed to more germs and therefore get their illnesses over with before they reach school age, when absence from school may have more of an impact. I knew a mom once who firmly believed in the idea of exposing her kids early to illnesses. In fact, she ran a day care, and if a child came in sick, she would make sure that her children were playing with that child and sharing toys, in order to increase … Continue reading

How Young is Too Young to Be Left Home Alone?

As our children begin to grow, we may be wondering when it is okay to leave them alone. How old should they be when you allow them to be home alone from the time they get home from school until you get home from work? Is it okay to go out for a date night and leave a child home in the evening? What about a simple walk around the block? How old can your child be when you leave him in the car to run into the store? Years ago, parents didn’t worry about such things, I think. I … Continue reading