The Childcare Experience

I really felt for Rowan today (and for myself!), it was his first experience in childcare. Admittedly, only a short play (~40min) as part of his orientation before starting on Monday, but not an overly positive experience. It took him a while to stop clinging to me, but eventually I settled him and went to go and sit in the foyer for a bit. One of the carers came out about 20 minutes later and asked if it was okay for Rowan to have lunch with them since the food trolley was coming around. I thought he’d be thrilled by this as he loves food very much, but apparently this was the icing on the cake and too much for him to take in... as they put a little bowl of baked beans with potato in front of him, he burst into tears and was inconsolable! :(

So I was called back into the room to try and settle him, and encourage him to try some food (which he did, but wanted to feed me first :P). Poor boy, when I got back there Rowan was sobbing in the book area with snot running down his face and his whole body wracked with each sob. I’m not used to seeing him like this, so it came as a shock to me – I was expecting a little clinginess or a few tears. After he had a few mouthfuls of food and a drink of water, we arranged to come back tomorrow and Rowan retrieved my bag and made a beeline for the door.

Do I feel good about making the decision to start him in childcare? Definitely not, I just hope that the adjustment period isn’t too difficult for him – I’m expecting it to last a month or so (he’s only attending one day per week), but this is our only choice for a Monday so we all need to get through it. Here’s hoping tomorrow’s play is a better one!