Ugh...please tell me it gets better (Daycare related)

Yesterday DS (14 months old) started up daycare again after over a month of not going. When we got there in the morning he didnt want to let go and was really clingy. The sitter said he did fine all day but right before I got there to pick him up he started crying hysterically. He was super clingy until bedtime and just wanted to hug me.

Today was even worse. As soon as we walked in the door this morning and he realized where he was, he FREAKED. Hysterically crying, arms around the neck and wouldnt let go, kept buring his head in my shoulder and crying "no no no". STBX picked him up early at 12:00 and took him home with him and when I got out of work I picked him up from STBX. He said he was fine all day and DS seemed excited to see me. I picked him up and STBX went to give him a hug goodbye and suddenly DS started crying again as if he was afraid STBX was going to pull him away from me.

I know this is a big adjustment for him...not only am I at work all day long and I only get to see him for an hour before its time for bed, but since he's going back and forth between STBX and I, he's only seeing me for 2 weeks a month. It was a hard adjustment before daycare started but now its horrible... I just hate to see him like this. He's having terrible separation anxiety and its breaking my heart. I pick him up from daycare and all he wants to do is hug me. I feel like I barely see him

I guess I just need reassurance that the way he's acting about going to daycare is normal and that he'll get over it. I dont know what else to do, but I cant keep sending him to daycare every day if he keeps this up...its killing me

Re: Ugh...please tell me it gets better (Daycare related)

Wow that is really hard. Two weeks per month...I don't know how you do it. I hope it gets easier.

Message edited 10/5/2010 8:45:07 PM.

Re: Ugh...please tell me it gets better (Daycare related)

I'm not sure how to help with this one.

Is there anyway you can split it so SBX sees him on the weekends this way his routine isn't being changed that drastically? I don't know what your situation is, so I can't really say but maybe it's to much change all at once?

I'm sorry, this must be so hard

Re: Ugh...please tell me it gets better (Daycare related)

Re: Ugh...please tell me it gets better (Daycare related)

Re: Ugh...please tell me it gets better (Daycare related)

Is your STBX living in the area now? I heard of one couple who shared an apt. so that their DC lived in the same place constantly, but they took turns staying there. That seemed like a great idea to have more constant in the lives of the children. Maybe you need to adjust the 2 weeks on, 2 weeks off if it isn't working for DS.