The decision to put your kids into daycare is not an easy one. Many mothers struggle with whether or not it is the right decision for their kids. I completely understand that struggle, especially as a working mom. The guilt of dropping your little one with a stranger can be hard, but the benefits your kid will get from it far way out any apprehensions you may have. The key to easing your mind is finding a high-quality daycare that will provide your little ones with the care they need while you work.
The benefits of daycare have been extensively researched and proven to have positive effects on your kid’s overall development. It also helps you with the time and space needed to support your family and your own self-care. In my opinion, as a mother who put their child in daycare from 3 months old, I can tell you daycare set my son up for success when it came to going to school and life in general. He has thrived and excelled in every way just from going to daycare at the start of his life.
Proven Ways Daycare Benefits Your Kids
Schedule and routines
Giving children structure at an early age is crucial to their overall well-being. They may not understand the concept of time, but they can learn routines and schedules. In daycare, they have to stay on a schedule or it would be pure chaos, so they schedule different activities throughout the day and they stick to that schedule every day. It helps because the kids know what to expect every day.
These activities are developed to be fun and for them to learn at the same time. That can be singing, storytelling, or crafts. All of the activities they do especially with toddlers are crucial to their academic growth and development. Also did a mention it helps with behavior at home as well. When they have a schedule and routine in daycare they are more likely to follow a schedule and routine at home.
Social Skills
Daycare also helps kids with social skills. Yes, they will make friends and socialize, but it also helps them to deal with conflict. They are not going to like everyone so what this will teach them is how to resolve conflict and problem solve. It is also more than them just talking to each other it teaches them to listen to others. When they socialize with kids their own age they develop communication skills that give them a leg up in life. Getting an early start on social skills is crucial to their future and how they handle social situations as an adult.
Build Immune System
Those early stages in their life where they get sick with the sniffles and colds can be hard. It is one of the biggest concerns when deciding on whether or not to put your child in daycare. You never know what kind of germs they are going to come home with. What parents need to know is that every time their children get sick they build up an immune system. Which later benefits them because their bodies can fight off the germs and common colds. Our bodies know what to do to protect us because once the body gets exposed to illness it learns how to fight off whatever the illness is.
Similar to vaccines when kids are exposed to germs and disease the body is better able to fight them off as they get older. What this does is create faster recovery times in colds if they even get them when they are older. This helps especially when you are a working parent who can’t call out of work left and right. I found that bosses and companies are more understanding of young children being sick making it easier to take time off to take care of them.
Cognitive Skills
Cognitive skills in early childhood help build learning skills like attention, memory, and thinking. When they are young you want them to develop these skills because it helps them remember what they are taught, how to problem solve build, and retain information given to them. By consistently talking and learning from an experienced caregiver they will learn much more than they would at home. Learning in a group setting is also great especially when it comes to attention and memory because they learn to focus. I encourage you to also continue this at home. You can ask them open-ended questions often. Get their imaginations going when playing with them. Read books to them and play board games that require strategy.
Communication
Daycare gives kids an opportunity to socialize at a young age. It helps them develop strong communication skills because when you are in a place with a bunch of kids you have to speak up in order to be heard. Some kids are talkative and some are non-verbal, but regardless of the communication pattern, it gives them the chance to work on their communication. You want them to communicate and in a daycare setting, it teaches them how to communicate effectively because there are other kids at different stages and ages in the center.
My son as a baby wanted to be in the big room with all the older kids because that was where all the action was. He was absolutely fascinated with the toddlers. The daycare always took the time to take him out of the nursery so he can interact with the toddlers because that is what he wanted even if he didn’t have the words quite yet.
Boosts Confidence
We all want our kids to be confident and feel comfortable especially in a social setting. Daycare provides that because at an early age they are able to learn interpersonal skills that help build their self-esteem. This benefit is one of those that will benefit them throughout their entire lives.
Independence
When you put your kids into a high-quality daycare it helps them to learn independence. The reason is that they don’t have parents or family members catering to their every need. They have no one else to rely on, but their teachers and themselves. I know this sounds scary, but I promise you it is a benefit in the long run. The teachers give them simple tasks and activities that encourage them to be independent. It can be as simple as putting toys away that small act can create independence and teach them that they are responsible for something.
Better Behavior
A daycare gives kids the opportunity to play and socialize with other kids. What it also does is show them how to be a team player. Teaching them how to work with others so they are less likely to flip out over something like sharing toys. They learn how to share, play and learn together while their personalities are developing.
Prepares kids for school
Eventually, your babies are going to grow up and school is going to start. It felt like I blinked and my son was in Pre-K that is how fast time went by. Whether they start at Pre-K or Kindergarten they are going to go to school. The benefit of daycare is it makes the transition easier for them. They will already be used to getting up and going somewhere to learn new and exciting things.
I was never put in daycare or even Pre-K so when I was dropped off at Kindergarten it was a huge shock to me as a child. To put it lightly I was not happy when it happened. I struggled to understand why I couldn’t stay with my dad and had a hard time making friends. Even though I had no choice, but to put my son in daycare I never regretted it because of all the benefits he received. He has stronger reading, math, and social skills compared to those who had home care.
Final Thoughts:
Deciding to put your child in daycare should be a discussion that parents have together. Weigh the pros and cons, but in my opinion, daycare is the best way to start them on this great journey of life. It gives them a head start in their academic career and helps them develop skills that they are going to need at every stage of their lives. I know it’s hard. I have done it so I am speaking from experience and it’s not about you it’s about giving them the best possible future possible.
Take yourself out of it and focus on what is best for your child. If you have the ability to do all of the points above from home that’s great. However, that isn’t going to help them when real school starts. Letting them have time away from you is not a bad thing. No one is saying you have to do it 5 days a week for 6 hours a day, but you should at least do 2 days for a few hours so they can adjust to school life.
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