What happens when the thought of transitioning your baby to daycare brings anxiety and tears, but the reality turns out to be a surprising success story?

We sit down with Kelly as she shares her candid journey through the daunting process of transitioning her 10-month-old baby, Noa, into daycare. Kelly faced a non-negotiable deadline: returning to work in November. Because her chosen daycare was highly sought after and had firm start dates, she began the transition in September, two months before she needed to be back at work.

This forced early start actually became the best option, allowing for the slow, flexible transition Kelly desired, where she could spend time in the room or drop off Noa for short periods. Kelly details her initial fears, which centered on disrupting her hyper-focused, high-attachment “Greer’s method” of parenting, including concerns about Noa crying alone, eating (as she was predominantly breastfed and had never taken a bottle), and sleeping (as she only napped on Kelly).

Despite these major worries, the transition moved much faster and smoother than Kelly anticipated. The daycare staff embraced the learning curve, successfully introducing a bottle and helping Noa transition from sleeping on a person to sleeping in a crib over the course of a week, without tears during the process. This unexpected success led Kelly to pivot her original plan, shifting from a part-time/nanny hybrid approach to confidently choosing full-time daycare, a decision she made by listening to her gut and observing how well Noa was thriving. Kelly’s story offers reassurance that a successful and smooth transition is common when anchored by flexibility, trust, and a focus on building a strong relationship with the care provider.

Key Takeaways

●     Trust your gut throughout the process and hold plans loosely; you can change your decisions and reassess as you go, based on your baby’s experience.

●     Prioritize finding a childcare setting or implementing a strategy that allows for forming a trusted, loving relationship between your baby and at least one caregiver.

●     Encourage social referencing by spending time with the baby and caregiver, showing the baby through your calm nervous system that the caregiver is trustworthy.

●     You do not need to change feeding or sleep routines at home (like breastfeeding or co-sleeping) before daycare; babies will typically adapt to new sleep methods in the new environment.

●     Seek consistency of care in the schedule, as a baby better understands an every-day pattern (even short days) than inconsistent schedules like Monday, Wednesday, Friday.

Resources

●     Lillio App: https://www.lillio.com/

● Guest Bio: Kelly Yefet is a strategic brand and growth marketer who specializes in identifying key business challenges to uncover innovative and data-driven solutions. Kelly is also a devoted parent to her baby, Noa and shares her personal journey of successfully transitioning Noa into daycare.

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