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Like many parents, Kara Smith was nervous about sending her infant daughter, Elizabeth, to daycare after her one-year mat leave was up. By the time Elizabeth was eight-and-a-half months old, Smith began wondering how they?d both handle the shift. ?It will be a big change from ?just Mommy? to one caregiver for every five babies,? says the Etobicoke, Ont., mother. Smith and Elizabeth had been home together full-time since day one, with occasional babysitting help from grandparents. ?I worry about separation anxiety for both of us.?
Smith?s fears are not unfounded. ?From six to 12 months ? the age most babies are going into daycare ? they are also typically at the peak of separation and stranger anxiety,? says Claire Watson, a Toronto psychotherapist and specialist in child and parent attachment. ?If you?re anxious, the baby picks that up. If you?re open to the caregiver, the baby senses you like this person, and they will feel more secure. The signal you send to your baby is vital.? While you might be battling feelings of guilt or self-doubt about going back to work, know that over 54 percent of Canadian children aged six months to five years are in some form of non-parental child-care situation, according to Statistics Canada. And there are a few simple steps you can take to get your whole family ready for the change.
Elaine Levy, vice-president of a social services agency that runs public daycares in downtown Toronto, advises parents to provide their chil...