Daycare
Daycare and the Development of Independence
A 2-year-old at home gets dressed by an adult, because that adult has time. A 2-year-old at daycare gets handed her boots, because the teacher has nin...
9 min read
Daycare
Expert guides, tips, and insights to help you and your family live healthier lives. From preventative care to wellness strategies, find everything you need to make informed health decisions.
Daycare
Which Self-Care Skills Develop in Daycare
A 2.5-year-old at home might wash her hands twice a day. The same child at daycare washes them six or seven times — before snack, after toileting, aft...
8 min read
Daycare
Emotional Fatigue in Toddlers After Daycare: What It Is and How to Help
A child who walks out of daycare smiling and falls apart 90 seconds later in the car is not regressing. They are running on empty. The post-daycare me...
4 min read
Daycare
How to Help a Child Recover After a Busy Day
The two hours after pickup are the most underestimated parenting window of the day. Many parents try to use them for errands, FaceTime with grandparen...
8 min read
Daycare
Why Children Often Become Fussy in the Evening
The phrase "witching hour" exists for a reason. Roughly 4 p.m. to bedtime is the daily collapse window for children under 5, and it has predictable ca...
7 min read
Daycare
How to Protect a Child's Boundaries in a Respectful Way
A child whose "no" about their own body is taken seriously is significantly more likely to recognize and disclose abuse. The Darkness to Light prevent...
6 min read
Daycare
A Child's Emotional State After Daycare
You arrive at pickup. Your two-year-old, who had a "great day" according to the daily report, takes one look at you and dissolves into tears. By the t...
8 min read
Daycare
When to Escalate Concerns to Daycare Administration
You've talked to the lead caregiver. The thing you raised is still happening — or you got told the incident didn't happen at all, even though your chi...
8 min read
Daycare
What to Do if Your Child Hits Others at Daycare
Being told your 2-year-old hit another child at daycare is a tough phone call. The instinct to feel embarrassed, defensive, or worried about who they'...
5 min read
Daycare
How to Discuss a Problem With a Caregiver Respectfully
Your three-year-old comes home and says "Miss Sarah was mean to me." How you handle the next conversation — at the next morning's dropoff, or in a qui...
8 min read
Daycare
How to Talk to a Child About Conflicts at Daycare
Your child climbs into the car seat and announces that Marcus took her truck and called her a baby. Your first instinct will probably be one of two th...
7 min read
Daycare
Why a Child May Act Aggressively Toward Others
The phone call from daycare — your child hit, bit, or pushed another kid — is one of the more uncomfortable moments of toddler parenthood. It almost n...
7 min read
Daycare
How to Recognize That a Child Is Experiencing Bullying
A preschooler who is being targeted by a peer almost never names it. They do not have the language, and often do not have the framing. What you will s...
6 min read
Daycare
Why a Child May Be Bullied at Daycare
Most peer trouble at daycare is ordinary conflict, not bullying. But true bullying — one child repeatedly targeting another, week after week — does ha...
6 min read
Daycare
Conflicts Between Children as a Natural Part of Socialization
A note on the daycare app saying your child had a conflict can land like bad news. It usually is not. Conflict between young children is the actual cl...
6 min read
Daycare
How Early Friendships Form in Daycare
Can toddlers have real friends? Yes — and the answer matters, because parents sometimes underestimate what their 2-year-old is actually doing socially...
3 min read
Daycare
Introverted Children at Daycare: What to Expect and How to Help
Some children arrive at daycare and immediately engage with the environment, approaching other children, trying activities, joining in with groups. Ot...
4 min read
Daycare
Child Socialization in Daycare
The single biggest thing a 2-year-old gets from daycare that they cannot get at home is other 2-year-olds. A parent can model sharing, but a parent ca...
6 min read
Daycare
Why Prolonged Goodbyes Make Adaptation Harder
The first weeks of daycare are hard for everyone, and most parents try to soften the dropoff by stretching the goodbye out. It feels kinder. In practi...
5 min read
Daycare
Starting Nursery: How to Help Your Baby or Toddler Settle In
Starting nursery is one of those transitions where the way you start it really does shape how the whole thing goes. A rushed first week is much harder...
6 min read