Daycare on 1st Birthday?

[mjs64]

Is it just awful of me to send DS to daycare on his first birthday on Thursday? I work all day plus teach a class that night. Thursdays are long, long days for me. My plan is to work only a half day, pick him up in the afternoon to spend some time with him, then hand him off to DH before I teach my class. But I could, I suppose, call in sick for the whole day (to the 2 jobs, basically). I just worry about saving my own sick days for DS's sick days. But I also worry about the daycare looking at me like an awful mommy. They'll know it's his birthday--it's posted on a wall. Should I call in sick or not? I know DS won't know, but I will.

We are celebrating the day with a party on Saturday if that makes a difference.

[ellies mom]

I wouldn't worry about it. Like you said, he won't know the difference.

[mickminmom]

I think you are trying to do the best you can manage with your plan of a half day with your birthday boy! You are having a party on Saturday. You are planning to spend time with him on his actual birthday. You are trying to balance all your responsibilities.

Lots of people send their kids to daycare on their birthdays...you will not be the first...

Good luck with the Mommy guilt as that is the toughest part to manage for me! :)

Happy 1st Birthday to your DS and Congratulations to you and DH!

[fedoragirl]

I sent DD to preschool on her birthday even though I am a SAHM! I did it because I wanted them to celebrate her birthday and I brought in homemade cupcakes for everyone. She had a blast! Don't worry about it. They'll probably make a fuss of him at daycare and he'll love it.

[LD92599]

Send him to daycare with party stuff, leave a camera w/ the staff and you'll see how much fun they have celebrating! I did that for my DS2's first...and it was also the last day before his daycare closed for good.

[wellyes]

Daycares love birthdays, seriously. Send cupcakes. Celebrate with you LO when it works for you with zero guilt.

[Mommy_Mea]

Our daycare always loves celebrating birthdays! He is one, he doesn't know the difference, and you already have a big day planned for Saturday. Go guilt-free! :thumbsup:

[cvanbrunt]

One of my favorite pictures of Lucy is from her first birthday at daycare. Someone made her this fantastic crown and she got carried around and passed from person to person all day. They took tons of pictures. Bring him to daycare, they won't think you are a terrible mommy. They'll probably think you are terrible mommy for not letting them spoil him today :).

[MoJo]

My youngest celebrated her first birthday in daycare. And it wasn't even a normally scheduled shift for me, but I had a co-worker on vacation and had to fill in for her.

Daycare was THRILLED, and I mean SUPER-EXCITED to get to have her on her birthday. . . and I had a much better time celebrating her birthday at home the following Saturday. They were so excited that they provided cupcakes, and presents, and decorations. It was totally unneccessary, but their kids are far beyond first birthdays and that's what they wanted to do.

[trcy]

Many of DDs "classmates" were in daycare on their 1st birthday. Not aweful at all. We were on vacation for DD 1st, if not for that she would have been there on her birthday as well.

[crl]

Not awful at all. Daycare will love celebrating and he will have fun!

Happy Birthday to your ds!

Catherine

[vonfirmath]

I sent DD to preschool on her birthday even though I am a SAHM! I did it because I wanted them to celebrate her birthday and I brought in homemade cupcakes for everyone. She had a blast! Don't worry about it. They'll probably make a fuss of him at daycare and he'll love it.

DS went to childcare on his 3rd birthday. He'd have gone on his 4th if hiis dad had not been out of work.

We don't take days off of work for birthdays. We celebrate birthdays around our lives. Often on weekends.

I was not taken out of school, growing up, because it was my birthday. I see nothing wrong with this at all.

[MoJo]

DS went to childcare on his 3rd birthday. He'd have gone on his 4th if hiis dad had not been out of work.

We don't take days off of work for birthdays. We celebrate birthdays around our lives. Often on weekends.

I was not taken out of school, growing up, because it was my birthday. I see nothing wrong with this at all.

And on that note. . . my current daycare has actually asked me (more than once!) to pick an "alternate" birthday for my three year old. . . because her real birthday falls just after the preschool portion of the program ends . . . and they want to make sure they get to celebrate with her, too. . . even though she will still be in the daycare portion of the program on her birthday!

[BabyBearsMom]

I sent DD to daycare on her first birthday. She wore a cute birthday shirt and I sent in cupcakes for the kids to celebrate. I wouldn't think twice about sending her on her birthday. To me, that is life when you are a WOH parent and I make sure that we spend quality time on the weekends and evenings instead.

[lmwbasye]

I think it sounds great! I did this with DS1. He had daycare the whole day (like normal) while I worked. I did give his teachers a disposable camera to take pics of him throughout the day and I LOVE LOVE LOVE that I did that. It was a nice way to capture his life at that time.

I think your plan sounds perfect. :)

[rin]

Oh lord, no. Send him! He totally won't know any different, plus I'm sure they'll do something fun for him there.

[twowhat?]

The girls went to daycare for the 2nd birthday and we didn't even send cupcakes or anything to celebrate:bag For their 3rd bday we sent cupcakes, but we had our heads mostly above the water by then:) Personally, if parents are WOH, taking a PTO day just because it's the child's birthday isn't worth it. We save our PTO days for sick kids (or sick parents) and dentist/doctor's appts, etc and celebrate on weekends/evenings. We simply can't afford to use PTO for anything else - I only have 8 days and I've already used up 4 from sick kids/doctor's appts.

[mjs64]

Okay, thanks for the reassurance. When he's school aged, he'll go to school of course, but I just wasn't sure about daycare. The DCPs seemed excited today about his birthday, so it sounds like you are all right. Thanks for the cupcake suggestion! I hadn't thought of that!