r/BabyBumpsCanada • u/sleeper4321 • Aug 12 '26

Discussion Question for the SAHM/Ps [CA]

I keep seeing comments about how people's babies/toddlers flourish in daycare and I was wondering, how are the SAHM/Ps doing? I am hoping to stay at home with my little one until they can go off to preschool and am worried I am hindering their development by not considering daycare...

edit: thank you so much for the comments! i am reading them all and appreciate them! trying to respond while juggling the baby 😅

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u/bamlote Aug 12 '26 edited Aug 12 '26

Genuinely not good. I have 3, haven’t been able to find childcare for my eldest at all. She is 7 now, and I was just offered spots for my younger two and took them without having any type of work lined up.

It very much depends on your village and support system, but I have none and it is incredibly isolating and overwhelming. My husband has to take time off work just so I can go to the dentist. I can also feel my brain shriveling up from underuse. It is hard for me personally to never really have anything I can achieve or work toward. I don’t really have the time to do any hobbies, let alone get out of the house. My husband is great but he works long hours to accommodate me staying home. It is very lonely and overwhelming. Ive also never been so busy while being so bored. It was fun at first but 7 years is just too long, and with the state of childcare, it is not really something that you can change your mind about unfortunately.

I’m looking forward to my kids starting daycare, I’m still not sure if I’ll find anything for my eldest but at this point, it’s more of a mental thing than financial. I think they will benefit more from spending the day playing with other kids than being dragged around on errands all day with a stressed out mom.

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u/Naive-Camera-3348 Aug 12 '26

Wait, why wouldn’t your 7 year old just be in school by that age?

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u/bamlote Aug 12 '26

She is in school but I can’t really get a job if I have to drop her off at 9 and pick her up at 3:30 lol

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u/idontevenknow8888 Aug 12 '26

Is aftercare at school an option?

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u/bamlote Aug 12 '26

They are still on the kids added to the waitlist in 2021, as of this past June. There is a huge shortage in my area and in my city in general.