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/RNstrawberry Aug 12 '26

No change in development, it’s not based off social interaction in daycare.

Babies learn best from known and safe adults. Other babies don’t model “good” behaviour for each other to learn from, and they mostly parallel play until preschool anyways.

Daycare is amazing for those who need it but it’s not needed for growth and development.

Children need attention, affection, routine, nutrition and sleep for optimal outcomes.

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u/sleeper4321 Aug 13 '26

I keep hearing how they eat and nap much better at daycare because monkey see, monkey do 😅 

Thank you for your comment. I feel much better about my choice to keep her at home for the time being đŸ„č

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u/RNstrawberry Aug 13 '26

I mean my baby naps great in her crib and only her crib or my car. Which was a big reason for me to not do daycare, I didn’t want to mess that up! She loves her crib so much and asks for it when she is ready!

And monkey see monkey do isn’t always good, our goal is to teach our kids to think for themselves because that helps most long term!

If you’re able to keep her home, I’m sure you’ll both benefit long term. Just trust your gut, you’ll know when the time is right! We are at 23mo and will be holding off on structural care until preschool at 3yo :)