Starting childcare, when's the best age??

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Today, I made a tough decision.  I pulled the plug on my youngest attending daycare.  I was torn between knowing what may have been right for her and knowing what was right for me. Sure, I could have given her more than 3 days, half days at that, to get into the rhythm of things but my gut was telling me otherwise.

My eldest daughter started when she was 17 months old, one day a week, while I could do focus on some work.  I now look back and know it was the most perfect time to start...for her.  It had it's moments and she didn't sleep there until well after the first month but we persisted.  The social little being that she is, blossomed, and am proud of the confidence she now has with other kids.

I like to try and keep things on an even keel with the girls, so when the opportunity came for my baby to start at the same age as her older sister, I took the chance.  When you are on a daycare list, and you get the call up to 1. take a day and 2. take the day you are after it is a wise decision to do so...or so I thought...

As toddlers do at this age,they go through the separation anxiety thing, pretty chronically, with me not even being able to leave the house without major blubbering and 'mummying'. I don't even know why I thought it would work but thought it was worth a shot. As I found out, different strokes for different folks. 

My husband wanted me to see it through, (that whole non attachment of fathering annoys me!). But my feeling was, NO.....my heart strings were being pulled to their extent and I didn't want to push this with fear of it blowing up in my face.  Since the call on Friday to pick her up early, because she was inconsolable was enough for me to say...enough! It just wasn't worth it, with the anxiety I was feeling before the drop off and then the minimum of 3 phone calls to check in how she was, just wasn't making it worthwhile...

So now, it is in the hands of fate...her position has already been filled and we will wait until another becomes available on the particular day I am after.  I was kind of getting excited at the thought of having a day to myself, but that is going to have to wait for now, there is more important things to tend to...

So to this burning issue of mine I ask you the question....when do you consider the best time to start your little ones in daycare..or kindy for that matter??

If you haven't already entered my Baker's Delight Australia Day competition, all you have to do is comment on this post.  Ill be drawing it on Thursday evening.