daycare worries

2 days?
That's not very long for him to adjust to new routines. He may be too busy looking at everyone and everything to settle down to a nap or to eat his lunch.

I'd just ask the people there how he's doing. This is a big change for him.

Agree 2 days is not a long enough time measurement. I'd at least give it a few weeks and some feedback from the workers/teachers.

What is his MOOD when you pick him up?

Is he happily playing? Is he acting withdrawn? Is he being overly aggressive and acting out at home?

While I do believe in mother's instinct to a degree I also know it can be wrong especially if mom has something to gain from following it. If mom would rather not work and can blame it on not finding reliable day care because her "mothers instinct" said something was wrong then it wasn't mothers instinct.

It's very normal for kids to take some time to adjust to a new place and routine. He may be too stimulated during the day to eat or nap and new playmates may be the reason for bruises I would ask the daycare provider what she sees in your child and what you can do to make the transition easier I can't say there is no problem just that what you are seeing may be a normal transition to a new child care arrangement.

Is it an at home daycare or a center? How long is he there for? All day? Half day? Has he been there before or it's completely new these 2 days? Where are the bruises?

My toddler goes to an in-home daycare every once in awhile when I need a day off for an appointment or whatever. She rarely eats more than a few bites of food there & is quieter there than she is at home. So that wouldn't necessarily worry me. Also, DD is active & always has bruises on her shins & it would not be uncommon for her to have one on her arm (or head - she can be a bit of a daredevil LOL).

Mama's instincts are important, but it's a little tough to judge with only 2 days. It sounds like a brand new situation for him so he is going to act different there for a bit and he isn't going to immediately adjust to it. Think about it this way.. if you start a new job aren't you a little nervous at first and act a little different than your norm (be quiet, talk too much at nervousness, etc.) as you assess the new place & people? Doesn't necessarily mean anything bad just means you have to figure it out & get comfortable. Same for a child.

Former daycare provider. It is not unusual for a child to not eat much or nap in the first weeks of daycare.

I would ask the daycare provider if he is hitting or head butting while he is in her care. My first thought, if he is only doing this with you, is this is how he is showing his anger that he is being left in an unfamiliar place, especially since you said he is pretty much nonverbal. This is also normal and should stop when he is more familiar with his surroundings.

How old is he?  Does the daycare have cameras that you can log onto?  Do you provide his lunch or is it provided by the daycare?

He's only been there 2 days total?  If yes, then that's not nearly enough time to adjust to the new surroundings and routine.

Ok this sounds harsh, but why did you choose this child care option?  He's gone to it 2 days, now he's home already.  Does he never get bruised at your house?  What do you really suspect?  Another kid?  The teacher whacking him on the thigh?  Because posters here are generally telling you your kid is responding normally and that 3 year olds do get bruises.

Are you waiting for the majority to say," Oh my God!  Call the police!  He is clearly being abused!"  To tell you the truth, if I was your child's caregiver and you were suspecting abuse or neglect after 2 days I would pray you would go somewhere else.  Or better yet, stay home so when he gets bruised you can blame your own child care abilities.

I know he's only 3 and you have to trust your instincts, but you also have to attach logic and reason to your instincts.  If you have reasons you don't really want him in day care then take him out.  Because the greatest influence on your child's adjustment is YOU.  And if you think he doesn't pick up on your apprehension, think again.

I'm with my ds 90% of the time and he gets bruises like that, where I have no idea how it happened. But with my son who was very non verbal until 4, which is recently, I was afraid to really have anyone watch him for any length of time because he cannot advocate for himself. Even now if something were to happen I'm not certain he could tell me. I will tell you that he was about to get sick at school this past December and he kept saying go home and I thought he was just bored at school because he had already received his present from Santa and wanted to leave. I made him stay so I could help clean up from the party as all parents pitch in and he vomited right before we were going to leave. My point is that even though he had some words it was hard to know why he wanted to go home. Your ds could be upset about going to day care or just trying to let you know he was feeling sick. Personally I couldn't send my son to a daycare if I couldn't communicate with him, so this is why I attend a co-op preschool with him. Even though I'm there with him all the time I still couldn't figure out what he was saying so I'd be hesitant to leave him in an environment where he may not be able to get help he needs. Only you truly know your son, so it's hard for someone else to say what's best, but if you need to keep him in day care it doesn't sound too suspicious, but for me personally, if I don't have to leave my son in the care of someone else, I would wait until he was more verbal so I could find out what happened in his day, even if it was positive things. Can your daycare seems a report card of sorts home so you know how your son's day is going and you feel more confident?

Was M ravenous when he got home? That would tell you whether he was missing out on food or whether he wasn't hungry because he was coming down with something. And if he hasn't eaten he won't have as much energy....and napping in a new place can be difficult at first.

Give it a little time