My baby boy is 16 months. Since he was about 10
months old he has been quite difficult. Lots of separation anxiety, a chronic whinger, still not fully walking so gets very frustrated. He started the childminders when he was 11 months old when I went back to work, he goes there 2 x days per week for 6 hours on each of the days. He was very unsettled from the start, which I expected for the first few weeks but it went on and on. Just before Christmas he had 2-3 weeks where things seemed better, she said he was still a bit whingey (but that’s what he’s like at home anyway) but no
major tears, ate well, had a nap there. we thought we’d turned a corner.
Well since she reopened after the Christmas holidays he’s been very upset there again. Today she said he has cried for 5 out of the 6 hours in the day. Refused to eat any dinner. She had said to me that she’s finding it draining, he is distressing the other children and all the crying isn’t good for him. She said he wants to be held all day but they haven’t got the time to do that. She hasn’t said she doesn’t want him anymore but that’s definitely what she was implying. She also said she thinks it’s because I still breastfeed him (which I do 2 x per day), but I pointed out to her that DS is fine when my mum or DH looks after him, which he is!
I have contacted other childminders in the area and nobody has any availability. I haven’t contacted nurseries however the prices in my area and over double what a childminder will cost me and it wouldn’t be worth me going to work for those two days. And I really want to go to work, I need that time for myself. DS goes to my mums one day per week and is absolutely fine there.
Any advice on this? If he stays at the current childminders is there anything I can do to help him be more settled? It’s heartbreaking because he can’t tell me what’s wrong so I have no clue. He has a dummy and a comforter there and something that smells of me but none of it helps.