What Four Weeks Off Daycare Did for My Toddler

Hi, friends. Yesterday I spent a long time thinking about breaks and vacations for kids, because my youngest's four-week time-out was coming to an end. Four weeks, because we were away on vacation for two weeks, and right when we got back, the daycare's two-week closure began. (In Germany, daycares typically close for a couple of weeks in the summer.)

I booked our trip back in January because I'd found good prices. At night I'd wake up thinking, “Oh no, maybe you should have checked the closure dates first. What a rookie mistake!” When I checked the next morning and realized the trip and the closure didn't overlap, I was pretty annoyed with myself. Great, I thought. That's four weeks without childcare!

Now those four weeks are over, and they were wonderful and exhausting at the same time. I got way less work done than I wanted to, but we also had some truly great moments. And for my little guy, this fairly long break from daycare was really important.

Before the break, a few little things had crept in that I really didn't like. Now they're gone again. I think real breaks for toddlers matter much more than we adults sometimes realize.

Kids need a vacation too!

Toddlers have a surprisingly full schedule. Daycare, set drop-off and pickup times, life in a group, lots of noise, rules, social contact, and constant new impressions. Kids can't put it into words the way adults can, but all of that can be tiring. A break gives them a chance to step out of that rhythm.

That doesn't mean you have to offer them a ton of activities. I think what they need most is time. Time to sleep in. Time to play. Time to be bored. Time to wander around outside, or to just do nothing at all.

We've probably all seen how much toddlers love things like staying in bed a little longer in the morning to cuddle with their parents, getting to pick out something special at the big grocery run, helping make pancakes for lunch, or heading to the public pool or a really nice playground.

In our house, my youngest especially loved being with his big siblings. Playing soccer in the yard, watching his oldest sister bake, listening to an audio story in a fort with his other sister. Everything moved more slowly, and some days really dragged, but he's so much happier and more even-keeled than he was four weeks ago.

And of course I know it's incredibly privileged that I could keep him home for four weeks. I don't want to say he's happier than a child who had “only” one week off from daycare, or none at all because their parents couldn't make it work.

This is just another little peek into my last four weeks. And here's one more honest bit: I counted the days until daycare starts again more than once, and now I'm looking forward to a little more routine coming back around here!