When do you think is a good idea to put your baby in daycare?

There are plenty of much cheaper things you can do to socialize your children. I personally wouldn't do daycare unless I HAD to. That is just me though.

Well, its hard to say and depends on the needs of the child and the parents specifically.

My first went into daycare about that time, but I had to start working again.....we coud'nt afford basic living expenses.  It worked out well :).  He adjusted well and had a great time.

But, I don't think that its totally necessary just for your child.  If you need some quiet time, I surely understand that.  To gain social interaction, you can also join playgroups.  Anything to get your child playing with other children helps :).

But, if you wanted to do preschool, I think the most valuable years are 3-4 and 4-5, with 4-5 (preKindergarten) being the most important.  The more you can get her used to that environment before kindergarten, the more the K teacher can focus on other things like math and reading :).

I'm a SAHM too but won't be putting dd into daycare costs to much. Instead we take her to our local library for storytime and she's in a tumbling class(which is a lot cheaper than daycare) also there is a group of moms that get together so dd gets social interaction that way.

None of our kids ever went to daycare.  We did attend library times, play groups, went to the neighborhood parks, interacted with the world on a daily basis and all gave plenty of social activity because we weren't rushed and structured to follow someone else's idea of how the day was supposed to go.

I am a stay at home mom.  My daughter is almost 4 and my son is 20 months.  Neither go to daycare.

I think daycare is great for some children and families, but we don't do it, and I won't unless we have to. My son is 2, and this summer I'm getting him in toddler Spanish classes and a toddler soccer program a few days a week for social interaction and stimulation. He's super bright, and loves playing with other kids. The Spanish class is more like a 2 hour play time, but the teachers primarily speak Spanish and teach them the Spanish words and English words for everything they're doing. It looks like a lot of fun. When he gets a little older we'll probably put him in some sort of music lessons. He LOVES playing his guitar and keyboard, and if he continues to show interest I'm so beyond down for getting him involved. We want to support him in whatever activities he's into as he grows. Right now we're choosing for him based on his age and what he likes, but it's hard because there's not a lot for his age group in the area.

I'm a SAHM too and I put my oldest in around age 2.5 once she could talk well. I didn't want to put her in before she could talk just in case anything was going on at daycare that she didn't like. I wanted her to be able to tell me if something was wrong. My middle child is 2 right now but she isn't talking as well as I would like her to yet so I'll wait until she's closer to 3 to put her in.

Never IMO.  There are many ways for our children to socialize without putting them in someone elses care .  My 3 sons had daycare for years as I was a single working Mom but now I get to stay home with Erin I don't get taking the risk with your child if you don't have to. I would rather KNOW nothing happened instead of having to hear about it after the fact.

If you're a SAHM, then I would keep them at home. There are lots of things you can do to socialize little kids without putting them in daycare. If you have a Gymboree Play & Learn close to you, that's really fun. If you go to church, putting your child in the nursery will give good social interaction.

I went back to work when my son was 18 weeks old, so he's been in part time daycare since then. In my experience, they really don't start understanding how to "socialize" until they are 2. Even then, they're little dictators.

Find something else for her. Leave the daycare position open for someone who actually needs their child to be there. You can do many other things like library book time, swim class, mommy and me gym class, or just spending tine at a popular park in your area.