How to set up a daycare playdate when you never see the parents
When drop-off and pick-up schedules never overlap, parents are left wondering how to initiate contact without feeling awkward, such as leaving a note in a cubby. This lack of in-person contact makes it hard to get past polite small talk and arrange playdates or birthday parties.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
- 1Leaving a physical note or card in the child's cubby
- 2Asking the daycare teacher to pass along a note or text
- 3Leaving it alone and letting friendships develop naturally
- 4Making more of an effort to initiate interactions
- 5Setting up a small group chat or playdate group to make things easier
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“Would it be weird to leave a note in their daughter’s cubby? What if I left a bday party invite (when it comes time for my daughter’s second bday)?”source ↗
“I’ve noticed I’m having a hard time getting beyond the polite small talk with some of the daycare moms.”source ↗
“I’m finding there’s very little effort or initiation from the other side.”source ↗
“birthday parties can sometimes feel like two hours of standing around feeling a bit sidelined”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
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