Helping you and your child adjust to daycare

Because getting your children ready to start on their first solo journey in life is a

milestone event for both parents and toddlers, you’ll need to lay a foundation that will

help them make the transition to daycare as happy and smooth as possible. It’s a big

change in your life as well, so here’s a few useful tips to help Mom and Dad adjust to the

new routine.

 

For the Kids

It’s important to get them used to the new adventure they’ll be embarking on gradually.

Talking to them about what to expect in advance and reading to them from children’s

books that touch on the issues helps. Begin a few months before they start daycare by

telling them about where people go during the day and why they need to leave their

homes for only a short period of time. Tell them about how they will be going to daycare

in the near future and let them know about the types of things they will be seeing and

doing.

Visiting the child care center they will attend in increments is another good idea that

will help your little one build up some ideas about what they can expect. A few weeks or

months beforehand is usually a good timeframe and you’ll want to start with half hour

visits with one parent staying with them. When you feel the time is right, a half hour solo

visit can come next. These can increase over time before the full day visits commence.

You can also let your toddlers bring an object from home to help make the transition

easier. When the time comes for you to leave, they’ll feel better with a favorite plush toy

or picture that reminds them of home and they can keep that reminder with them all day

as a source of comfort and security.

 

For the Parents

It’s a big adjustment for you too and whether Dad or Mom is leaving their child behind

for the first time, there are a few little tricks to help you get over your separation anxiety

as quickly as possible.

First off, you need to walk away on that first big day and not look back No sneaking back

to see how they’re doing and no big fanfare just before they begin their new adventure. If

you really need to, a quick call to the daycare works, but only after you’re back at the car.

Remember, your toddler might not make as big as fuss as you’d like when you pick them

up and that’s to be expected. At that age, children have issues making a smooth transition

between places and activities so you might even be on the receiving end of a tantrum

when you pick her up.

If they aren’t chatterboxes as soon as they get in the car, getting them to open up at home

is best done by asking about what a playmate did at various points in the day. While you

should ask for specifics about the best and worst things that happened in the day, you

need to respect the fact you toddler is starting on the path to forging their own identity

without you for the first time and might need a little privacy.

 

How did you and your children adjust to daycare? Share it with us.

Read more info like this at All My Children.

Author: Rob Starr