A Few Tips on Preparing Your Child for Nursery

If you are enrolling your young child in a day nursery in Stourbridge, it’s likely you’ll be feeling concern, especially if it’s the first time your child will be without you in an unfamiliar environment for any length of time. Most children acclimatise to their new surroundings quickly, and are delighted with the additional stimulation of new faces, new toys and new activities. But some find it hard to settle and those daily drop-offs can be a distressing nightmare for you both. Here are a few tips on how to prepare your child for his or her next adventure – attending childcare outside the home on a regular basis!

Before the Big Day

• Speak to your child about nursery and what will happen there. Visit your local library and see if you can find some books to read together about going to nursery for the first time. This will get them accustomed to the idea and help build the impression that this is a new but not unusual stage in growing up.

• You could also play ‘make believe’, setting up a pretend nursery at home, play-acting as the nursery teacher while your child and a friend act out the parts of the children. Serve a drink and a snack, and talk about other routines that will happen there.

• Make sure you and your child visit the nursery in advance. Introduce your child to their new carers and allow them to play a little while in their new surroundings. It’s much more likely that your child will feel settled on the first full day if he or she has met the new grown-ups they will be left with and is familiarised with the new environment.

Those Difficult First Few Mornings

• Take a comfort item – something that is familiar from home, like a favourite toy or blanket. This will help them feel safe at nap time.

• Plan ahead so you have extra time for the drop-off at the first few sessions. That way, neither of you will feel rushed, which can add to the stress, and you can spend additional time chatting about what will happen beforehand and on the way.

• Be very clear with your child about what will happen after you leave. Explain where you are going while they are at nursery and tell them exactly when you will be back to pick them up. Then stick to that. To build confidence, your child needs to understand the new routine and trust that you will be back at a certain time. Of course, young children may not understand the hands on the clock yet, but they do get concepts like ‘after your afternoon nap’ or ‘when you’ve finished your snack.

• Finally, although it’s tempting to linger on the first day, resist that urge. Say goodbye, leave the room and don’t pop back in, even if they appear to be upset. Of course it’s unpleasant to see your child in distress, but they are more likely to settle quicker if you don’t keep coming back into view.

At Twinkle Toes Day Nursery, we recognise how hard those morning goodbyes can be for you and your child, so are always happy to offer the benefit of our advice and experience to newcomers. Just ask; we’d be delighted to share tips and hints on how to ensure your child settles into daycare.