 |
| Helping little ones to settle into nursery can be hard, but it is possible |
This week
has been the first week at nursery (that’s Britian’s daycare). While Monkey is
only in two days a week, it’s been difficult to get her settled. Today, she did
decide to run in by herself, but there were still tears as she knew it meant I’d
leave her.
I hung
around out of sight and she calmed down after a minute or so. Presumably she
found some toys to play with, or realized she was being stared at by the
others.
It’s so
difficult helping her to settle in. I’ve started doing the following:
Set a Routine
I have a
specific routine for her in the morning, and she never leaves me. She gets up
an hour before we have to leave (unless she decides to get up earlier), and
then gets her nappy changed, gets dressed and goes down for breakfast.
She gets to
watch her cartoons while eating, and I do some studying just across from her
high chair.
We then read
a short story together, so I can have some time just cuddled with her. She also
gets a drink at this point.
After that,
it’s time to get ready to leave. She always walks, unless it’s raining and then
I’ll put her in her buggy with the cover.
The Goodbye Routine
I’m
developing a goodbye routine with her. I’ll give her a cuddle and kiss, and
tell her I’ll be back after her lunch and afternoon nap. She tends to go down
at about 1pm for half an hour, and I pick her up at 3pm.
The same
girl always comes up to her at the start, so Monkey has gotten to know and
trust her already. She’ll hold her hands out to be picked up, even though she’s
crying. I think it’s important to have a familiar face there greeting her.
Picking Her Up
I’ll take
the buggy to pick her up. Even after a nap (and I’ve asked them to limit it),
she’s tired out and doesn’t really want to walk.
I go in and
go straight to her to give her a cuddle. She’s usually ready for me to pick her
up.
We then go
through what she’s done for the day, when she had nappy changes and the food
she’s eaten. I make a habit of telling her how happy I am while we’re there.
Then it’s
time for the trip home and I chat to her the whole way. She can’t talk back
yet, but I know when she can we’ll have a good conversation about what she did
at nursery.
Once we’re
home, she gets to watch a DVD while having a snack (I usually pick her up just
before snack time), and then we play with some toys together. I will have
managed to get the majority of my work done, so I can take an hour just
relaxing with her and spending some quality time together. I know sometimes she’ll
want to go for another nap, and that’s fine. I’ll just get on with work while
she does.
If she doesn’t
want a nap, I’ll wait until daddy gets home and he can spend some one-on-one
time with her. Then I get to finish my work and we can chill out in the evening
together once Monkey has gone to bed.
Getting the
routine is going to be important to really help her settle in at daycare. I’m
going to keep working on it, and will hopefully have a Monkey who wants to go
on the days she does.
Do
you have a set routine to help your little one settle in at daycare or nursery?
I’d love to hear about it. Maybe there’s something I could try to help stop the
tears (I really feel guilty for that!). Feel free to share your thoughts in the
comments below!
Image credit: Stuart Miles/Freedigitalphotos.net
Comments
Post a Comment