Taking your child to daycare for the first time can be a tough transition for any child. Taking some extra steps to prepare for this time can help both of you make this transition more easily. Here are a few techniques you can use to make sure you and your child are ready for this life change.
Dealing With Separation
Separation anxiety is a real issue for both you and your child. It’s important to find strategies to help both of you thrive. Make sure you visit the daycare with your child before the first day you drop them off to stay. Let the child meet their teacher and get to know everyone while you are there to assure them that they are safe. When it’s time to drop your child off, try leaving them for a half-day instead of the whole time. This will make it easier for you to fill your hours while they are away so that you don’t feel anxious. It’s also a great way for your child to get into the daycare routine slowly. Offer your child a transitional item that smells like you, and make sure you have a picture or a keepsake for yourself that you can look at throughout the day.
Potty Training
Potty training is hard enough when you are working on it at home. Using a different toilet without you there to help may present other complications. You should make a potty training plan for your child’s daycare provider to help make their job easier. Make this plan like the one you use at home if possible. Consistency will help your child recognize the routine no matter where your child is. Let your daycare provider know what works and what doesn’t, and praise your child for a good day of potty training at daycare.
Routine
Routine is key when it comes to making a daycare a normal part of life. Have a morning routine that you follow consistently so that going to daycare every day isn’t so much of a scary surprise for your child. Your child will start to understand that when the morning routine is complete, daycare is next. They won’t be surprised or caught off guard when it’s time to leave the house to be dropped off with someone else. Tell your child the night before if the next day is a daycare day. This will keep them from getting confused on weekends or holidays when they don’t have to go.
Though taking your child to daycare can be a scary thing, it’s possible for you and your child to get through the transition to daycare without too much difficulty. Just follow a few tips, and you can make it easier for everyone.
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