Preparing your child for childcare
One day you suddenly find yourself standing at the gates of the childcare you’ve chosen for your child on their first day, clutching their little bag and wondering where the time went.
The transition to a childminder, nursery, school or any childcare arrangement is a big milestone for parent and child alike. The good news is, there are things you can do to prepare yourself and your child as you begin this next chapter together and here at My First Five Years, we have devised our top ten tips to help you.
Ten top tips!
1. Pick childcare you LOVE
This might sound obvious, but for you to really feel comfortable leaving them in someone else’s hands you need to feel confident leaving them there. So, look at as many different options as you can! Lots of people ask us how to pick childcare and we usually tell them that you will just know when one is right for you. This sounds ambiguous, but there are many factors that create a good feeling for a parent, such as the people you leave them with, the space you leave them in, and the rules, policies or values of the person you leave them with. It can also include qualifications, first aid knowledge, how many trips they go on – the list goes on and on. Each parent’s priorities around what they want from childcare is different! Don’t forget that often parents want their child to go to a nursery, but there are also thousands of wonderful nannies and childminders, so if you cannot find a nursery place that feels quite right, have a look into other options.
2. Walk them to their childcare regularly
Children are creatures of habit and if you start to implement new routines with them too quickly, they can often find it overwhelming. One way you can introduce the idea of childcare is by walking them to the place you’ll be dropping them off, before you begin to take them. You can talk about the different things you can see and what you might do when you get there. Even if your child is very small, this can be a very effective way to get them comfortable with a new environment.
3. Read books about going to nursery
Books are a brilliant way to introduce new concepts to children, and I would recommend reading to them about any type of transition. A great book about going to the nursery is Maisy Goes to Nursery by Lucy Cousins. It shows how much fun they could have when they go and introduces them to some of the different activities they might take part in when they get there. Your local library will also have lots of different books about starting nursery, childminders or having a nanny in their home.4. Encourage them to spend time with others
For many children, attending childcare is one of the first times they will have spent time with unfamiliar people, and it can come as a shock to them. If you can, spend time with your child at playgroups and baby classes, so that they can become accustomed to unfamiliar faces. Take your friends up on the offer to babysit them for an hour here and there as well, so they begin to understand that you always come back to them when you leave them with others.5. Make them a book of photos to take with them
From our experience working in childcare settings, we know just how useful a photograph can be in supporting a child to settle into their new environment. We would often recommend to new starters that they bring a small selection of photographs of people they live with along with them, so that they can see them whenever they feel they need to throughout the day. Preparing this is also a lovely way to talk to your child about childcare and together you could make a simple flipbook with the pictures in. Simply fold over some light card and staple like a book, then stick in some of your favourite pictures. You can pop this in their bag for their first day.
6. Implement a similar routine at home
Speak to your childcare arrangements about what a typical day looks like. They will often do as much as they can to mirror the routine you have at home but will transition them into their typical routine over the first few months. If you can replicate any of their routines at home, it will be less of a shock to their system.
7. Be positive about this new chapter
Without even realising it, you might find yourselves being anxious about the start of this new chapter in front of your child and it is only natural to then pass on this apprehension to them. So, where possible, save your worries to talk about away from your child with people you can confide in, and be as positive as you can in front of them.
8. Think about transitional objects
This simply means taking something into the childcare that reminds them of home. It can often help children to settle and have a sense of belonging when they take a transitional object in with them. This can be a teddy, comforter or dummy but we have also had small cars, items of clothing and pictures. Read more about transitional objects here: Blankets, bears and bye-bye - how transitional objects help your child to settle in new situations (mffy.com)
9. Keep photos of their new childcare at home
Use their website or socials to share photos of the nursery, childminder’s home or nanny with your child. You can even make a book (like above) to keep at home. This will really help them become accustomed to what the building, rooms and people look like ahead of starting there.
10. Embrace the time you spend together
Although there is lots you can do to prepare your child for their new childcare setting, it can be really difficult to be present in the time you have with them now. Therefore, our final tip is, where you can, take time to appreciate just being you two together. Allow them to fall asleep on you, let them have ten more minutes in the bath or a few more goes on the swing in the park. The moments with our children are precious and fleeting, and all we can really do about that is soak them up and appreciate them where we can, in the moment.
