finding a learning pace in young ones

How Can You Prepare Your Child For Their Time In Daycare?

9 March 2017

Côme Arnaud

Children grow more quickly than parents expect, and if your child is nearing the appropriate age for daycare, you might be thinking about going back to work or having a few hours to yourself each day. However, you might begin to worry about whether your child is ready for such a different atmosphere and feel nervous about sending them off to a daycare center with other children and strange adults who will care for them. Those concerns can be allayed by using the tips below.

Ask for the Schedule

One of the best things you can do to help your child to make sure they're ready to stick with the daycare schedule is to obtain a schedule and follow it yourself. By walking your way through the schedule of the daycare center you've chosen, you can give your child some idea of what they can expect. Have lunch when you know the daycare center will be serving lunch. If a center has outdoor time, make sure you and your child head outside at that time. Put your child down for a nap at the same time you know they will have to nap while at the daycare facility. When you're able to acclimate your child to the daycare center's schedule, they will be able to more easily adjust.

Model Positive Behavior

You may think you'll cry a little bit or be otherwise upset when you drop your child off at the daycare center. However, it's essential that you model the right behavior for your child in the days and moments leading up to their first day. They are likely to take their cue from you; if you are acting as if something is wrong, they will be suspicious of the daycare center. Do your best to seem pleased and enthusiastic about everything so that your child feels confident that you've chosen a safe, happy place for them to go to each day.

Get Up Early

In the early first days of daycare, it's advisable to get up much earlier than you think you need to. Anything can happen in those early mornings; your child could spill food all over themselves and require a clothing change, or they could have a tantrum that delays any effort to get ready for the day. That's why you might opt for an earlier start; having more time to correct anything that has gone amiss will be beneficial to your child.

Using the suggestions available above will help you ensure that your young child is as ready as possible for the daycare experience. Asking daycare staff for advice might provide you with even more tips.

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