3 Tips To Make Daycare Drop Off Easier: Starting At Home & Ending At The Drop-Off
Posted on: 13 December 2016
Dropping your child off at daycare can be a tough transition period for some children. If your child is having a hard time with the drop-off transition when you bring them into daycare, here are three different tips that you can try out to make the drop-off transition period smoother.
#1 Prepare The Night Before
You can reduce the stress of getting ready to leave for daycare and the drop-off period on both you and your child by getting ready the night before. Create a laminated checklist that you can run through every night before you go to bed to ensure that you have everything ready for the morning routine with your child and for the daycare drop off.
For example, you need to check your child's bag and make sure that it has the necessary diapers, wipes, bibs, pacifiers, crib sheets, blanket, sleeping animal, and extra sets of clothing. If your daycare lets you bring in big quantities of diapers and wipes at a time, make that a weekly item on your checklist.
Additionally, prepare your child's lunch and snacks for daycare the night before and set everything all together in the fridge. That way, you can just grab their food on the way out the door.
Finally, choose your children's clothing the night before. Getting all of these things out and ready will make the morning go smoother and will reduce the stress on both you and your child, which should help with the drop-off transition. You'll have more time to give your child the attention they need from you in the morning before you drop them off.
#2 Talk Through The Drop-Off Period
Just because your child is young and is not communicating with you in full sentences yet does not mean that they don't understand what you are saying to them.
In the morning when you are getting ready at home, talk to your child about what you are going to do next. Talk about how you are going to get in the car, drive to daycare, say goodbye so that you can go to work and so that they can play with their friends. If you know your child's day care schedule, talk through their schedule up until the point where they will see you again. Reassure your child that you will always be there to pick them up at the end of the day.
When you get home at the end of the day, talk to your child about their day or about what their teacher said about their day.
#3 Make Your Own Goodbye Ritual
Finally, it can be helpful to create your own goodbye ritual. A goodbye ritual will establish a feeling of routine to your daycare drop-offs for your child. It will also allow and show your child an appropriate way to say goodbye and move on with their day.
Create a ritual that fits your child's personality. For example, you could rub noses with each other and say "I love you" or you could give each other high five's and say "catch you later crocodile.' Come up with a fun saying and motion to do with your child that is your very own special goodbye ritual.
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