You’ve put in the time to find the best child care for your baby but now you are worried about the inevitable separation anxiety that’s likely to come in the form of screaming and crying. You are already feeling some level of concern yourself, which is entirely natural. But if you feel comfortable with your chosen facility for daycare Cedar Park, you know your baby is in good hands.
The hard part now is convincing your child that this next step in their growth and development need not be so stressful and worrisome. The good news is that you can help prepare your baby for daycare in a variety of ways that can reduce the fear and reluctance that often comes with placing your child with strangers for any length of time.
So what are the best ways to get your baby ready for his or her big first day? Try taking some of these actions for making this upcoming transition go by a whole lot smoother:
Early Adaptation
One of the more effective methods for reducing temper tantrums and freak outs over the introduction of completely foreign individuals and surroundings into a child’s life is to avoid exposing your baby to this unfamiliar stimuli on day one. Don’t bombard your baby with all of these scary things at once.
Instead, bring your baby around to the day care center before their first day is set to begin. Visit the facility a few days or weeks ahead of time and introduce the child to the teachers and staff they’re going to be with during each day care session. This will make them more familiar to your baby when you go to drop him or her off.
Explain the Situation
Much like the early visits to the day care center with your child, talking about what’s to come with this new routine can also make the unknown less surprising and jarring to their senses. Explain what the day care center is going to provide for them and how it can be a fun and exciting new part of their life.
Doing this on a repeated basis can also be very helpful in assuaging their fears and concerns. It might come as a natural component of early visits to the day care center, but you can even bring it up again when you get home and in the days leading up to the first day of class.
Familiar Objects
Another way to make that first day go by easier is to give the baby something comforting to take along with him or her. It can be their favorite toy, a stuffed animal, a blanket, or just about any item that they love and hold dear to their heart.
Allowing the baby to have something at day care helps to make it feel a little less frightening when a familiar thing is under his or her arm amidst so much of the unknown and unfamiliar. Just be sure you clearly label that item with your child’s name so it doesn’t end up lost or taken by mistake.
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