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How Do I Prepare My 2-Year-old for Daycare?
Discover essential tips to answer a common worry for parents: How do I prepare my 2-year-old for daycare? In this insightful article, read on to ensure a smooth transition and help your child thrive in their daycare experience.
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Taking your child to daycare for the first time is a huge family event, as it entails many developments: your little one leaves his familiar environment and must get used to a lot of new things, from being cared for by people outside the family and circle of friends to adapting to new rules and getting along with other children.
All these changes require a period of adaptation that can be longer or shorter. In this article, we explore answers to your question: How do I prepare my 2-year-old for daycare?
Is 2 Years Old Too Early for Daycare?
For many experts, one year old is the optimal age for attending daycare. Although there is no barometer to indicate the right age for ALL children to go to daycare, there are signs to let you know if your little one is ready for this experience.
How Long Does it Take for a 2-Year-Old to Adjust to Daycare?
Working out how long your child will take to adjust is important for parents asking the question how do I prepare my 2-year-old for daycare? The adjustment can last from two weeks to two months, depending on the child’s personality. Some toddlers may experience fear when their parents are out of sight, dreading they will never see them again. Others need less time to get used to new situations and people and adapt to the new routine in their lives.
Since every child is unique, there is no universal adjustment time to daycare.
Is it Normal For a 2-Year-old to Cry at Daycare Drop-off?
The short answer is YES.
When they are born, babies feel closest to their mums, as they spend most of their time with them. Gradually, they become attached to their father and other members of their immediate family, and this closeness provides them with a sense of security and familiarity. Going to daycare involves being cared for by people not in the attachment circle of children. The good news is that the crying will stop as they get more accustomed to the daycare staff and environment.
How Do I Prepare My 2-Year-old for Daycare?
Before daycare begins, you can:
Visit the centre with your child
To help your child get acquainted with the daycare, visit the location with your child before the first day. Arrange for him to meet the teachers and other caretakers he will interact with, explore the facility, and watch the children have fun. This will enable him to learn a bit about the place and feel excited about coming here every day. Moreover, this visit may be an opportunity to observe what your child fears and help her address these fears by explaining how things will go in this new adventure.
Adjust the morning routine to the daycare factor
For small children, doing the same things every day means predictability that inspires feelings of security and confidence. It is also essential to prepare your child for daycare by adjusting the morning routine, as this enables him to know beforehand what is going to happen and eases his potential state of anxiety.
Bring a bit of the daycare at home
The new environment your toddler will navigate is an unfamiliar one. You can make this environment more familiar by setting up a few activity stations at home that you noticed during your visit to the centre, like a colouring area or a block table.
Check if a gradual start is possible
Even if 2-year-olds don’t understand time as adults, they know if their mum came to pick them up quickly or not. If your little one has not spent more than one or two hours with somebody other than you, leaving him at daycare for eight hours from the beginning could increase his anxiety. Try starting for a shorter period, like four hours.
Before enrolling your child in a daycare, check if there is the option of a gradual start: to leave the toddler for four hours in the first month and then switch to eight hours per day. This will make his transition and adjustment to daycare smoother.
How Do I Prepare My 2-Year-old for Daycare During the First Weeks?
Talk to your child to reassure and comfort him
From day one in daycare, talk to your little one and explain that it is natural to experience different emotions. Name these emotions and use your example of a child going to daycare for the first time, focusing on how amazing it was to discover all the activities, children, and fun in that centre.
Explain again how gentle the teachers there are and how they are the adults who will care for him and help him until you return. Highlight that you will return for him and use time references he can understand, like after the afternoon snack. Remind him that you will miss him very much too and think about him every second until you are together again.
Be ready for crying
A significant transition like going to daycare for the first time goes hand in hand with many emotions. Some toddlers may start to manifest their fear or anxiety on the ride to daycare or at the front gate of the daycare. No matter where and how he displays those emotions, keep calm and explain that you understand his frustration. Explain that he will feel better once he starts playing with children and does all the incredible activities there.
Your child may cry for a minute or ten, have tantrums or a profound, silent sadness, but little by little, he will get used to daycare. Soon, his frustration and anxiety will turn into excitement and joy. And whilst you remain calm until he enters the daycare, you might cry after he is gone. For many parents, the first days and weeks of daycare can be difficult, with many emotions bursting out as soon as the child is out of sight. These are perfectly natural feelings for loving parents who care (and worry) about their children’s welfare. And just like your toddler will adjust to this new stage in his life, so will you.
Give your child a comfort object
Having an object that reminds your little one of home will make the transition smoother when troubleshooting how do I prepare my 2-year-old for daycare. From his favourite stuffed toy to a doll or blanket, a transitional object allows your toddler to feel safe while waiting for your return. Having the object with him throughout the day reminds him that he will stay in daycare only for a while, and then you will return and take him home. Some children see their favourite toys or objects as friends they talk to when encountering difficult or new situations. For example, a doll that your rather shy daughter can talk to about the anxiety she feels when having to say “Hi” in the “Morning Circle” in the first days of daycare may be the perfect companion to help her ease the burden of that emotion.
Create your goodbye ritual and don’t sneak out
Create a goodbye ritual that makes your toddler feel comfortable with you leaving and him remaining in the daycare. Choose anything he wants, from a short role-play with a toy saying “bye-bye” to “kissing stamps” (kiss him all over his face) or “bear hugs” (hugs where you pretend to be a protective bear hugging their cub). Although the first days may be difficult, once your little one grows fond of your goodbye ritual, he will regulate his emotions better and calm himself more easily when you go.
The essential factor to remember is: don’t sneak out! This can shake the confidence your toddler has in you and increase his level of separation anxiety and frustration. It could affect him throughout the day as instead of playing, he will only think about how you left without saying goodbye and fear you will not return. Instead, do the goodbye ritual, tell him when you will see him and leave without lingering by the door.
How Do I Prepare My 2-Year-old for Daycare Conclusion
As a parent, you feel most comfortable when your little ones are close to you. However, daycare is a necessary step in their life. Learning to trust people outside their immediate family and friends – daycare staff who will care for them, playing and connecting with children their age, following established rules, and acquiring new soft and hard skills are all valuable lessons that will promote the growth and development of your children.
We hope that this article has helped answer your question: how do I prepare my 2-year-old for daycare.
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Our Early Learning Centres
Our early childhood centre environments strongly reflects our inspiration – The Reggio Emilia philosophy, from Reggio Emilia, Italy.
We provide a creative and open ended environment that encourages infinite learning for the children and strong relationships between teachers, children and families.
The day’s routines are flexible. At the same time, care is taken to recognise and respect each child’s needs.
Why Choose a Bright Beginnings Early Learning Centre?
- Encouraging the use of natural materials
- A strong transition into school
- Teaching team inspired by the Reggio Emilia approach supports your child’s creative potential.
- Healthy, tasty hot meals cooked fresh on site
- 20 ECE hours available/free sessions for 3 year olds
- A boutique, homely feel to our centres
- Strong connections between teachers and whanau.
Here's what our parents say about our childcare centres
We are so happy that our son is a part of the Bright Beginnings family. The staff have been so welcoming and caring since the day he joined here. He has the freedom to explore and experiment as he learns about the world around him. With each passing day, he is growing into a confident and independent young boy, while building friendships and learning important life skills. We are also especially happy that he gets nutritious meals everyday, an important concern for us as parents. Most importantly, he loves it so much here that he can't wait to be back at the Centre every morning! As parents, we can go about our day with the assurance that our son is in good hands within a safe environment. Thank you to the entire BBELC team for that, Devika.
Bright Beginnings has and is a second home to both my son and now my daughter. Amber loves coming to the centre everyday and to see the relationship she has with the teachers is very special. We love everything Bright Beginnings embodies and are thankful to have found this centre.
- Best price
- Best service. From Jade Tavita
I was absolutely blown away by the presentation and the effort that went into the parent teacher interviews. I have not seen anything like it before and it made me feel very comfortable and welcome as a parent. From Darren Masters
Super duper loving, caring teachers. Awesome environment where our boy can flourish everyday. Thank you, Brad and Joanna.
Dillon absolutely loves his new big boy class. He even asks us if he can go on a Saturday and Sunday. Thanks all for making going to school so easy for us. Thanks, Anika.
I love and enjoy watching April develop and grow, I am so happy and grateful that she is in an amazing environment filled with people who care and look out for each other.
Beautiful Daycare. Thank you all.- Best price from Zara.
- Best service
Cherry: Our family is very grateful that we found BBELC. So far it is the best daycare we have seen. We are glad to enrol our kids here. Having peace of mind that our kids are safe, well fed, looked after and enjoy activities with the teachers and other kids is PRICELESS!!!
THANK YOU for helping my kids explore new things. You are all amazing. Like what I always say to the teacher, I don't know how you all do it but the teachers here at BBELC are SUPERHEROES! As parents we feel your passion, dedication and love.
Come and visit one of our childcare centres and see for yourself why your child will love it
Talk to the Centre Manager, meet the team, see the natural outdoor play areas and educational rooms, learn about how we develop our programs and find out more about our unique approach to partnering with our families.
Our latest parent reviews from Google
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