How To Prepare Your Child For Nursery - By: Felicity Lightbody

As every parent knows your child is growing and developing at an amazing rate. With each new stage there are different challenges for both the child and the parent. Being prepared for each stage is difficult as every child is unique and develops at different rates however most parents will be aware when their child is starting nursery so preparing can be made more easily for everyone involved.

The basic preparations for nursery stage are to enable your child to feel comfortable and confident in using a toilet. It sounds so simple and yet for your child, each toilet facility is different and can suddenly become something they are frightened or surprised by. Ensuring your child has a basic self sufficiency in your own home and other peoples will help their confidence with this matter. So giving them a variety of bathrooms to feel comfortable in and use independently will help them adjust to the new ones at their nursery. As the time to start nursery draws near, visiting their facilities and looking around with your child, show them the toilets and help them use the door, seats, flush mechanism, soap and washing basin.

Another area essential for a child feeling happy and settled is eating and drinking. Make sure you are aware of any particular eating codes about the meals allowed by your nursery, if they provide meals and what are their practices on drinks. Many nurseries have a healthy eating code in place but will this suit your child’s individual needs? Drinking milk or water rather than any kind of juice is generally a practice of nurseries so encouraging your child to drink water with their meals will help them adjust to this at nursery. Get them their lunch box early and start giving them their lunches like they will have at nursery or the meals provided by nursery so your child is familiar with the utensils, packages, boxes or containers before they start having their lunch at nursery.

If certain family members, extended family or professionals will be involved in your child’s care before or after nursery then make sure your child is familiar with them and sees them as safe. Give them time to bond and travel together maybe doing trial runs from or to nursery to help your child see this as normal and familiar. This will also help the parent adjust to trusting someone else with the care of their children.

Socialising with other children is a huge part of a child’s development and regularly attending social groups will help children form relationships and understand how to interact with other children and should be done from as early an age as possible. You may even meet parents and children who will eventually attend the same nursery and therefore this will help both parents and children see the familiar in something new and a little unnerving.
If there are other siblings who will be effected by the a child being absent then giving them as much one to one time in the lead up to one of them starting nursery will stop them from missing each other too much. Making sure any siblings are given groups and activities to fill their time without the child starting nursery will also help parent and sibling feel less sad because of the other child’s absence.

As with everything in life, the more research and preparations you can do the better you can deal with a situation, so as a parent you must do your homework. Look around a few facilities and make certain your child’s individual needs will be met at this facility. Check with the Ofsted report for any short coming found within the premises. Talk to previous parents who have used the nursery in question and also talk to the staff who will be taking care of your child. If any of these things is giving you cause for concern or any doubts about your child’s happiness then finding another place might be best for your child. Making sure you feel happy and confident in a nursery is the most important thing and because your child will adjust better knowing their parents or guardians are happy to leave them at the nursery.

About the Author

Felicity is a part-time writer, writing overviews in the UK on the topic of childcare and family. If you are going back to work or looking for day nurseries and Childcare in Llanelli then please visit the Playroom Day Nursery website.

Article Directory Source: http://www.articlerich.com/profile/Felicity-Lightbody/39388

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