We started daycare this week and drop-off tears are hard to watch. The teachers say the child settles within ten minutes, but I still feel terrible leaving. How long did the adjustment take for your toddler, and did shorter days help initially?
What worked for another child may not fit yours, so I would use the replies here as ideas to test rather than a rulebook. My spouse had a different view initially, so we tried it for a few weeks before deciding. It took us a couple of weeks before the new routine felt normal. We made the change gradually rather than all at once.
Our daycare teacher gave us a short update after drop-off for the first week. Knowing the crying stopped quickly made it much easier to stay calm at the gate. It took us a couple of weeks before the new routine felt normal. We only reached that conclusion after trying the other approach first.
Thank you. I like that this does not require changing everything at once. It took us a couple of weeks before the new routine felt normal. Your child's response may be different, but this was our experience.
A visual routine with two or three pictures worked surprisingly well at this age. The child liked knowing what came next. The daycare and home using the same language helped us. Your child's response may be different, but this was our experience.
This is useful, thank you. The practical detail is exactly what I was looking for. The daycare and home using the same language helped us. We are in Vijayawada, so local logistics may be a little different.
A visual routine with two or three pictures worked surprisingly well at this age. The child liked knowing what came next. It took us a couple of weeks before the new routine felt normal. I would still test it for a short period before making a long commitment.
We had better luck changing one thing at a time instead of starting a full new routine overnight. Toddlers somehow notice every change at once. My spouse had a different view initially, so we tried it for a few weeks before deciding.
A visual routine with two or three pictures worked surprisingly well at this age. The child liked knowing what came next. Keeping the change small made it easier for our child. We are in Vijayawada, so local logistics may be a little different.
Our daycare teacher gave us a short update after drop-off for the first week. Knowing the crying stopped quickly made it much easier to stay calm at the gate. My spouse had a different view initially, so we tried it for a few weeks before deciding.
A visual routine with two or three pictures worked surprisingly well at this age. The child liked knowing what came next. It took us a couple of weeks before the new routine felt normal. We made the change gradually rather than all at once.
A visual routine with two or three pictures worked surprisingly well at this age. The child liked knowing what came next. We had to repeat the same boundary many times before it clicked. I would still test it for a short period before making a long commitment.
That is reassuring. We are trying to avoid making this a bigger issue than it needs to be. Keeping the change small made it easier for our child. Your child's response may be different, but this was our experience.
Same here. The logistics are what make the 'ideal' option difficult in real life. The first few days were definitely messier than the later ones. We made the change gradually rather than all at once.
Our daycare teacher gave us a short update after drop-off for the first week. Knowing the crying stopped quickly made it much easier to stay calm at the gate. Keeping the change small made it easier for our child. In our house, the practical routine mattered more than the ideal plan.
A visual routine with two or three pictures worked surprisingly well at this age. The child liked knowing what came next. The first few days were definitely messier than the later ones. We made the change gradually rather than all at once.
A visual routine with two or three pictures worked surprisingly well at this age. The child liked knowing what came next. My spouse had a different view initially, so we tried it for a few weeks before deciding. It took us a couple of weeks before the new routine felt normal. Your child's response may be different, but this was our experience.
Our daycare teacher gave us a short update after drop-off for the first week. Knowing the crying stopped quickly made it much easier to stay calm at the gate. Our child reacted better once we explained the change in advance instead of announcing it on the day.
A visual routine with two or three pictures worked surprisingly well at this age. The child liked knowing what came next. We changed our approach after about a month because the first plan was too hard to sustain. It took us a couple of weeks before the new routine felt normal. We are in Nagpur, so local logistics may be a little different.
A visual routine with two or three pictures worked surprisingly well at this age. The child liked knowing what came next. My spouse had a different view initially, so we tried it for a few weeks before deciding. It took us a couple of weeks before the new routine felt normal. In our house, the practical routine mattered more than the ideal plan.
Thanks for saying this. Online advice often makes normal family life sound much more organised than it really is. We had to repeat the same boundary many times before it clicked. We only reached that conclusion after trying the other approach first.
We had better luck changing one thing at a time instead of starting a full new routine overnight. Toddlers somehow notice every change at once. The biggest surprise was that the practical routine mattered more than the option that looked best on paper. It took us a couple of weeks before the new routine felt normal. I would still test it for a short period before making a long commitment.
We tried something similar once, but probably gave up too early. How long did you continue before judging it? We had to repeat the same boundary many times before it clicked. Your child's response may be different, but this was our experience.
A visual routine with two or three pictures worked surprisingly well at this age. The child liked knowing what came next. Keeping the change small made it easier for our child. We only reached that conclusion after trying the other approach first.
Good point about asking for the details in writing. I had not thought of that. It took us a couple of weeks before the new routine felt normal. I would still test it for a short period before making a long commitment.
Our daycare teacher gave us a short update after drop-off for the first week. Knowing the crying stopped quickly made it much easier to stay calm at the gate. Our child reacted better once we explained the change in advance instead of announcing it on the day. The daycare and home using the same language helped us. In our house, the practical routine mattered more than the ideal plan.
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Could you share what you would do differently if you were starting again? We had to repeat the same boundary many times before it clicked. We made the change gradually rather than all at once.
Could you share what you would do differently if you were starting again? The first few days were definitely messier than the later ones. In our house, the practical routine mattered more than the ideal plan.
Thank you. I like that this does not require changing everything at once. Keeping the change small made it easier for our child. I would still test it for a short period before making a long commitment.
Our daycare teacher gave us a short update after drop-off for the first week. Knowing the crying stopped quickly made it much easier to stay calm at the gate. We are in Visakhapatnam and this came up for us last year.
A visual routine with two or three pictures worked surprisingly well at this age. The child liked knowing what came next. We had to repeat the same boundary many times before it clicked. Your child's response may be different, but this was our experience.
I agree with this. Once we reduced the number of moving parts, everyone became calmer. Keeping the change small made it easier for our child. Your child's response may be different, but this was our experience.