Tips & tricks to help you during the settling period

Especially for children aged 18 months to 4 years

For the first time, you will go to our Babilou daycare with your child, and during the settling period, your whole family will encounter new situations. At the daycare, you will have the assistance of our entire team, and more particularly the primary care giver of your child. But do you know that there are tricks you can apply before even starting? We have you covered with some tips to ease these first days !

1. Children feed on adults emotions and imitate their behavior. The more you shine, the more they will too. If you appear positive and happy about their future experience, it will help them feel the same way! Do not hesitate to smile a lot.
2. Stories are a go-to! You can choose some about the first day at daycare because they help children visualize and shape their perception of reality. You could also talk about our crèche, explain how it will be, who will be there and what they will see and do.
3. Let your child take some decisions before leaving home in the morning. For example, they could choose if they want cereal, eggs or bread for breakfast, or which clothes they want to wear. It is important because it will give them a sense of control about the situation.
   To help them develop their independence, you could also apply the suggestions in this article about the organization of their bedroom.
   
4. An easy one is to encourage your child to bring a transitional object with them. It could be a stuffed animal, their blanket, a little toy or one of your t-shirt with your smell on it. It will allow them to comfort themselves when they feel the need to.
5. On the way to the daycare, you could do something cool with your child. Have a special chat or sing a song together for example. The daily ride could become a quality moment, when you share activities.
6. And to finish, before leaving, always say a clear good-bye to your child and let them know when you will be back. The quality and clarity of a conversation are particularly important for children. It helps them to establish a ritual for this moment.

The educator’s tip: “You can always ask to spend a moment in your child’s group. We are not just welcoming them, we are welcoming the entire family and it is important that everyone feels comfortable in this new environment.” Marion, educator in the preschool group in our Mont-sur-Lausanne daycare.

Leaving the daycare

Pick up time is often the moment when toddlers show the most signs of distress. This is absolutely normal, they had busy hours, filled with emotions and discoveries which can be quite overwhelming. At the end of the day it is not uncommon to see an explosion of emotions such as joy, anger and happiness, all at once.

Children can take roughly six weeks to settle in a new environment, so do not worry if it takes some time for them to adapt. If you desire to learn more about our educational program, you could read this article.

If you have any questions or you just want to discuss the wellbeing of your child, our educational teams are there for you! Feel free to ask questions and please feel comfortable enough with the educators to speak about anything that is on your mind.

Remember the tips & tricks :

1. Children feed on adults emotions and imitate their behavior. The more you shine, the more they will too.
2. Stories are a go-to! They help children visualize and shape their perception of reality.
3. Your child can make some choices and it helps to give them a sense of control on the situation.
4. Encourage your child to bring a transitional object with them, a stuffed animal, a blanket or one of your clothes for example.
5. Transform your ride in a cool “get together” moment by sharing conversations and songs.
6. And, always say a clear good-bye to your child and let them know when you will be back.