Settling a child in at Lakeside Creative Minds

If your child has just enrolled at Lakeside Creative Minds, CONGRATULATIONS! But now the big day has come, you’re nervous – little bub is in the back seat not sure what’s about to happen and you’re worried about leaving him with perfect strangers .. is it too late to turn the car around?

At Lakeside Creative Minds we understand how it feels and we’re here to support you every step of the way, the key is to start slowly for the child. For example, if it works for your family, you could start with a short half an hour visit and then longer visits where you can pick him / her up after just a few hours. It’s also important to talk to our experienced director about the best way to help your child with the transition. All of our educators have a lot of experience with settling young children into child care and they’ll be able to suggest options for your child and your family but we’ve included 3 general tips for you here:

Get organised early:

Taking care of practical things like clothes labels the night before or earlier will reduce the stress of trying to get out the door. This means you can focus on your child and how they’re feeling on child care mornings. If your morning at home is calm, you’re both more likely to be calm when you say goodbye. Also children are very aware of how you feel, the calmer you are, the better it will reflect on them.

Allow plenty of down time at home:

Child care is very stimulating. Your child will probably be tired and need recovery time at home. This might mean an earlier bedtime or longer naps, or maybe just quiet play in a familiar environment.

Say goodbye:

When it’s time to go, let your child know you’re going and when you’ll be back. Give your child a hug and a kiss, say goodbye to your child’s educator and leave promptly. This makes it easier for your child to settle down with their educator.

We also have a special set of tips for settling children with additional needs into childcare as well as settling children from diverse cultural and language backgrounds.

If you want to plan this further according to your specific circumstances feel free to email us on info@lakesidecreativeminds.com.au or call us on (02) 4983 1609