Settling Into our Day Nursery

We offer two free one and a half hour settling in sessions, in which
you can stay and play together with your child in nursery

Day Nursery Settling In Information

We understand that children need different levels of support when starting in a nursery and the initial transition can be a bit tricky.

To minimise any discomfort in this process for your child and yourself, we offer two free one and a half hour settling in sessions, in which you can stay and play together with your child in nursery, and staff can gather some more detailed information about your child at the same time.

We are very flexible to individual children’s needs in terms of how many future settling visits will be required and this can be arranged between yourself and your child’s key person.

The more you can prepare your child for nursery life before they start, the easier the transition can be so you may find it helpful to follow some
of our simple ideas and tips before they start attending Golden Owls.
Encourage your child to:

  • Do as much of their own self-care as possible, i.e. feed themselves with a spoon and fork, drink from an open cup, put on their coats and shoes by themselves, wipe themselves when going to the toilet.
  • Wait or share your attention. At home, children get most adult’s immediately, but at nursery, they may have to wait or share adults attention with others while dealing with other children.
  • Spend time alongside other children whether at home, at the park or at playgroups. The biggest difference between a nursery and home is the
    amount of other children around them.

Try to:

  • Talk positively about nursery, and explain that they will have lots of fun and then you will come and get them at the end of the session. Children can pick up on your behaviour so if you talk positively, they will too.
  • Practice the routine of coming to nursery at home a week or so before so there are less changes happening all at the same time i.e. waking
    up/eating lunch a bit earlier so it’s not a shock when they need to do this when they start nursery.
  • Leave your child with other adults or in other places (i.e. with other family members or friends, attending playgroups or crèche’s.) for short
    periods of time so they are used to being away from you.

Prepare to:

  • Trust staff when they suggest when to leave and when to collect. We only want the best for both of you and we have had lots of experience when settling in new children so will try to work out the best for each child.
  • Know that your child may need you or someone familiar to stay with them or collect earlier for their first few weeks. Most children do not stay for their full session during the first week or so however confident they seem.
  • Feel emotional when leaving your child for the first time. Often it is harder for parents than the children and it is understandable to feel guilty. Try to remember that you are giving your child the chance to make new friends and have fun.

You’re more than welcome to give us as call to see how they are at any time, and we will keep in regular contact if we feel they may need more flexibility for sessions.