Easier Daycare Drop-Offs

When my daughters were toddlers, I hated dropping them off at daycare. I worked full time at Dow Jones, and they went to the daycare center on campus.

One daughter was fine whenever I dropped her and her sister off, but her twin was usually distraught. As a result, I would dawdle for several minutes before I left, making the separation tougher for all of us.

How does one make the drop off easier? While leaving one’s children at daycare is never easy, I found that these methods can help ease the separation – at least a little bit.

Say goodbye: Never drop off a child and run. You might think that if you can get her involved in an activity and then slip out that it will be best for her (since there won’t be a big separation moment), but it won’t. She may feel abandoned when she realizes that you’ve gone.

It’s best to let her know that you are leaving. Tell her that she is in a safe and fun place, that you love her and that you will pick her up later in the day.

Only drop off once: You may be having as much separation anxiety as your child (at least I did), but don’t double back to check on her once you’ve left – you’ll just face another difficult goodbye. You could phone her teacher later for reassurance that your little one is doing fine. (Whenever I called, the teacher told me that my daughter’s tears stopped as soon as I left, and that she was currently playing happily.)

Establish a routine: Structure can make a child feel safe, so develop your own goodbye morning routine with your youngster. For example, you could walk her to her cubby each morning, help her put her coat and belongings away in her cubby and send her off with a kiss and a hug. My little one was lucky enough to have a very caring teacher who, after I said my goodbyes, would take my daughter to the window and let her wave to me as I left.

Pack a “lovey”: Most daycare centers will let a child bring a comfort object, like a stuffed animal or a blanket, to school to help her feel more secure. They usually let children take these out during naptime, and these items can help a child feel more at home. My daughter always brought a lovey to daycare, whether it was a dolly, her plush bunny or her favorite pillow, and always kept them with her at naptime.