Starting nursery

We’ve got two settling in sessions one week, then 3 full days the next week then I go back to work the following. Hoping this gives him a chance to settle slightly and I wanted to be at home the first week in case he needs collecting early/ really doesn’t settle etc. This is what was recommended to me so hoping it works! x

That sounds sensible!!

The nursery will offer settling sessions, the amount, and length of time at each session, differs between nurseries. My daughter had 3x 1 hour sessions - the first one I stayed, the second and third we dropped her off and left. This was enough for my daughter and she settled in well. The nursery will offer more settling sessions if needed I think.

Your nursery would offer sessions. They wouldn’t just take the child without those.

Yeah settling in sessions are for this. It varies what they are but ours did a couple hours while we filled out paperwork. Then a second couple of hours where they kicked us out so he would settle without us, then a half day when we picked up after lunch. Spread out over how we wanted them. You can always call though to check how they're doing though. I called once because I couldn't stop thinking about it. At lunch as he was doing a full day. We found that the difficult days weren't the first days, they were weeks later when the novelty had worn off!

We did 8 settling In session, 2 a week in the weeks leading up to him starting full time. They ranged from an hour to 4 hours. However I know we were lucky with our nursery offering this. From what I’ve seen it’s the average of 2 sessions. When he started full time he didn’t cry once at drop off as he was very used to the staff and being away from us in the nursery setting x

I started his settling in three weeks before I returned to work. I think this helped us both. Tbh if I had to do it again I would have started him a week earlier too, just so I could have some time alone before going back to work and being a working mum.