How long did it take your toddler to 'calm down' once they started nursery?

[BR44]

My 2.4 yo DS had his first morning at nursery today. He's only going to be going 2 mornings a week, at least for the time being.

No teary/clingy problems at all, but he did get seriously wound up - ie. picking up every toy in the room for 30 seconds before moving on to the next one like a whirlwind and screeching 'what's that mama?!?' at every new thing etc. More to the point, he snatched things off the other kids and pushed them over when they tried to get close to what he was playing with.

Now I was expecting this as, since he's turned 2, he's like this every time we go somewhere new. It takes quite a lot of 1-on-1 management to calm him down in new places, especially if they're full of toys. I am happy to remove him from situations where he's playing up and have done so several times at playgroups, but I also try to keep in mind that he's going through a challenging stage and needs to talked to and corrected and not just written off as 'naughty'. I explained this to the staff when we arrived as it was obvious he was a bit hyper. After 15 minutes they suggested I go for a walk and come back in 20 mins, to see how he was without me there. I did. When I came back the nursery proprietor answered the door looking really flustered and exclaimed 'He really needs 1 on 1 attention! He never stops!' which I thought was a bit much after 20 minutes from a child care professional, but hey ho. I had a little chat with him about his behavior but then left again after 15 mins, at the suggestion of the manager, this time for 40 minutes. By the time I came back he was sitting at a table colouring and had apparently calmed down a bit, with only one instance of pushing a little girl over. He was given time out for this, which is fine with me.

The two younger members of staff seemed to take his behavior in their stride and explained that all children react differently to being placed in nursery for the first time. Some cry and want their parents, some sit in the corner for a week, some (like my DS) go a bit mental but eventually get used to the place and the rules. But the proprietor looked really quite alarmed by him and said to me on the way out "We really can't allow him to hurt the other children, you know". As if I thought that would be fine?!??

Not sure what I'm asking really, just wondering if you think I should be especially concerned about how this morning went and if you have children of a similar nature how long it took for the novelty of nursery to wear off and for them to settle down?

[cookielove]

I think the reaction the manager was not needed, maybe she is new to the job and just finding her feet, but the people in his room caring for him sound like they know what they are doing. He sounds a lot like most of the 2 year olds i have cared for over the years, i would not be worried if i were you. He will most likely calm down over the next few weeks, but from your post it sounds like he is an excitable and lovely child so anything new at nursery for him will be an adventure.