DD4 cries every time I drop her off at nursery. She has been going to nursery since she was 2 and cries every day without fail.
It is getting worse. This morning she wouldn't even get out of bed because she was already beginning to grizzle.
She has a lovely time at nursery, and when I pick her up she's full of the exciting things they've done that day.
Things I have tried so far:
- Sticker chart
- A stuffed toy that can only go in her bag if she doesn't cry (this massively backfired as she cried even more when I had to take it away again)
- Talking to her about the day and all the fun she has when she gets there
- The very twee "hug button" she can press to feel Mummy's hug
- Talking to nursery to make sure there's nothing going on
I drop her off swiftly - quick kiss and a hug, and then she goes into the classroom, where they tell me she stops crying pretty much immediately.
She is the same when DH drops her off, though perhaps not quite so histrionic. But it's always that she misses Mummy, not Daddy.
It feels slightly performative (she can occasionally be laughed out of it, but then remembers she's supposed to be sad and recommences sobbing), but she is also genuinely upset.
Her elder sister never did this - I think she kept it inside a bit more, even if she felt it.
DD4 gets plenty of time with me; she does 3 days at nursery, and 2 days at home with me all by herself, and I pick her up and take her to school. She is like this anywhere I drop her - e.g. gym class, so it really isn't specific to nursery.
This is her last school year before Reception. I am dreading the day she realises that if she literally refuses to walk to school, there's very little I can do about it! I hope we will never get to this stage, but I'm looking for advice on what worked for you.