DS upset at nursery drop-off - advice please!

[pinklaydee]

DS is almost three, and goes to private nursery just one day a week while I work. We are lucky that my DH is off on my other day of work, so has him at home. It's a great nursery, lovely staff, open door policy, and my DD went there too. I don't have any problem with it. However, DS gets upset as soon as he learns in the morning that he is going there. He gets clingy, then when I try to leave him, cries his eyes out and has to be prised off me. I try to ignore it when he gets upset, and don't hang about once at nursery. He is happy when there.
Any advice about how to stop these stressful mornings? It's hard getting the four of us out of the door anyway, without this.

Well if you know he is happy there, and plays during the day then i wouldn't be to worried, he probably clings onto you because he doesn't like leaving you and is in a routine where he clings to you, so you need to break the routine.

I would be up beat and try and engage him in an activity during drop off, crouch down and play with toys at a table so he can't cling onto you, hold his hand, wrap your arm around his body so you can reassure him but gently peel your self away as he begins to distract himself.

Leave him at an activity that has a carer, so when you go and he gets upset he can quickly be reengaged with playing again.

Is there a sign in board for him, encourage him to find his name, to put his coat away, to change his shoes (if thats what they do) tell what a big boy he his, well done for doing that e.t.c

Does he have a friend he plays with or children he likes, can you walk him over to them encourage him to interact with them, bring in a special toy that he can show them, and then it will wait in the car/buggy for him at the end of the day.

HTH

I could have posted the same message OP. My DS has to be prised off me in the morning, and will also scrabble at the door to try and get back to the car. :( I feel for you OP!
I keep things as short as possible at drop off, giving him a hug and a kiss and then handing him over to a member of staff so they can hang on to him as I walk away
But it's been like this since August, and I'm beginning to wonder if it will ever get any better. He goes 2 days a week, while I'm on maternity leave, so that he has children his age to play with and more exciting activities that I can do with DD in tow. He's 2.7 and used to be at a lovely childminder (who went back to Sweden) when I worked full time, and he was clingy when I dropped him off with her too.
I try to engage him in what will happen, I do everything cookielove suggests but it makes no difference.
The only saving grace is that he always seems happy when I pick him up and he always says he's had a nice time.
I would consider pulling him out but it always seems worse if he's had a break from nursery and also DD is not a great sleeper at night, so I use those days to catch up on much needed sleep.
I guess I just want reassurance that it is normal for some little ones to be so clingy. DS is at nursery today, so I'm off for a nap now!! But will come back on this afternoon.