First day at nursery, screamed all the way home and not happy before bed.

[josiebones]

Just hoping for some wisdom from you all. DD (5.5 months)first day in nursery today. she did OK while at nursery, bit moody and whingy, but OK. However we have an hours drive home - she screamed all the way, then was really upset when I tried to put her to bed when we got home.
Is this all normal? Is this part of settling in? How long do you think it will take her to settle? She is in nursery 3 days a week.
Any advice to make it better for dd?

How do they arrange care for the babies? Is it in a small, quiet room with one or two carers or is it maybe a bit noisy and overwhelming for her? Do tell them how she was after nursery so they can review her care. Good luck - this must be hard for you.

Third day in nursery for ds today - first day I only left him for an hour and he was really upset when I picked him up, took a while to calm down; second day he was playing but there was a little tear on one cheek ; crossing my fingers for no tears today! No experience to give advice but really hope things get better for your dd, like they seem to be doing for us, I guess it takes them a little while to get used to something different and settle in.

If she'd been at nursery all day she was probably tired. Also, this is a massive change to her routine, presumably she has been used to being with you all the time and suddenly that has changed. Also, if you think that she had spent the whole day without you and then she has to sit in the carseat for an hour's trip home rather than getting to cuddle with you. What I do with ds is to sit in the car for a while with him after I pick him up, give him a bottle, have a cuddle and a play and then drive home. Not great if you have an hour to get home after that, but then an hour with a screaming baby is a long time!

If you don't have any concerns about how she is being looked after then I would not worry about it and see how she is after a couple of weeks.

It took my ds a while to settle in to nursery but now he absolutely loves it.

I think Scooby's method is great. Your DD was probably tired and hungry. Shortly after seeing you after a period of separation, you then quickly separated yourselves again by putting her in her carseat. Try giving a feed when you pick up, sure it may take a little while but should help you both feel more relaxed, for the journey home.

I agree. I used to have a bath with ds when we got home after nursery as a way to have a bit of quiet time together. He was always shattered and it really helped him chill out plus giving him the closeness he was used to having from me...

It definitely sounds like she's overtired. My 7 month dd barely sleeps at nursery so is often wired when she comes home and doesn't always go straight off to sleep, usually needs a bit of rocking and shushing which she doesn't need on any other night

Thank you everyone! I'm sure she will get better, and being overtired was part of it. But your suggestions are great - I will try them if it continues.
What is the 'average' time it takes a young baby to settle into nursery?

My ds went for two mornings a week for a month before starting full-time. He was alright after about 4/6 weeks. But he howled for the first two settling in sessions (each lasting one hour)!!

josiebones. This is normal. I'm a nursery owner, BTW.

It is a big change for her to get used to, but she will adapt soon, I'm sure.

A lot of parents report sleep-changes/difficulties when their child starts nursery.