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Original poster

Support thread for parents of nursery newbies - come and wring your hands here

125 replies

midnightexpress · 16/04/2008 14:09

WanderingTrolley's suggestion that we start a support thread for anxious parents whose dcs are starting nursery.

DS2 (15 months) had his first settling-in session this morning and wailed through most of it.

His big brother (2.5) is much more independent and settled fairly easily, but ds2 much more of a velcro-boy, so I suspect this might be a bit harder than ds1 was for us. Also we're moving house on Friday (great timing) so the poor wee thing has quite a lot on his plate at the moment.

Anyone else? Come and join - bring your own tissues. I have gin.

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
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PuppyDogTails · 17/04/2008 20:35

DP has been laughing at me because I've hardly left DS alone since he got home! I'm definitely going to appreciate my time with him more now, I feel kind of sad that it's taken me the separation to realise how much I like his company.

preggersplayspop · 17/04/2008 20:43

I know what you mean, he's like my little best friend. I am so sad! I am getting used to having one way conversations, if only it were like that at work!

scottishmummy · 17/04/2008 20:51

not a nursery newbie, but wanted to contribute. we did settling session. i took in lo fave blanket for naps. wee one loves nursery the hiccups have been changing rooms 9lots of tears both of us^ for a brief time but settled after@3wk

touch wood loves it

lots of wee pals

hope everyone and wee one's have a happy experience

preggersplayspop · 17/04/2008 21:06

Thanks scottishmummy, most of my friends who have their babies at nursery already say they love it too so hoping it will be same for mine. I wish I had managed to get him attached to a blanket or something, unfortunately his favourite object seems to be my boob....

scottishmummy · 17/04/2008 21:08

lol you will catch a chill if you leave that oot all day

MrsWB · 19/04/2008 15:36

This thread is an excellent idea. My DS (aged 1) did his settling in at nursery at the end of March but then kept being ill, so in his first 2 weeks was only there for one day. Last week was his first 3 day week and it seems to be going ok, I think, though it doesn't stop me constantly worrying!

He cries and clings to me at drop off, and cries when I pick him up (which I have heard is all normal) but they say he is fine in between times. He seems to like his key worker. I even felt a bit jealous when he was giggling with her the other evening, though obviously it is a good sign. Just wish I could be a fly on the wall all day!

scottishmummy · 19/04/2008 18:07

wouldn't it be fun to have a sneaky peep at them!

nice your son is fond of key worker, making extended relationships

preggersplayspop · 19/04/2008 19:47

We had a similar experience with illness, my DS lost several days of the settling in week to a tummy bug and after his first 4 full days he has ended up with conjunctivitis - thick green gunk oozing from both eyes and his nose, v unpleasant! The blinking tooth still isn't through either. Not sure how I am going to cope when I go back to work in a week as I'm not getting much sleep at the moment...

scottishmummy · 19/04/2008 20:23

yes be prepared for the lo catching everything eg conjunctivitis,chickenpox,diarrhea etc.

but frankly thats what happens when group of lo are together - inevitable,and exposure to illness would happen at primary school anyway

in my first 2wk back baby got conjunctivitis.

do discuss with employer that if your wee one is ill you will need to go. best to discuss these things before you need to

have you nominated a second person to collect LO if you are unable

but many employers do offer carer's days

i stocked up on

digital ear thermometer
paediatruc paracetamol
paediatric nurofen
calamine lotions
cream e45
cotton wool
germolene/savlon cream
antiseptic spray (easy to apply)
Dioralyte (for rehydration)
Magicool Spray
Kiddi Kool Patches
Assorted plasters
Gauze swabs
Arnica gel or cream for bruises
Antiseptic spray
Sterile saline drops (remove foreign bodies)

i am a "just in case" mum, like to be organised

preggersplayspop · 20/04/2008 21:06

Wow you do sound organised, I think I could do with a few things the on the list so thank you. Fortunately my employer is very flexible and family friendly so there shouldn't be a problem if I need time off at short notice, but I realise from talking to friends that I'm lucky as this is not always the case.

The one thing I have been stressing about a bit is what I would do if I was stranded on a train or in traffic jam and was running really late to pick up my DS from nursery and my DH was unable to do the pick up instead. My DS would need to be picked up in a car, and I am a bit worried about how to organise this with car seats etc.

PuppyDogTails · 21/04/2008 16:32

How's DS been today preggers? I had to leave him crying again but I think I could hear him stop within a couple of minutes. Going to collect him in a bit.

preggersplayspop · 21/04/2008 21:00

he is still poorly, so i didnt take him in today. he won't settle, so is on my lap now having some milk, eyes glued shut poor thing.

PuppyDogTails · 24/04/2008 08:46

Aaaaarrrgggh.

Why do I feel like such a bad mother?

Come ladies, tell me tales of how your babies learnt to love nursery.

preggersplayspop · 24/04/2008 11:53

You are not a bad mother, its hard though isn't it? The start of the guilt....

MrsBadger · 24/04/2008 11:58

re glued eyes, if you can sneak in before they wake up in the morning and drip some warm water on them it softens the crusty yuck accumulated overnight and you may avert the screaming that happens when they wake up and can't open their eyes...

dd's have just cleared after 10days of antibs (she did give it to both me and DH though...)

preggersplayspop · 24/04/2008 14:24

Good advice thank you Mrs Badger, he doesn't like me wiping his eyes so its been a bit of a struggle to clean him up, but rather embarrassing going out with him looking like a reptile. He manages to come home from the nursery crust-free though, how is it that they seem to do everything better than me?!

MrsBadger · 24/04/2008 15:06

I think they just mind the crying less than we do

it's like nappychanging - they pin them down and get it done in 10s and the child is fine, whereas we fanny about singing and distracting and giving them a toy to hold etc and it takes 15 times as long and they get much more upset

Pinkjenny · 24/04/2008 15:31

Preggers - my dd is the complete opposite, I manage to keep her gunk free at home, but she leaves nursery two days a week completely covered in food and snot.

I hate leaving her, she was OK to start with, but now she goes mad when I leave her. She's fine five minutes later though, I think its just an initial protest.

She has been going since January, and seems to have had a permanently runny nose and cough, also speights of viruses and diarrhoea etc. She seems much better now though, save for the nose, I think her immunity has been built up a bit.

MrsBadger · 24/04/2008 15:57

oh food is different - we lovingly wipe away every drip of carrot as it's spat out because we have no other demands on our time and it's us who'll have to do the laundry, whereas nursery are a bit more laissez-faire.

DD now has a good line in yellow and orange tops as they show it the least...

Pinkjenny · 24/04/2008 15:59

I wasn't complaining, I mean, I was when she first started, because her clothes were getting ruined, but I take it in my stride now. Hey, as long as she's eating eh?

MrsBadger · 24/04/2008 16:05

absolutely

(or plain white things are good, cause you can bleach them. Poor old dd, dressed for easy stain removal rather than style...)

Pinkjenny · 24/04/2008 16:10

I know bless her, she's like Orphan Annie when I pick her up. I tell you one good thing about nursery, the look on her face when I walk through the door.

PuppyDogTails · 24/04/2008 17:28

Well the child that was inconsolably distraught when dropped off this morning was in fine spirits when picked up . He didn't even especially rush over to me when I walked in.

I start work on Monday so there's no going back now.

preggersplayspop · 24/04/2008 20:03

Hi PuppyDogTails, glad to hear you had a good day today. We did too, the tooth is through and the eyes are gunkless so I think he actually enjoyed it today.

I'm back at work on Tueday as well. Let us know how you get on!

zebedee1 · 25/04/2008 07:41

Glad I found this thread, it seems like your LOs are starting to settle in OK at their nurseries. That's very reassuring as DS has his first "settling in" session this morning. He's 12 months old and I'm due back at work in 2 weeks so I hope he's OK! Feeling a bit sad this morning though, there were a few tears when I packed his little rucksack earlier... good lord get a grip woman!!