Hello everyone!
My little one is 13 months and started nursery (4 days/week) 3 weeks ago. He's a literal duracell bunny - early walker, super active, deeply curious, no fear, very sociable. We expected the transition to be easy, but he has really struggled which I guess is normal, given the massive change. Over the past few weeks, things improved slightly - he now does a decent lunchtime nap and tends to eat pretty well (better than at home!).
But he is full on and requires 1to1 support all day. Cries a lot at drop off and pick up (we make goodbyes quick etc), and apparently on and off throughout the day. He doesnt play with other children (which is unusual for him), seems very sad when we pick him up and it's just heartbreaking. The nursery feels like a good fit for him - very spacious with a huge outdoor area that he enjoys, lots of activities and sensory areas, lovely food. The staff seem friendly and his keyworker is pleasant... but we constantly have a feeling like everyone looks a bit depressed when they see him in the morning - like 'here comes the difficult kid'. And there's a lot of relief in the room when we come to pick him up. I thought it was in my head as I am sensitive, but my objective partner keeps picking it up too. I guess with whatever childcare, you cannot expect them to provide the deep level of care, love and attention you would give your child, but we just feel like they don't like him much? I feel for them, he is not and never has been an easy going baby...but with us he is constantly smiling, being silly etc which isnt the case for nursery.So they get lots of his challenges, without the lovely rewards.
For context, we live in an area where the average waiting list for nursery is 2 years and we do genuinely like this nursery and how it runs, its spaces, its location etc. So switching is unlikely. We also feel like he would struggle with a childminder in a 'small' house, as he is so active and needs space to roam haha.
I don't know if we need to adjust our expectations, or give it more time, or somehow talk to them about this... Any thoughts or similar experiences appreciated :) thank you!