Give me success stories of clingy babies settling at nursery

[fluffyanimal]

I'm back to work full time in January and DS will be 10 months. He has a place in a nursery that DH and I like very much, has good recommendations from other mums we know. But I'm worrying already about it. Because we don't have any family nearby, he is only used to being with me or DH, and is especially clingy with me. Needs me to cuddle him to sleep etc. If I leave him with anyone for more than about 5 minutes he gets hysterical. How am I every going to get him into nursery? Anyone else had this problem and it worked out all right?

He will still be hysterical at first. This is heartbreaking. Not only is it heartbreaking you are not going home to rest straightafter, you are going to work where you will be treated as the rest of your colleagues.

My best advice is to toughen up before you start back at work as it is certainly not very easy. Having said this it definitely does get easier with time as you both get used to it. On the plus side your son will come on in leaps and bounds and will have the confidence that other children who stay at home full time just do not have.

In addition to this it will make school much much easier.

Not sounding like its myself I'm convincing I hope!!

I think its the best all round - but be warned the first few weeks and months are AWFUL!! Or I should say it was for me.

if it helps, my DS (8.5 months and VERY clingy) is also going to be at nursery from 10 months. He cries if I so much as leave the room for a few seconds, and won't accept anyone else to settle him to sleep, even DH. Or so I thought...

Last weekend we had a family party to go to, big social pressure to attend. I had to leave DS in a B&B with a babysitter he didn't know. After we'd been at the party for 45 minutes we got the (dreaded / expected) phone call asking us to come back and settle him. By the time I got back to the B&B, 10 minutes away (even in high heeled party shoes, ouch) DS was sitting contented on the babysitters lap, watching telly. No tears, had calmed down immediately she made the phone call. When we got back at 10.30pm it was all the same - he'd woken again but this time settled on babysitters lap no problem at all.

I also left him with my mum for a Saturday morning, for the first time ever 2 weeks ago (family live a long way away, we don't get the chance to leave him with them, I'm not refusing to or anything!) Again, he was great.

If you'd asked me whether this would be possible, I'd have said no way. But it happened.

They can surprise you. I feel lots more confident about the nursery now. Still don't want to go back to work, but thats another story
HTH a bit

Most children go through what is called Separation Anxiety about that age. DS didn't had a problem to settle in nursery but he became very clingy when he was about 9-10m.

Try to think of it as a phase, it will pass. But please don't think too much of it, babies are very sensitive, and if she "feels" you are dreading she can get stressed herself. Good luck.

Thanks all for your reassurance, just what I needed!