Coping After Your Return
Preparing you and your family for your return to work can be a difficult time.
Not all children are the same and both the parent and child need to adjust and come to terms with not spending all their time with each other.
The child needs to build confidence to spend time with other adults and children in new environments.
Suggestions
- Take your child to play groups
- Visit friends and family so that they get used to being around others
- Try leaving your child for short periods to begin with.
- Increase the period each time - perhaps a friend or family members or a babysitter could assist in this regard
These should make you feel more confident and comfortable when the time comes to leave your child whilst your at work.
Your child will also feel more at ease to being left with a child-minder or nursery.
Many parents say they get more upset than the child after leaving him/her at nursery for the first time! So it is perfectly normally to feel anxious and upset.
Here are a few tips to help you survive your first few weeks
- Prepare ! - try and arrange your and your child’s bag and clothes for their day at nursery and your day at work the night before.
- Ensure you have plenty of time to settle your child at nursery/carers before leaving for work.
- DON’T let your child see you are upset when you leave - children are extremely sensitive and can pick up on your feelings very easily and if they see that you are upset they are more likely to get distressed, making your departure even more difficult.
- Try and talk positively to them whilst reassuring you will be back to pick them up soon.
Most nurseries/carers provide a report each day on what the child has done and who they have played with, together with their eating, sleeping and toilet habits.
This is extremely helpful and the aim is to provide you with comfort and confidence that your child is settling in their new routine.
You can also talk to your child about what they have done that day.
Should you have any concerns during the day call the nursery but DON’T ring them all the time to see how they are doing.
DON’T feel guilty about enjoying being back at work and re-gaining your independence.
