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Preparing your preschooler for childcare
Starting childcare can be an adjustment for the entire family. Routines will be new for everyone and some family members will adjust easier than others.
Whether it's a family home care setting or centre-based care, here are some tips to help make the transition easier for everyone.
- Start talking about the new routine well in advance of the first day.
For instance, if mom will be doing the drop off, she could start talking about the ride to childcare. Talk to your child about the new routine that will take place once in care. Familiarize yourself and your child with the names of the teachers as well as the other children. - Arrange advance visits.
Advance visits, for children of all ages, allow your child to become familiar with the caregiver, the routine, and the other children. Visits can begin several weeks before the first day. - Ease your child in and out.
At the start, a parent or other family member should visit with the child for 30 minutes to two hours. Over the next few weeks, arrange to leave your child for a period of time without you. This will help the caregiver and child get to know each other. It will also show your child that you will come back. During the first full week, you may want to pick up your child a little earlier on the first day, gradually increasing the length of stay as the week progresses. - Make introductions to the new children.
Getting to know the other children and the other parents will be important for you and your child. During visits, be sure to introduce your child to children in his or her group. Similarly, don't hesitate to introduce yourself to some of the other parents. - Take touches of comfort.
Allow your child to take something that will give her comfort—a special toy, blanket, even a picture of you. - Make a comfort call.
Talk to your caregiver to agree on a time you can call during the day. It's important to plan this together to ensure your call won't take the caregiver's attention away from the children at a busy time. - Touch base with your caregiver every day.
Exchange information about your child's day or the evening at home. For instance, if your child had a restless night it is important your caregiver know so she can respond to any unusual behaviours or needs that may arise as a result. Similarly, as you head into the evening, you should know if your child was fussy at childcare. - Talk with your child.
Each day, talk with your child about special things that happened at childcare. - Have an older sibling visit.
If there's an older sibling in the same childcare setting, ask that she be given the opportunity to visit her younger brother during the day during the adjustment period. - Be specific about pick-ups.
Reassure your child that you will be back. Make sure he knows who will pick him up at the end of the day and when. Even if he is not old enough to really tell time, one of the ways children learn to tell time is when pick-up routines become established.
We know it can be hard to leave your child in childcare for the first time. Preparing yourself and your preschooler will smooth the transition and contribute to making it a positive experience for everyone.
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How did you prepare your preschooler for childcare? Was it difficult for you? For your child? Share you experience by leaving a comment below!
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Dehydration
Dehydration happens when the body doesn’t have enough water to carry out its normal jobs.
Toddlers can become dehydrated quickly and need to be watched carefully. This is especially true during hot weather and illnesses such as fever, vomiting and diarrhea. Watch for signs of dehydration when changing routines, giving new foods or even changing water sources.
The symptoms of dehydration include:
- Dry eyes
- Crying with few or no tears
- Slightly dry mouth
- Increased thirst
- Fewer wet diapers than usual
- Fewer dirty diapers than usual
- Less active
- More sleepy or tired than usual
- Muscle weakness
- Irritable
- Headache
- Dizziness
Severe dehydration includes the following symptoms:
- Very dry mouth
- Sunken eyes
- Skin that stays stuck together and doesn’t spring back when it’s gently pinched then released
- No urine or wet diapers
- Intense thirst
- Your child is difficult to arouse or does not recognize you
- Fast breathing
- Fast heart rate
- Cool, grayish skin colour
- Very lethargic
- Loss of weight
When mild dehydration occurs, there are steps you can take to stop this:
- Offer your child fluids frequently
- Offer fluids such as popsicles, freezies, or water every hour. Consult your doctor before giving any over-the-counter re-hydration fluid.
- If you can’t get your child to re-hydrate herself, call her doctor or go to the children’s after-hours clinic. If neither is available, go to the nearest hospital emergency room. It’s always better to take a dehydrated child to medical experts sooner rather than later. Re-hydrating quickly is very important.
If severe hydration occurs, call 911 or go to the nearest hospital emergency room.
You can prevent dehydration in your child by frequently offering her fluids she would normally take. Watch for signs that dehydration is getting worse. This is especially true when she has vomiting or diarrhea.
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Handling Sibling Rivalry
Sibling rivalry can develop for many reasons. In some cases it's due to the personalities of the children, but other times children may feel jealous. For example, if one sibling is really good at playing sports or is really good at school, but the other one struggles with these things.
Some sibling rivalry is to be expected. If you had two best friends living together in the same house they would have some conflict and arguments from time to time.
The goal then is not to try to prevent sibling rivalry, but helping your children deal with any issues that arise between them in a constructive way.
If the rivalry takes the form of physical fighting between the children, it is very important for children to know that there is a "no hurting" rule, as opposed to just saying, "no pinching" or "no grabbing." Let them know right away that you won't tolerate that behaviour by saying, "we don't hurt anyone in this family."
If the children are arguing constantly, letting them work things out on their own is good in many cases. But be ready to step in when these little arguments start turning into long-standing issues. New research shows that children can suffer immensely if verbal taunts and threats by brothers and sisters go on and on.
To keep things peaceful, try to give each child one-on-one attention at least part of each day. This will make each child feel that she is still special to you.
Don’t compare your children. Sometimes parents fuel sibling rivalry by using one child as an example to the other. They ask, “Why can’t you listen like your brother?” or “Why can’t you have a clean room like your sister?” This tends to create resentment rather than be helpful. Let your children know that it is okay to be different.
When jealousy rears its ugly head, it's important not to blame one child or the other. Encourage the children to talk about their feelings of envy and jealousy. It's not going to be easy, but try to stay calm and listen to what they have to say in these situations. Try to emphasize the strengths of each individual child.
Share the consequences – When there is an issue that you are brought into, don’t take sides. Ask each child for their side of the story without any interruptions. Ask the children what they think the solution is and, if it is reasonable, support their solution. If they can’t come up with a solution you can proceed with a couple of options.
- Ask the children to work out a solution, and until they do, they are not allowed to do anything else.
- Come up with a solution yourself, but make sure that both of the children are involved. Don’t give a consequence to just one child. Remember it takes “two to tango.”
Have you children apologize when they do something wrong. Saying I’m sorry is critical to the maintenance of loving relationships. It says that “I care that I hurt you or upset you.” At the end of any issue, have your child apologize to the other. If both are involved in “causing” the issue they should both apologize. If they are not ready, ask them to sit quietly until they are, even if it takes a while. Finally, make sure the tone is right, an angry, “I’m sorry,” does not convey the right message.
Is there jealousy or rivalry between your children? What have you done to manage the conflict between them? Share your experience with other parents by leaving a comment below!
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Teaching your toddler to clean-up his toys
Sometimes it seems to be impossible to get your toddler to clean up his toys. That is normal. Encouraging your child to cooperate and complete chores can sometimes be frustrating.
Try to avoid a battle of wills:
Warn your child ahead of time that "soon it will be time to tidy up."
Make it into a game or something you do together. For example, "how fast can we get the toys cleaned up?" or "let's put these toys to sleep" - make it something you can enjoy together. Cleaning up doesn't have to be the end of your fun together or the end of play.
Encourage your child to participate in making decisions. For example, allow your child to choose between picking up the stuffed animals or putting away the blocks. Allowing him to have some choice will communicate to your child that you respect his individuality. If children feel that they have some control, then they are more likely to cooperate.
Recognize your child's contribution toward helping clean up and acknowledge her positive behaviours.
Remember to set limits and be consistent. It may seem easier to clean up yourself, rather than taking the time to make sure your child participates in chores. However, this creates the risk of encouraging further stalling and delays during clean-up in the future. Be patient and remember that learning to complete chores cheerfully takes a long time.
How did you encourage your toddler to clean up his toys? What worked and what didn’t? Leave a comment below and share your story with other parents just like you.
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