Words of wisdom needed...

Caroline03.09

So we signed up our 2 year old for church preschool 2 days a week.  Is it crazy that I'm starting to have anxiety about her going? 

I know she will do great once she is there, but it's the initial adjustment period that's already breaking my heart.  She's been at an in home provider since she was 5 months old and we love her sitter!  With the older kiddos off to preschool full time in the fall, she will officially be the oldest one at the in home starting in August.  So I know putting her into the routine now will be good for her.

If your kiddo had a hard time adjusting to a new setting like preschool how did you deal with it for them (and you!)  Any tips, advice or a general "she'll be fine."

cecee36

DD is now 3 1/2 but we started sending her to "school" when she turned 2.  For several reasons but mainly because we wanted her to become comfortable with other adults besides her dad & I.  (We lived in CA at the time and had no family around at all.)  Was there an adjustment period?  Yes!  Did it last long?  Absolutely!  Would we do it all over again and put up with the crying, long & sad goodbyes and difficulty getting her into the car in the mornings?  For sure!  The bottom line is, nothing we do as parents is always gonna be easy.  There's going to be a transition phase for everyone but what always works is consistency and lots of positive reinforcement and praise for a job well done.  We even had to get a little "tough" on DD and say things like: "No matter how much you cry, two things will happen.  You WILL go to school and dad & I WILL leave you there.  BUT, we will ALWAYS come back to get you."  And that was how we started our mornings several times but now, DD gets up in the mornings and is excited and happy to go to school.  And we are just as excited and happy to drop her off! (LOL) GL, I'm sure it'll all turn out fine.  

ironmommy

It will likely be a tough adjustment, but she is going to LOVE it and so will you when you see how much fun she's having. We started DD in "school" PT at 15 months. Her teacher suggested I stay with her the first week, which I did. I don't know how much it helped, but it helped some.

In all honesty, DD still cries some days when I drop her off. But I know at the end of the day she will be brimming with excitement and telling me all about the fun things she did that day. PLUS, she is already beginning to spell three-letter words, so I love knowing that she's learning a ton, too. It's a big, but necessary and good, step. GL!