Helping Your Child Overcome Separation Anxiety

18th July 2023 Family

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Separation anxiety is something a lot of children get overwhelmed with, but is often a big part of the process in helping toddlers and young children get acquainted with this new part of their life. 

Many nurseries, including this Private Nursery in Monmouthshire, will speak to parents at length about the different approaches they can take to reduce the amount of pressure and stress on children that are left in their care. It can take some time to get right, but if you trust in the process it will be easier to manage for the both of you. Here are some approaches you could try with your child.

Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash

Give them something comforting to keep ahold of

Many young children will have a favourite toy or plushie they keep a hold of to comfort them or remind them of home. You could give this to your child or put it in their backpack to help them cope with the fact you won’t be there with them for at least a few hours. This can train them to know when you will be picking them up and what they can turn to if they are feeling upset. We recommend mentioning this to your child’s teacher as well, so that if your child does get upset in the classroom they can quickly go into their bag to pick it up.

Plan an activity together when you pick them up

So that your child has something to look forward to, you can look at a fun activity you know they will appreciate after nursery. You can help your child feel a lot more confident this way, as they can get excited and happy about something new to explore. This also takes the pressure off them when they have just been picked up.

Talk to your child about what you will do after school

If your child is especially nervous about their day without you, get them excited about what you could do after the day is done. Say something like, “when you have finished school, shall we go to the shop together?” Your child can hang onto that to help them feel a lot more confident to head to school and enjoy their day.

There will of course be a lot of teething problems in helping your child overcome separation anxiety, but it’s something a lot of parents will have to go through. Trust the process and see how your child develops their skills over time, which in turn will help with their confidence.