Easing Separation Anxiety at Daycare

Starting daycare is a major life transition for both young children and their parents. Change, even when it is a positive change can be stressful. In many cases this may be the first time a child is away from the secure and loving arms of their family. Both the child and parents may experience anxiety about starting a daycare experience. Parents want to know that their child will be in a loving and safe environment when the child is not in their direct care. It is not uncommon for parents to feel guilty about placing the child in a daycare program, thus making the farewell more difficult. There are specific measures that parents can take to ease the transition to care and alleviate separation anxiety.

The right timing can help.
We ask that you try and drop your child off when they are not sleepy or hungry. This will help your child be less cranky when you are saying goodbye. Add a little bit of extra time into your day so you can calm your child and say goodbye properly.

Wave bye-bye when you leave.
Instead of fearing the wrath of their toddler, some parents try to sneak out while the child is otherwise engaged. Big mistake. This approach may save you the pain of watching your child cry, but it can actually make their separation anxiety more severe. If your child thinks you might disappear at any given moment without notice, they are not going to let you out of their sight.


Look on the sunny side.
Separation anxiety isn't merely a toddler thing — you may not be thrilled by the prospect of leaving either. But if you let your apprehension show, your child is almost certain to pick up on it. Besides, a dramatic farewell will just validate your child's feelings of insecurity. So try to stay calm and positive — even if your child is hysterical. Talk to them evenly and reassure them that you'll be back soon. To keep the situation light, try adopting a silly parting phrase such as "See you later, alligator" or your own made-up alternative. Getting your child in the habit of responding with "After a while, crocodile" will also help serve as a distraction.


Try a transitional object.
A security object — a blanket, a stuffed animal, or even their very own thumb — can be a source of solace.


Involve them in an activity.
Allow your toddler and their caregiver to get engrossed in an activity before you leave. When the time comes for you to go, give your child a quick kiss and good-bye wave and make a beeline for the door. They may still cry, but the activity can serve as a distraction soon after your departure.

Let them learn to cope.
No parent wants their child to feel any unnecessary sadness, but coping with separation is one of the many stresses your child will have to learn to manage in life.  Sometimes doing nothing — especially if you've already tried everything — is the best advice. Learning to cope is an important developmental task and if you know that your child is safe, it's okay to let them cry a bit.  In a matter-of-fact voice, reassure them that's everything's okay, then go ahead and do whatever it is you need to do — without feeling guilty.

Some degree of separation anxiety is a sign that the preschooler has developed healthy attachments to loved ones.  In many cases, it stops within 3-4 minutes after the parent leaves.  We welcome you to watch your child on the TV monitor in our office before you leave or call and check on their welfare if you have concerns.

Help Kids Develop Healthy Eating Habits

You can help children develop healthy eating habits by getting them involved in kitchen, looking for ways to make favorite dishes healthier, and reducing calorie-rich temptations.

Involve Your Children in the Process.
First of all, get your kids to help create menus, shop and prepare food. They are more likely to eat when they have made some decisions about the meals. You guide their decisions.  Look for children's cookbooks, which have kid-friendly recipes and basic cooking lessons.

In the summer, try to get your children interested in gardening.  If they can see super sweet cherry tomatoes, strawberries, corn, or baby peas growing, then harvest them, that may get them more interested in fruits and vegetables.

Nutritionists say that most children need to actually see a new food four to five times before they'll even try it, so keep introducing those fruits and veggies.  To begin, try to focus on the sweeter 'healthy' foods, like strawberries, mandarin oranges, cherries, tomatoes, sweet peas, and corn.
Look for ways to make favorite dishes healthier.

The recipes that prepare regularly, and that your family enjoys, with just a few changes can be healthier and just as satisfying. You can also sneak fruits and veggies into the foods you make with the following suggestions:

• You can add some finely chopped fruits to gelatin salads, add some pureed sweet peas to guacamole, and serve tiny vegetables, like baby carrots and baby corn, with appetizer dips.
• Finely chop carrots and mix them into spaghetti sauce.
• Make some breads - banana bread, pumpkin bread, and apple bread are all good.
• You can also finely mince vegetables and add them to hamburger patties or turkey burgers.
Start making casseroles. You can begin with just pasta, cheese, and sauce, but then gradually add more finely chopped vegetables to the sauce.
• Check out the book Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Seinfeld.  It's full of recipes to get your children eating healthy.

Remove calorie-rich temptations!
Although everything can be enjoyed in moderation, reducing the calorie-rich temptations of high-fat and high-sugar, or salty snacks can also help your children develop healthy eating habits. Instead only allow your children to eat them sometimes, so that they truly will be treats!

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Pledge to Shop Smail & Receive 25% off Tuition on Saturday 11/26/11 at Precious Treasures Childcare locations!!!

Why I'm supporting Small Business Saturday.


This holiday season, where I buy gifts is just as important as what I buy. And if I buy gifts from a local small business, I’m fueling my local economy. That’s why I’m supporting Small Business Saturday on November 26. If you think you’d like to support your local economy, go to the Small Business Saturday page on Facebook, visit the page, and find the small businesses in your area: Facebook.com/smallbusinesssaturday

Sharing Is Caring (Pardon the Interruption)

‘Tis the Season to be jolly for ALL!!!  We will be engaging in many “Adult” conversations during the holidays; sharing & updating family and friends about present and past times.  Let’s create an ongoing HAPPY atmosphere with re-directing our children’s interruptions by respecting others and waiting their turns to speak and/or participate in activities.  You can teach/share with them how to pay more attention to other people's needs, as well as their own by utilizing the following suggestions to help stop the endless interruptions.

Read about manners.  Find several books on the subject then read them together. Discuss afterwards what your child learned from the story and how they will handle a similar situation in their life the next time it occurs
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Give lessons and examples. Teach your children how to determine when interruptions are appropriate. Discuss examples of when it's OK to interrupt, such as when someone is at the door or if a sibling is hurt.

Teach proper manners.  Explain to your child how to wait for a pause in the conversation and to say, "Excuse me." Please encourage your children when they remember to do this.

Don't answer the question.  Many parents reprimand children for interrupting, but in the same breath respond to the child's interrupted request, which just reinforces the habit.

Mind your manners.  Your child is very likely to learn not to interrupt if they hear you, your spouse, or their siblings practicing good habits and respecting each other. Our actions have a strong influence on children, so be a GREAT role model and ask permission to speak before speaking, and apologize when you inadvertently interrupt.

Teach "the nice squeeze." Tell your child that if she wants something when you are talking to another adult, she should gently squeeze your arm. You will then squeeze her hand to indicate that you know she is there and will be with her in a minute. At first, respond quickly so your child can see the success of this method. Over time you can wait longer.  Just give a gentle squeeze every few minutes to remind your child that you remember the request.

Create a fun (re-direct) box. Put together a box of activities or games that can only be used when you are on the telephone, working at your desk or talking with an adult. Occasionally refill it with new things or rotate the contents. Be firm about putting them away when you are done. Your child will look forward to your next conversation, which will be interruption-free!

Plan ahead. Before you make a phone call or have a visitor, let your child know what to expect. For instance you could say, "I'm going to make a phone call. I'll be a while, so let's get your fun box ready to use while I'm on the phone."

Constantly Praise Them. Catching your child doing the right thing can be the best lesson of all. Praise your child for using good manners, for remembering to say "excuse me & thank you," and for interrupting only for a valid reason.

Small Business Saturday

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Small Business Saturday

November 26, 2011

10:00am-2:00pm

7124 E. Stetson

Scottsdale AZ

Small Business Saturday is a day to support the small businesses that fuel our economy and invigorate communities. Make the pledge to Shop Small on November 26. What businesses will you support?

In addition to supporting local business, get a one-time $25 statement credit from American Express® when you use your registered or linked American Express® Card on Small Business Saturday to make a purchase of $25 or more at a small business.

Download the in-store signage and e-marketing materials, and print the signage at your home or office.

Potty Training a Child in Daycare

If you have a child in daycare, you are likely worried about how daycare may affect the potty training process. If you manage the situation with some flexibility and consistency, you can help your child feel incredibly competent and empowered!

Daycare offers kids wonderful opportunities for socialization and peer interaction. One of the many benefits of being in a peer community at daycare is being able to model behaviors that can be hard to grasp, such as using the potty. Because of the power of the peer, it is not at all uncommon for many kids to begin to use the potty a bit more easily at daycare than at home. And it is also not uncommon for parents to feel a bit unsettled as they feel left out of the potty process. It can be difficult to jump in and pick it back up at home.

It truly does take a village to raise a child and it doesn’t matter how our kids learn to master the various life stages. There’s a reason we have children in daycare, so don’t feel guilty. Just enjoy the help and find a way to build from what your children are doing at daycare at home. In the end, daycare providers and parents should partner together to nurture kids.

So, if you are in the situation where you find your child is becoming potty trained at daycare before home, embrace it and work with the teachers to find out what is working and what isn’t. Then, try to follow a similar pattern at home. Knowing your child can use the potty, you can rest assured it will be just a matter of time before you’ll find him using it at home, too.

If potty training starts at home before daycare, simply let your child’s daycare teachers know and they’ll work with your child during the day to continue to help with the process. You can expect the process to be different at daycare than at home. The name of the game is flexibility and forging a partnership with the teachers to learn what works for your child.

What’s important is for you to make the process fun, low-pressure and to be flexible. It’s not a competition between home and daycare but a partnership between well meaning adults all trying to help a young child work toward mastering an important childhood milestone.

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How to Help Your Child Adjust to Daycare

When introducing  your children to daycare, the security and comfort they felt at home with you can be  compromised.  However, there are many ways to help your children adjust to their new surroundings.

Visit Beforehand

Visiting your child's daycare before starting can ease the entrance into unfamiliar territory. This offers the opportunity to meet your child's teacher and ask about routines and common activities. While you're in the classroom, let your child explore and observe the class and choose whether to interact with other kids. The idea is to familiarize your child with the classroom and to let him or her get comfortable.

Remain Calm

While acknowledging this important step your child is taking and providing support, too much emphasis on the change could make any anxiety worse.  Young kids can pick up on their parents' nonverbal cues. When parents feel guilty or worried about leaving their child at daycare, the kids will sense it.

The more calm and assured you are about your choice to send your child to daycare, the more confident your child will be.

The First Day

When you enter the classroom on the first day, calmly reintroduce the teacher to your child, then step back to allow the teacher to begin forming a relationship with your child.  Your endorsement of the teacher will show your child that he or she will be happy and safe in the teacher's care.

If your child clings to you or refuses to participate in the class, don't get upset — this may only upset your child more.  Say a loving goodbye to your child, but once you do, you should leave promptly.  Never sneak out.  As tempting as it may be, leaving without saying goodbye may make kids feel abandoned, whereas a long farewell scene might only serve to reinforce a child's sense that daycare is a bad place.

Transitional objects

A family picture, a special doll, or a favorite blanket — can also help comfort a child.  Also, keep in mind that most kids do well once their parents leave.

Daily Ritual

Many daycare places begin with a daily ritual, such as circle time (when teachers and children talk about what they did the day before and the activities that are ahead for the day). Children tend to respond to this kind of predictability, and following a routine will help ease the move from home to daycare.  Also, Precious Treasures request that parents help your child pack their backpack every morning before attending child care and unpack with your child daily at home while re-engaging in child's school activities.

Sleep Schedule

Another way to ease this big change in your child's life is to get him or her on an adequate sleep schedule at least several days, if not weeks, before the first time at day care.  Toddlers and preschoolers need as much as 12 hours of sleep each night, sometimes more.  Determine how much time you and your child will need to unhurriedly prepare to leave each morning, and make that your child's wake-up time. Then count backwards from that time, 12 hours, depending on your child's age and sleep pattern, and make that bedtime.  Then keep to that schedule.  A regular bedtime every night will help give a sense of security to a child in transition.

Dealing with Separation Anxiety
A child's separation anxiety can be extreme. It may last for more than two weeks. Never react to your child's anxiety with impatience or by getting upset.  Talk to your childcare provider to make sure your child's tears stop shortly after you leave.

At the End of the Day

Cuddle your baby and/or play with your children when you are home from work. Allow them time to just be with you, enjoying the parent who was missed so much during the day.

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