Starting a daycare is often a delicate stage to experience, both for the baby and for the parents. It can be synonymous with anxiety because the mother often has to separate from her baby for the first time, but the closer you get to the end of your maternity leave, the more you have to get used to the idea that daycare is a mandatory step. For this transition to go smoothly, adaptation is an essential step, for you and your child, but also for the daycare team. You will thus be able to approach this new stage in a more serene way.
What does adaptation mean and how is it implemented?
The adaptation allows everyone to get to know each other better, and to promote a smooth separation with your child. In general, the adaptation period begins with a discovery of the reception areas in order to familiarize the child with their new environment. The aim of this visit is to reassure the child, so that they will have an easier time evolving in the nursery when they are no longer in the presence of their father or mother. During these moments, it is a question of giving them as many points of reference as possible. Note that all the spaces are designed and adapted to the size of the child so that they can flourish in good conditions. During the visit, you will also be able to discover the professional practices within a nursery, the educational project of the establishment, the organization of the days, but also to meet the people who will accompany your child throughout their stay in the nursery. It is also an opportunity for you, parents, to ask all your questions.
Adaptation for the parent(s)
Adaptation is not only done for the baby, but also for your well-being, parents. Clarification although despite the fact that adaptation is generally carried out by the mother, the father can completely manage this adaptation, the best being for the child to alternate between the two parents. This is a step that aims to reassure you, and which allows you to discover the framework in which your child will evolve, that is to say the place, his referent, the other children… This moment of exchange and observation is the opportunity for you to inform the person who will be responsible for your child of his habits.
This involves first explaining their sleep ritual, in other words their schedule, the usual length of their naps, the signs that show that the child is tired and needs sleep... Then secondly their motor development, what the child does when they are awake, what toys they play with... And finally their sensitivity, that is to say whether they cry easily or often, what to do to calm them down, what to do to please them, but also knowing what can scare them...
We advise you, if possible, to adapt your child to the nursery before returning to work. It is true that this will encroach on the end of your maternity leave, but you will be able to avoid being constrained by your professional obligations. It is imperative that you make this separation positive, because it is a sign that your baby is growing and this is beneficial for you. You can therefore take advantage of this time to return to your life as a working woman and/or just a woman. In order for your child to feel comfortable in the nursery, you can also take care to prepare his or her things (comforter, pacifier, bib, etc.). Children are very sensitive to the intonation of your voice, which is why we advise you to explain to him or her in a reassuring way that he or she will be entrusted to someone other than you. Finally, it is important to reassure him when you leave the nursery so that he does not feel disoriented once you have left, as this can be a source of anxiety for him.
Adaptation for the child
For the child, adaptation helps him accept his new environment and the discovery of a new lifestyle with other actors, without his mother. It allows him to discover and become familiar with an environment that he does not know, that is to say the place, the adults and the other children, the new smells and new noises… He learns during this period to gradually trust his future referent, and gradually begins to accept the separation from his parents. It is also at this time that he creates landmarks, in space by being installed in the same place with the same games, and in time by going to eat and do activities at the same time of day.
Adaptation for professionals
For professionals, the adaptation will allow them to collect all the information (rituals and habits) that will then allow them to meet the baby's needs. It is also the time for the child's referent to discover the child of course, but also his parents and his history. The referent can thus understand how the parents provide care to their child, in order to then reproduce them correctly. The objective is to establish a bond between the child and the referent. Thanks to all this, the referent will be able to teach other professionals about the baby's needs.
The course of adaptation to the nursery
No two adaptations will be the same, it depends on the daycare, but the familiarization time remains roughly the same. In order for this new stage to be done in a positive way, the adaptation is carried out over two weeks, gradually. The idea is to leave your child a little longer each day, then you gradually reduce your presence at his side. For example, you can go with him the first day for an hour, then an hour and a half the second day, then two hours the third day, including half an hour where you are not there, etc. The goal is that by the end of the second week, your child stays at the daycare as long as possible without you being there. Note that it is important to organize this adaptation according to your availability and your emotions. Finally, if you breastfeed your child, you must remember to take time at home to express your milk for the next day, but this requires organization and can be tiring for the mother. You can, however, maintain a morning and evening feed even though your child takes a bottle of industrial air and a puree/compote at the nursery during the day.
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