2 year old starting nursery - worried 😟

[Littlepeax]

Hi everyone,

I'm not sure if this is the correct group for this post so please let me know it if isn't.

My 2 year old is due to start nursery this week and I'm so nervous about leaving him. He is def ready, confident happy boy who has alot of energy. I've looked at alot of nurseries and found one I like more than others. But my worries are about his safety. They have volunteers helping which I'm not sure how I feel about them being there, especially if they change his nappy. I don't feel comfortable with anyone changing him apart from parents/grandparents. I don't want them to take him out on day trips, I want then to watch him properly when playing outside in their garden. Are these normal worries or am I overthinking? I have spoken to the nursery about some things but would I be unreasonable to say about the nappy changing thing? All I care about is his safety. I don't wanna seem crazy to them lol. You are literally trusting people you dont know with your world. What if he gets out of the garden gate 😭 help

[Twiglet2]

I left mine at nursery for the first time when he was just shy of 1 and del all kinds of nerves but they did some ‘settling in’ sessions where I could stay in for an hour or 2 in another room in case he needed me (he didn’t) he’s 3.5 now and it’s the best thing for him we are so so pleased with how he’s come on going there. The nappy thing I didn’t even think about to be honest, people working in nurseries are very well vetted (whether paid or volunteers) but they did help A LOT when it came to potty training as did seeing all the other kids go to the toilet etc. ours has a large garden that they play in constantly (even the other day at -6) it’s so good for them to get out and about and our nursery says if they are not well enough to go outside then they aren’t well enough for nursery that day (they have a policy to get as much outside time for the kids as possible no matter the season) sure sometimes there are bumps and scrapes but their independent play with others is so so important. I had a parent ‘visit’ last year where we could go in and see what they did for a couple of hours and I watched my little boy at snack time go wash his own hands, get his own plate, sit down at the table and pour his own milk, select his own fruit from the tray and then when he was finished put his rubbish in the bin and his plate in the wee sink! All of which I would have done FOR him at home and it made my realise how amazing it is to have the nursery setting where they dont hover over them 1:1 (like I do!) and how I should give him more space to do his own thing at home too (and how he takes the Mickey out of me 🤭🤣)

I guess what I’m saying is it’s all normal feelings to have but that it sounds like you’ve did your research and picked a great nursery so I would just trust them and ask them for updates through the day if they have an image upload portal to help you feel less worried but you will get there it’s probably harder for us than them!! Xx

[Littlepeax in reply to Twiglet2]

Ahh haha thanks so much for your kind message Twiglet explaining. So kind and helpful. I know it will be so good for him, he's so ready and will love it! Xx

[elamela]

Hi, I understand your worries, I had and still have the same with my 2 years old after half a year in nursery. I am not sure what you want to say to them about nappies? Surely the nursery staff knows how to change them? Also, it is good time to start potty/toilet training if you haven't started yet, so the problem of nappies will be solved. As for going for day trips you should be able to opt out from them if you are worried now and then change when your child is older.

Not sure if it helps, but I think we need to try to think positive even if it's difficult. You will see if your little one is happy with the nursery, as it is most important.

[Littlepeax in reply to elamela]

Thank you for your message. And you're right. I appreciate it xxx

[Seb9]

I would speak to the nursery manager about your concerns, volunteers shouldn't be changing nappies or be considered in the ratio of adult to children, they should only be there to provide extra support. All volunteers should also have completed their DBS checks and completed safeguarding training. If you have concerns a good manager will happily go through all of your concerns and worries. The manager should be able to provide you with all their safe guarding policies and health and safety policies.

If they take him on any trips again, they need to have a ratio of trained nursery staff, with volunteers as extras only. They should also be able to provide you their risk assessments for going off site and how they manage the risks.

I'm the chair of my daughters pre-school and I work in Health and safety, so I'm a stickler for us having our policies and procedures in place to safeguard the children in our care.

[Littlepeax in reply to Seb9]

Ahh amazing thanks so much for letting me know this. Really appreciate it. I feel like I over think things sometimes but you do hear things that make you worry. As long as he's safe and happy ♥️

[Millbanks]

hello lovely,

So nice to see your name pop up! Hope you're well!

I totally get your worries - our babies were hard fought for and it's hard to relinquish control when you feel like that.

However I would say that nursery has been the best experience for my little boy. He started at 11 months old and has flourished. The socialisation is really important at this age and also preparing them for school eventually.

All the staff should be DBS checked if they are working with children so there shouldn't be any issues there. I get what your saying about changing nappies but what would the alternative be? Would you have to go there yourself every time he needs a change? I never felt weird about it and as you get to know the staff you might feel the same?

Its completely normal to feel freaked out about it - he's been with you for 2 years!! But I'm sure once he's settled there you'll feel fine about it all xx