Creative Ideas For Easing Separation Anxiety
By Nicole Brekelbaum, Fri Dec 9th

Does your child exhibit separation anxiety at daycare/preschooldrop-off? Do you spend more than 15 minutes struggling to calmyour child's fears? You are not alone. All parents at one timeor another have experienced guilt, fear and remorse at the verythought of leaving their hysterical child in the arms of anon-relative.

Separation anxiety affects both parents and children. Childrendisplay their discontent and fears by throwing temper tantrums,clinging onto parents for long periods and ignoring attempts bytheir daycare/preschool provider to calm their fears. Parentsdisplay separation anxiety by hesitating to exit the facility,even going so far as to perform disappearing acts when theirchild is not looking.

To help ease separation anxiety, change must start with theparents. Parents must first calm their own fears andinsecurities. When children see parents more relaxed andconfident at drop-off they begin to slowly warm up to their newcare provider and adjust to their new setting. Here are somehelpful ideas for parents to help ease separation anxiety withtheir children.

Temporary Tattoos

Visit your local grocery store and ask your children to choose atemporary tattoo of their favorite cartoon character. Atbedtime, discuss going to daycare/preschool and offer to placethe tattoo on their hand as a special reminder that you arealways with them. Remind them at drop-off that when they look atthe tattoo that it's a sign of how much you love them and apromise that you'll be picking them up after work or at the endof the school day.

Popsicle Treats

Popsicles, especially on hot days, are not only a great treatfor kids, but a creative way to make separation tears go away.First, purchase a box with a variety of primary and secondarycolors. Use the popsicles to teach him/her about differentcolors. At daycare/preschool drop-off ask your children whichcolor they would like to have at the end of the day. When theygive their answer, follow-up by asking them to think about thethe flavor associated with that color while you're away.Reassure them that you can't wait to hear their thoughts aboutthe flavor.

Surprise Boxes

Keep surprise boxes in your vehicle. Explain to your childrenthat they may open the surprise box if they're good throughoutthe week. The surprise box may contain baby photos of yourchild, their favorite storybook, a favorite snack and/or asimple craft item that can quickly be put together.

Healthy Snacks

Visit your local grocery store with your children and ask themto choose a variety of healthy kid snacks to pack fordaycare/preschool. Many kids, who are adjusting todaycare/preschool, need something familiar to hold onto as theytry to feel secure and comfortable being away from theirparents. If your daycare/preschool provider prepares meals,gradually reduce the number of snacks in your child's lunch boxuntil he starts eating foods prepared by the provider.

Bedtime Stories

Visit your local library and borrow books that focus on childrengoing to daycare/preschool. Read these books at bedtime. Fromthe pictures in the storybook, your child will see otherchildren going to daycare/preschool and will understand thatthey are not the only one experiencing separation anxiety.Always be sure to ask about their day and try to determine ifthey are adjusting slowly or not adjusting at all. After a weekor two, most children adjust nicely to new daycare/preschoolsettings. For some

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children it may take longer.

If you suspect that your child is still not adjusting, try todrop by the daycare/preschool unannounced to see if they'reinteracting with other kids. You should also look at theinteraction with the daycare/preschool provider, and observe thetypes of activities your child is involved in. If you haveconcerns, discuss them with your care provider and allow timefor adjustment. If there is no change after about a week or twoyou may want to try looking into other child care options, whichmay be better suited to your child.

About the author:Nicole Brekelbaum is a published author, the director of Young Achievers Inc.in Pflugerville, Texas, and founder of Pflugerville ChildcareOnline. Visit her company's website athttp://www.youngachieversinc.com.