A nursery worker has revealed the most annoying habits that parents do when dropping off their little ones at nursery. For any parent, this time can be a challenge as getting them through the front door to the nursery gates can feel like a marathon in itself, but one woman has argued that parents can do some irritating things when dropping them off.
Sharon Birch, the owner and founder of Footprints Learning for Life nursery in Hartlepool said: "Nursery staff look after your children and know them well. Some children spend more time at nursery than at home, depending on circumstances."
But while the staff are on hand to help the children, Sharon says there are some things that parents could do differently to make the transition to nursery easier for the kids and take some of the strain off the staff.
So from wearing pyjamas to gossiping by the gates, the nursery owner has revealed the pick of some parental habits for nursery drop off.
To start with, Sharon is pleading with parents to make sure their kids are not in pyjamas for their time in nursery. She understands that circumstances can be different but says not being dressed does nothing for self esteem.
But this is not just directed at the kids as Sharon has seen parents come to drop off in nightwear and suggests more organisation is needed.
Next up, Sharon states that parents should pack some spare clothes for their kids as nursery can be a messy place where different activities might attract mess. As a result, more clothes would be of much more help.
She said: "Please don’t forget comforters like dummies and blankies, those important things that help soothe your child, especially at sleep time."
Thirdly, Sharon feels you should leave right away after dropping kids off as this should help with their anxiety but says too many parents linger too much which makes things more difficult.
Similarly, it is important not to stay and chat or gossip with friends for too long as this can be a distraction for the kids making the job of the staff more of a challenge as well.
On the flip side to that, try not to sneak out once you have dropped off your child as when they look back and do not see you, their nerves could be reinforced, Sharon continued.
Sharon also says it can be a pain when parents do not check their child's bag before nursery as there might be a spillage or spare clothes in there from the day before, or worse.
She stated: "One baby’s bag had a used condom in it! Not a pleasant find for the nursery nurse mooching for a clean nappy."
She also feels it is very annoying when parents do not inform the nursery that the child is ill and will not be coming in for the day. She said: "We understand parents have busy schedules, but it’s important to let us know if your child has been out of sorts."
Additionally, it is important for staff to know who is picking the child up. If they do not recognise or might not have been told about a change in plan, that could make things scary for the child and inconvenient to the staff who might have to try contact somebody.
Moreover, she says that bribing kids and giving them sweets is not a good start to the kid's day so they should not be used to get kids to go to nursery.
Finally, she says that being late can be one of the most annoying habits for parents dropping off their kids as it can mess up their daily routine to start things a bit later. If you are going to be late, make sure to let them know.
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