First Day of Daycare: Tips, Essentials & What to Expect

The first day of childcare is a huge milestone for your baby – and for you. There are new routines, emotions and challenges to face. Use this guide to help you set your child – and the rest of the family – up for success. 

Preparing Your Child Emotionally for Daycare

To help your child feel confident and secure in the new environment, you need to spend some time getting them emotionally ready. This can help ease separation anxiety as well as build resilience. Start normalising the change by talking about daycare in the weeks leading up to the first day. Discuss what happens at daycare, who will be there, what friends they might meet and where you will be – they need to know you won’t be going with them. Use a positive tone and remain upbeat about the impending change to your routines. 

Preparing for the first day

As well as chatting to your child about daycare, here are some other things that will help ease the way.

Visit the daycare centres

Most daycare centres encourage you to schedule an orientation before your child’s first day. This helps kids get a better idea of what daycare is and see some of the fun activities they’ll be doing. It also gives them a chance to meet the teachers and carers, and it will probably make you more comfortable, too. 

Practice separations 

Get your child used to being without you by leaving them with a family member or friend for a short stint. This is especially important if your child is not used to being away from you. Start with short periods of time and slowly increase it, and leave your child the same way you plan to at daycare, without any fuss. These trial runs build trust and help reduce separation anxiety – your child learns that you will always come back.

Pack the night before

Pack a schoolbag together with your child the night before their first day. This is an essential step in getting them mentally prepared – they will have an understanding of what is happening in the morning and usually a sense of excitement (particularly when they see the new bag).

Establish a routine

Have a routine for the night before daycare – pack the bag and put it by the front door, pick clothes for the next day, get ready for bed and get to sleep early. They’ll soon start to understand that on ‘school nights’, they need to go to sleep early, so they can wake up early and are raring to go.

Daycare essentials checklist: What to pack for the first day

Your daycare centre will give you more information about their specific needs but here’s a guide to what your child will need on their first day. Make sure you leave ample time to buy everything – you don’t need any stress on the first day of daycare. Make sure everything is labelled with your child’s name.

The ‘what to pack’ checklist

Here’s what to pack for daycare in Australia: 

• Spare kids clothing: Send 2-3 changes of clothes 

• Weather appropriate clothes: this might be a jumper or a rain coat

• Drink bottle: Kids need to stay well hydrated throughout the day. Make sure your label their drink bottle as well

• Sun hat: Essential for outdoor play

• A naptime comfort item: Something like a security blanket, that they use at home, can provide comfort at naptime.

• Lunchbox: Send your child with lunch and snack items, such as fruit. Remember, no nuts. 

• Fitted sheet and blanket: Some daycare centres ask you to provide these for naptime.

• Nappies, wipes and nappy cream: If your child is still in nappies, you will likely have to provide your own for the day.

• Bottle supplies: If your child still uses a bottle, you’ll need to provide this with expressed milk or formula.

Drop-Off Tips: How to Make It Easier

Your daycare skills are going to be tested on the first day. Here are some of the tips and tricks to make day one of early learning easier.

Arrive early

As a rule, it’s a good idea to arrive at the same time every day so your child gets used to the routine. For the first day though, it can be smart to get there a tad earlier in case there’s additional admin. It also gives you a chance to help quickly orientate your child.. 

Familiarise your child with the environment

If you had the chance to do an orientation visit before the first day, your child will already know the lay of the land. As you walk into daycare, remind them of things you saw, such as where the outside play area is, where their bag goes, where the bathroom is. The childcare staff will be ready and waiting but reintroduce your child to the team anyway.

Establish a goodbye routine

Start by talking about the drop off on the way to daycare. At daycare make the drop off as quick as possible – no lingering. See them safely inside, give them a hug, let them know you’ll be back in the afternoon and then be on your way. If you set up this routine from the get-go, it will quickly become standard. 

What if my child is unsettled when I leave?

This is normal and part of the process. Reassure your child, tell them you’ll be back later in the afternoon and leave. The team at the daycare centre are trained to deal with this and will redirect your child’s focus onto other daycare activities as soon as you walk out the door. 

First day feelings: what’s normal? 

All kids are different, so essentially there is no ‘normal’ daycare drop off but here are some of the things you may see: nervousness, signs of anxiety, crying and clinginess. They may not eat a lot of breakfast and they may be quiet in the car. Alternatively, they may leave you at the door without a backwards glance!

What to expect at pick up

You’re probably going to notice different emotions at pick up and at nighttime, too. Your toddler may be clingy at pick up and need extra cuddles before bed. They may also tell you they didn’t love their first day – that’s OK. It will get better. On the flipside, your child might be bursting with exciting news and eager to get back the next day. Either way, they’re guaranteed to be tired. 

After the first day

You’ve nailed day one: congratulations! There’s still a bit of work to be done, though, because having your child settled is essential for harmonious childcare and childhood education. Here’s what to expect after day one.

Keep the routine consistent

Kids respond well to routines – they help them know their place in the world. Establish your daycare routine and stick to it: do the same things the night before, turn up at the same time and leave in the same way everyday. This helps your child adjust to the new normal.

Be patient

Settling into daycare takes some kids longer than others, so be patient with your child and keep up the routine. It sounds hard – especially if your child is upset on drop off everyday – but staying the course will help them realise daycare is here to stay. Keep reassuring your child with positive reinforcement, while acknowledging this is a big change. 

If your child finds it a bit more challenging to settle, you’ll also need to be patient with friends and family, too, and get good at receiving unwanted advice. A lot of well wishers are going to give you their hints and tips. Thank them, and then stick to your routine.

Consider shorter days

If you’re concerned about your child’s ability to settle into daycare – and you have the flexibility and support to make this happen – you could start with shorter days. Build up to a whole day over time. This is a continuation of having practice separation sessions before you start daycare.

Getting back to daycare after holidays or breaks

Sometimes with childcare, it feels like two steps forward, one step back, and that can be the case with daycare. They might have settled in fine at first but after a break, they suddenly don’t want to go again. Here’s what to do. 

Refresh the routine

This may sound a little repetitive but that’s what a routine is. It’s your secret weapon in Operation: Return to Daycare. Get back to the habits you set up in the beginning, starting with packing the bag the night before. Prepare your child’s favourite lunch so they have something to look forward to and keep drop offs consistent, too.

Talk about daycare positively again

Like you did in the beginning, talk positively about daycare, and be specific – chat about the friends your child will see and the favourite activities they’ll be able to get back to. Ask them what they're looking forward to as well. 

Signs your baby is settling in to daycare

You know your child and will be able to tell when they’re OK heading off to daycare, but these are some of the signs you might see.

Happier drop offs

When your child is happy at daycare the drop offs will seem like a breeze and mornings will suddenly become more fuss free. Not every child is a lark who jumps out of bed but you should be able to see an eagerness to get to daycare. They’ll also talk about daycare with enthusiasm.

They start mimicking daycare songs or games 

This is a dead giveaway that they’re happy at daycare – they want to do the things from school at home. This might be singing songs, playing games or craft activities. They will also start telling you things other kids and the daycare staff have said. 

They bring home artwork or stories

Your child will start to volunteer stories about what happened at daycare and bring things home they’ve made like paintings and craft projects. Make sure you take the time to listen to these stories and ask questions, no matter how busy you are. This is important for their social development and reinforces the idea that daycare is fun and interesting.