Daycare anxiety doesn’t last forever, but it’s rough on both children and parents. When it’s time to drop your child off at the daycare center for the first time, it’s normal for there to be reluctance and some tears — but what can you do to ease their mind?

Mendon Child Care Center in Monroe County, NY, recommends gradually transitioning your child into the idea of attending a daycare center and sweetening your goodbyes with the following tips:

• Plan a Daycare Center Tour: Before the big day, explore the facility with your child. Mendon Child Care Center is glad to organize a small tour. You’ll meet the teachers, explore the space, and check out the toys as a family. Have a conversation with the staff, who can share their own personal advice about daycare anxiety.

• Provide a Comfort Object: Bringing something from home, such as a stuffed animal, handkerchief, or a toy, may ease your child’s anxiety. Familiar scents are comforting for people of all ages, so it may help if the object smells like your usual soap, lotion, or perfume.

• Say You’ll Be Back: When you take your child to the daycare center, don’t “disappear” when they’re distracted — say goodbye with warmth and affection and, most importantly, tell them you’re coming back. Saying goodbye may be difficult, but it’s important to be honest and make it clear that you will be returning.

• Leave Them With a Creative Goal: If your child is nervous about staying at a daycare center, tell them to draw you a picture or write you a story by the time you get back. For older children, busying themselves in a creative project like this could be exciting and distract them from their daycare anxiety.

Want to talk to a professional about childcare anxiety? The friendly and compassionate staff at Mendon Child Care Center will help you and your child with the transition. Give them a call at (585) 624-2337 to schedule a tour of their daycare center, or visit their website for more information about their preschool and school-age programs.