When you’re a parent, the last thing you want to do is leave your child. But sometimes you have to—it’s a fact of life. And if you have a toddler with separation anxiety, it can be even harder.
That’s why I’ve put together this list of tips and “lifehacks” for helping your toddler deal with separation anxiety. These techniques will help both of you adjust to life as a separated family, so everyone feels more comfortable when it comes time for that first big trip away from home!
What Is Separation Anxiety For Toddlers?
Separation anxiety is when a child becomes anxious or upset when separated from their parent or caregiver. It’s normal behavior for toddlers and young children, but it can be frustrating and stressful for parents who want to leave them at daycare or school.
It causes them to feel scared and often very upset when they feel separated from their mother or caregiver. But worry no more! Below, I’m going to give you some tips on how to help your toddler with separation anxiety, while also giving you examples in order to do so.
How To Help Your Toddler With Separation Anxiety?
Teaching your toddler to deal with separation anxiety can be a long and difficult process—especially if you’ve never had to deal with it yourself. But once you get a handle on the basics of what your child needs, it’s totally doable!
Here are some techniques that have helped other parents:
Ease into new situations slowly.
The first technique on how to help a toddler with separation anxiety at school is to ease them into new situations slowly. When introducing something new (like a new daycare provider), encourage your child to meet them slowly by asking questions and showing interest in their interests.
Then slowly increase contact time until your child is comfortable with them. This will help build trust between the two of you and lead to more positive interactions overall!
Make sure your child knows that you’re coming back.
This might seem like an obvious technique on how to help a toddler with separation anxiety at daycare. But still, it’s actually one of the most important things that you can do when helping your child deal with separation anxiety.
When you drop off your child at daycare, talk to them about how much fun they’re going to have and how much they’ll learn, but also make sure they know that you’ll be back to pick them up. Say something like, “I’m going to go now, but I’ll see you later!”
Give them something to remember you by.
Try giving your toddler a toy, piece of clothing, or small memento that has your smell on it so they can use it as a reminder of you when you’re not around. This will help them feel less anxious about your absence or may make it easier for them to fall asleep without you.
You can also include pictures from home that will keep your child connected with the people they love most when they’re away from home. Make sure that whatever object you give them is something small enough not to cause any discomfort if they’re strapped in their car seat.
Teach them self-soothing techniques.
Another way to help your toddler with separation anxiety is by teaching them how to calm themselves down when they start feeling anxious or upset about being separated from their parents. This can include things like breathing exercises and visualization exercises.
Give your child a routine.
Children with separation anxiety often have difficulty coping when things don’t go according to plan—and when there’s a change in their daily routine. It’s important to create a predictable schedule for your child so that they know what to expect throughout the day.
You can do this by giving them an idea of what will happen at each stage of the day, such as morning routine (bath time), afternoon routine (playtime), and sticking to it as much as possible, so they feel safe knowing what’s coming next.
Keep it consistent.
One thing you should know on how to help toddlers with separation anxiety at night is to be consistent, especially with bedtime. If you say bedtime is 7 p.m., stick with that time every night! Your toddler will get used to the routine and know when it’s time for sleep and when it isn’t.
Toddler Anxiety Can Be Managed
So there you have it—the secret to helping your toddler with separation anxiety. If you want to be able to drop your child off at daycare without a second thought, try these techniques, and soon enough, you’ll be able to do it with ease.
Remember: every child is different, so use these techniques in conjunction with your own intuition and common sense. And if all else fails or you’re ever struggling to do something and just need some advice, we’re here for you! Good luck!
