Settling-in
Also called settling in, settling-in sessions, settle sessions, settling sessions, settling-in period
Settling-in is the first few short visits when a baby or toddler starts nursery or a childminder, with a parent staying at first and leaving for longer each time. It gives the child time to get used to the place and the new people.
How it's said
I'm a childminder, and for my first settling-in session I just invite parent and child to come and play for an hour or so.
When we looked around the nursery, they told us there were two settling sessions, which didn't feel like a lot.
My 1-year-old has 2 settle sessions at nursery this week, one today and one tomorrow.
Who says it
Where it came from
UK council guidance says a child at a nursery or preschool should have a named key person, who is responsible for helping them settle and plans with parents how to do it gently. That usually means a parent stays for a while at first and leaves the child for short periods to begin with.
Cutiko lets you mark nursery days in your baby's story, settling-in days included. See the baby tracker