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| Returning to Work Both you and your baby may need time to adjust to childcare. You may find leaving your baby with someone else very hard at first. Follow my guide to making the change as smooth as possible. Make it gradual In order to make the retuen as stress-free as possible for both of you, try to take a couple of days holiday during the first week or go back for half days. This is for you as much as your baby, as you are likely to be tired and all the planning and packing of changing bags will probably take longer at first. Go easy on yourself, adapt gradually and you'll feel happier. Practical measures to get back into your stride Do a dummy run into work before you back in. Get up for a normal working day and get yourself and your baby ready. Aim to travel through the rush hour so that you can see how the busy traffic is. You may be taking a different route now, so it will help to check out traffic conditions. Start getting prepared for your return to work. What will you wear? Have a look at your work clothes and make sure they are all ready for you. Warn your collegues that you may be arriving late and leaving early for a little while. It may not happen but at least people will have been prepared for it. Emotional support Talking and being heard is the best form of emotional support you can have. Talk to your partner about how you are feeling, they may be feeling anxious in their new role too so be sure to give them an opportunity to have their say. Don't forget to share the responsibility if you can. Remember, children in high quality childcare are as successful, happy and rounded as other children. You will probably take longer to adjust to childcare than your baby does. Settling in Your baby will need to develop a strong relationship with their new carer, don't worry, that doesn't mean that they'll love you any less. You can make it easier for them and the best way to do that is to give them the chance to settle in gradually. Visit your nursery or childminder several times before you go back to work. Stay with your baby for the first time. The next time you go, you stay for a while, then leave for about an hour. Later on, you will be able to leave for a couple of hours and then a whole session. You can do the same sort of thing at home if you are employing a nanny. |
