6 Tips To Ease Separation Anxiety In Young Children

Separation anxiety could hit a child in any stage of development is an emotionally draining experience for both the mother and the child. My observation of my friends and family has shown me 6 comforting rituals that could help ease the pain and guilt of separation anxiety.

6 tips to ease separation anxiety in children:

1) Most children feel secure when they know what to expect; establish a morning ritual of cuddling the baby, dressing him/her up, brushing teeth, having breakfast, then driving to the daycare or school and saying goodbye could help. Some daycare centers and play schools have a tradition of bye-bye window or bye-bye tower that makes separation easier. In its absence you could establish a bye-bye tradition exclusively for you and your child.

2) Children right from infancy are sensitive to a mother’s mood on separation; setting a positive tone by smiling and speaking with positive inflection while saying goodbye would make the child not wail and clutch and go off happily to play. It helps in remind the baby of the fun things he/she was going to do during the day; all this would convey a positive impression to the child that he/she would be safe and loved at the daycare.

3) Resist the temptation to not linger on longer when your child is having a hard time separating; detach yourself as soon as possible and give a smiling goodbye. Make sure you are out of sight and do not peek once you have kissed your child goodbye; this would not only help stop your child from sobbing and creating more tantrums, but would also make the separation less painful for you.

4) You could distract both small children from crying or getting upset by distracting him /her; you could point out a favorite toy or ask the teacher to take her/him to a window to see trees or birds. In the case of older children you could point out to his/her tricycle or remind her/him about the story he/she had to tell ones friend in school; a well timed distraction before the goodbye could help ease separation anxiety,

5) Some are of the opinion that it was best to sneak out when the child is not paying attention; however I would think that it could destroy the trust the child had in the mother. It may be OK to sneak out when the baby is sleeping or playing though it was always advisable to make sure he/she was not upset.

6) Lastly your kid could find it easier to get over separation anxiety if you allow her/him to carry an interesting or personal object to show the teacher in daycare; some children feel comfortable carrying a family photo or their favorite teddy. If your child is having a tough time, you could follow up the daycare with an interesting activity as a pizza night or a visit to the fire station; this would give him/her something interesting to talk about in the daycare the next day.

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