13 mo and being away from parents

[thedenverduo]

So ds is 13 months old, and at the stage where I am considering putting him in the nursery during church. Up to this point he has just stayed with us and nursed or played/snacked quietly. But now he is walking a super mobile and just WILL NOT sit still for that long. Which is fine... I don't expect him to sit through the service, but now I am ending up walking up and down hallways with him instead of being a part of the service. Dh is great about trading off with me, but I'm wondering how he would do in the nursery? The nursery has kids similar in age to him, lots of great toys, and 4 adults at all times. There are usually anywhere from 4- 8 toddlers in there.

Is he too young? How would you go about transitioning him to being comfortable in the nursery? I feel like he is going to freak out if I leave him in there with people he doesn't know. Should I stay in there with him the whole time at first? Leave and then check back in 5 mins to see if he is still having a hard time? Advice please!

[claras_mom]

I'd just see how it goes. The nursery may have a pager (ours claims to ) or you can let them know where you'll be sitting.

Dd1 took awhile to warm up to the nursery at church. One of us would stay with her sometimes--just for "awhile" but then end up missing the service. Dd2 does fine so long as her sister is there. And while dd1 is a bit old for the nursery, there are so few kids her age there that regular Sunday School is pretty hit and miss. : We've told her the time will come for a different class....maybe this fall.

[just_lily]

We started attending our church when DD was 14mo, and she has always gone to and LOVES the nursery. Now that she is 2yo she goes to the preschool room and loves it even more.

Does your church have a children's pastor or something similiar? I would call them up and ask all of your questions.

I have volunteered in our nursery as well, and it was very common for parents to stay for 5 minutes, 10 minutes, or even all of service. You want it to be a positive experience for your daughter, so really follow her lead. My kid has always been like "later mom!!" and off having fun. Now I can barely get her to kiss me goodbye.

We also have a pager system where every family is assigned a number and there is a little display in the front of the sanctuary. I have only been paged for DD once, when she pooped and I hadn't left my diaper bag. Some families get paged nearly every week. Our children's pastor tells all of the volunteers to not try to be heroes - if a kid gets upset try for a minute or two to distract them, but if they won't settle to page mom and dad. So when you leave her you can ask the volunteers to get you right away if your DD gets upset.

[pbjmama]

Find out who is in charge and ask them what the policies are for your church. They should have something written out that includes how people who work in the nursery are screened, snacks, pick up and drop off, etc. You could also volunteer to help to see what goes on in the class. At 13 months your child may have some anxiety, normal and fine. My advice would be to get there early to familiarize her. She may surprise you and transition easily or it may take awhile. She will pick up on any anxiety you have so try to relax. If you choose to check back then make sure she doesn't see you. Good luck!

[Abraisme]

If your DS will be happy there, I think it's perfectly fine to put a 13mo in a nursery for an hour or two a week.. Try it and see how it goes!