Dear nursery…..

My baby is not a baby anymore, he’s not even a toddler, he’s a little boy now and the time to start nursery is looming! It’s strange when you don’t go through the crawling, cruising, standing up, first steps stages you kinda just look one day and all of a sudden your baby is a little boy and his chubby baby face has changed into the face of a mischievous little boy! I stumble through the everyday with my little sidekick always with me but that’s about to change as he enters the world of nursery. Part of me is celebrating – this is a milestone we did not know if we would get a chance to see and yet the other part of me is filled with fear. I will probably never be ready for this giant step but my little boy is and so as I hand in the enrolment form; dear nursery, there are a few things you should know:

1) The additional needs box is too small!

I’m sorry that my little boy has a novel of additional support needs and that my writing looks scribbly trying to fit them in the box in block capitals with black ink – you see, I’m terrified I miss something out, terrified that you might not know that his head could drop and he needs help getting it back up, terrified that you won’t realise he can’t have the same crunchy snack as everyone else and that the snack he can have will need cut into minuscule pieces, terrified that you won’t lift him the way he likes, terrified that his tummy button may get pulled out as other boys & girls make friends with him, terrified that you won’t know how much cushions & rolls he needs to make him comfy and terrified that you might take your eye off him a second too long and he gets hurt! So I’m sorry for using up more space than just the allocated additional needs box.

2) Snotty noses give me the fear!

I know you will think I’m a paranoid mummy when I tell you colds & flus are life threatening for my boy. I won’t be sending him to nursery if I even detect the slightest of sniffles! You see, we’ve spent so many precious weeks in hospital fighting chest infections and I’ve seen my little warrior fight for his life too many times. I switch to high alert, crazy mama the minute I see a child with a snotty nose or a tiny tickly cough! Please don’t think I’m being over protective if I ask you to make sure you gel your hands or ask you to disinfect my sons chair and tray for the hundredth time – I’m not trying to be annoying or add to your already huge workload – I’m just trying to keep my baby safe.

3) I know you’re all trained to the highest standard….

You’ve all got qualifications, experience, skills and I know you love the kids you look after but my boy has hardly spent any time away from me and he is our little miracle – I might need you to reassure me every so often that you’ve got his care under control, I might need you just to tell me that my boy is safe and well and that he’s doing ok!

4) I know I’m asking a lot…..

I will become one of the mama’s you spend more time with than your actual families – I know my son has lots of special equipment and will need lots of additional support just to get into the nursery building, I know you will need to put extra things in place just to care for him for the few hours he is there but above all can I ask one more thing? That his time at nursery is the most fun it can be, that he will have loads of new experiences, that he will be included in every aspect of nursery life?? Every mummy wants that for their child and in that I’m no different! I know my heart will be in turmoil as I drop him off and wheel him through the doors to meet his friends and it would make me happy to know that while he is away from me for a few short hours he is having the bestest fun with all the other kids in his “different kind of normal”

So nursery, I’ll be seeing you soon for a multitude of meetings, we’re about to become very close friends but until then I’ll enjoy having my baby by my side 💙