Home / Starting nursery
Starting nursery: a checklist for parents in Ongar
What to do and when, from six weeks before the start date to the end of the first week.
The weeks before a child starts nursery are busier than most parents expect: forms to return, a bag to pack, a routine to shift and a first morning to get through. This starting nursery checklist sets out what to do and when, from six weeks before the start date to the end of the first week.
The short version
- Start the paperwork and the funding application six weeks out. Eligibility codes are not instant.
- Shift bedtime and practise the journey a fortnight before, at the time of day you will actually travel.
- Take every settling-in session you are offered. Nothing else on this list matters as much.
- Expect two to three weeks of tiredness and broken sleep. Judge the week on day four, not day one.
Six to four weeks before
Four to six weeks before: the admin
- Confirm the start date and the room. Children are grouped by age, so check which room your child joins and who leads it. At Puzzlez Playschool, babies from six months are in the Bambi Room, two to three year olds in the Peter Pan Room, and three to five year olds in the preschool Lion King Room.
- Return the registration pack, covering emergency contacts, who may collect your child, photo consent, dietary requirements and medical history.
- Apply for funded hours if you qualify. Eligibility codes are not instant, and the nursery needs yours before a funded place can start. Apply well ahead, and ask which funded hours the nursery offers.
- Check immunisations are up to date against the NHS routine vaccination schedule. Nurseries ask for this on the health form.
- Write down allergies, intolerances and medication, and ask how each is managed: who administers it, where it is stored, how it is recorded.
- Read the Ofsted report. You can look up any registered nursery's inspection report by name. It records what inspectors saw, not what a prospectus claims.
Two weeks before
Two weeks before: shift the routine
- Move bedtime and wake-up closer to what nursery mornings will need. A 7am start is far easier if it has been the norm for a fortnight.
- Practise the journey at the real time of day. Ongar's High Street is busiest around school drop-off, so a dry run at 8am tells you more than one at 11am.
- Talk about nursery in concrete terms: the room's name, the key person's name, what happens after lunch. Specifics are easier for a young child to hold on to than reassurance.
- Label everything, bottles, comforters and wellies included.
What to pack
Keep the bag light and predictable
- Two full changes of clothes, more for babies
- Nappies, wipes and barrier cream if not yet toilet trained
- A comforter or familiar soft toy for sleep
- Sun hat and sun cream, or coat, hat and gloves in winter
- A labelled water bottle
Check whether meals are included before you pack food. At Puzzlez, every meal is freshly prepared on site, with allergies, intolerances and cultural preferences catered for.
Use every settling-in session you are offered
Settling-in sessions are short visits before the official start date, usually with a parent staying at first and then stepping out. They let your child meet their key person (the named practitioner responsible for their care and development) in a calm room rather than on a busy first morning.
If you do one thing on this list, do this one. Ask how many settling-in sessions are included and whether you can book extra. They cost nothing and they make more difference to the first week than anything else you can prepare.
The first week
The first week
- Keep drop-offs short. A long goodbye extends the distress rather than easing it.
- Expect tiredness, broken sleep and a bigger appetite. This usually settles within two to three weeks.
- Ask for the daily feedback on sleeps, meals, nappies and activities, and read it.
- Don't judge the week on day one; day four is a better indicator.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take a child to settle into nursery?
Most children settle within two to four weeks, though babies under one often adjust faster than two year olds. Crying at drop-off but settling within ten minutes is a normal pattern, not a sign the placement is wrong. Ask staff what your child does after you leave.
What should my child be able to do before starting nursery?
Nothing specific. Nurseries do not expect children to be toilet trained, feed themselves neatly or separate easily. Tell staff what your child can and cannot manage, so they can support it rather than discover it.
What will my child actually do all day?
Registered early years settings in England follow the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) statutory framework, which sets the standards for learning, development and care from birth to five. In practice that means planned play, outdoor time, meals, rest and adult-led activities.
What happens if my child is ill in the first week?
Keep them at home and tell the nursery why. Every setting has an illness and exclusion policy setting out how long children must stay away after sickness, diarrhoea or an infection. Ask for a copy before you start.
Read next
Ready to look round?
The best preparation of all is a visit during a normal session, when the rooms are busy and you can see how staff talk to the children.
- High Street, Chipping Ongar, Essex CM5 9AA
- Open Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm
- Children aged six months to five years
