Leaving your child with someone else for the first time is hard. Here's how to make it okay — for both of you.
A step-by-step guide to preparing your child, and yourself, for the transition into childcare or preschool, rooted in attachment and connection.
You have a childcare or school transition in the near future, and you’re laying in bed at night wondering, “Where do I even start?”
You are in a routine and flow with your little one at home, and now all of that has to change. Your child is so used to you, you aren’t even sure if they’ll accept care from another person. You worry about the steps to prepare, picking the perfect type of care for your child, the right words to discuss the transition with your little one, and how to say goodbye. You’ve spent way too much time worrying, when you really just want to have the tools and insight you need to be certain that you are supporting your child in the best way you possibly can.
The good news is, you don't have to figure this out alone, and you don't have to get it perfect. You just need a plan.
Imagine being able to trust that your child feels safe and prepared. Trust that you chose the best childcare option for your child and family. Trust that your new childcare provider knows how to best support your child. Trust that even with time apart, your child feels connected to you and their attachment to you is more solid than ever.
No more worrying or uncertainty, just trust.
Picture this: You confidently say goodbye to your little one as they walk into the care of another, because you know you did everything you could to ensure that they feel safe and connected to you, even while you’re away.
Nobody knows your child better than you, and that can feel both empowering, and overwhelming.
What you need isn't more Google searches or generic tips. You need a plan built around the thing that matters most: your child's attachment and sense of safety.
The tips you’ve read from Googling articles or quick Instagram posts don’t have the specific focus on the attachment relationship.
They don’t tell you how to discuss the transition with your child, even if your child is under 12 months old (yes, you can use the power of your words even with infants). They don’t give you a guide of all of the important questions to ask when choosing the best fit childcare option for your child. They don’t tell you how you can use play to help your child feel prepared and safe with the transition.
That's exactly why I created this guide. Because attachment-focused, practical preparation for this transition didn't exist anywhere else. So I built it.
Introducing
Introducing
The Childcare & Preschool Transitions Guide
A 90+ page attachment-focused guide — plus two interview guides for choosing the right childcare provider — with everything you need to prepare both you and your child.
Know exactly what to look for when choosing the right childcare setting for your specific child
Understand the phases of separation anxiety so your child's reaction doesn't catch you off guard
Prepare your child step-by-step — including how to talk about it even with infants
Know exactly what to say and do on transition day so goodbyes feel manageable
Understand how to support your child through the adjustment period without second guessing yourself
Troubleshoot challenges if the transition gets rocky
Prepare yourself — because this is hard for parents too and that deserves its own space
Instant download • 90+ pages + 2 interview guides • Created by a birth-to-5 mental health specialist
Everything you need, in the format that works for you.
90+ pages of attachment-focused guidance, plus two interview guides — one for childcare centers and one for nannies and sitters.
Plus an audio version so you can listen while you're driving, folding laundry, or doing literally anything else that doesn't involve sitting down. Because you have a little one. We know.
Childcare center interview guide AND a nanny/sitter interview guide!
From parents who've been exactly where you are:
“It is amazing! Really, truly. Just such a thorough, kind, thoughtful approach with such practical tips! Really, you should be so proud! I know it must have taken so much work at the time of your life you’re in. It’s brilliant. And incredibly helpful! My kids have been at home with me (and my mom in the afternoons) for their whole lives, so I’m trying to be so thoughtful and take time as they get ready for kindergarten and pre-k at 4 and 5. This helped so much! Xoxo.”
“Really, truly. Just such a thorough, kind, thoughtful approach."
“Thank you so so much for the incredible info you share in this space! I just bought your childcare guide and felt so much more confident when interviewing a nanny this week! Thank you!!!”
“I felt so much more confident when interviewing a nanny.”
“The transition has gone more smoothly than I ever could have imagined.”
“I wanted to send you a big thank you for the childcare transitions guide! My 15-month-old has just started 2 days a week and the transition has gone more smoothly for her AND for me than I ever could have imagined. When I thought about starting childcare my overwhelming feeling was dread. Your guide helped build my confidence in finding the right provider, preparing myself, and preparing my little one. While it was still not my ideal scenario, I felt confident knowing I was doing everything I could to support my daughter (and our family) through the transition.”
“I was so worried I was going to damage her. Your guide helped me feel less anxious.”
“Thanks so much. Just read the guide. Have done two settling visits last week as part of a three week gradual process before my 13 month old starts and found it so much harder than I thought. Your guide has helped me to feel less anxious. I was so worried that I was going to damage her and that sending her would damage her attachment. It’s a great guide and has helped my anxiety already!”
Hi, I’m Michelle
A birth-to-5 mental health specialist with a Master of Advanced Study in Infant and Family Practice and a registered Circle of Security Parenting Facilitator.
've spent my career studying how young children develop, communicate, and regulate, and translating that into something parents can actually use. I created Babies and Brains because I kept seeing the same thing: parents doing everything right but missing the developmental piece that makes their child's behavior make sense. I
'm not here to teach you THE way to parent. I'm here to help you understand your child well enough to find your own way.
Expecting a new baby and starting childcare around the same time?
Bundle and save!
Get both guides for $69 — save $14 when you buy together. Everything you need for two of the biggest transitions in your child's early years.
You’ve got questions.
I have answers.
-
This guide was created with children ages 0-6 in mind, however, the tools can still be helpful for children slightly older. You can use the tools as a foundation and modify them to fit your older child's needs!
-
This guide was created with most forms of childcare in mind, including:
-Traditional childcare center (daycare)
-Preschool
-Nanny or sitter
-Family member's care
-Home based childcare center
-
I'm a birth-to-5 mental health specialist with a Master of Advanced Study in Infant and Family Practice and a registered Circle of Security Parenting Facilitator. I spent almost a decade working in community behavioral health, supporting families and children through childcare transitions — many of whom were navigating trauma and complex attachment needs. This guide is built entirely from that experience.
-
Yes, definitely! While some of the guide is focused on some steps before the transition (like choosing a childcare setting), the insight and tools in this guide are thoughtfully put together to help you create a sense of safety and security for your child, which can be helpful at any step in a transition!
-
This guide is focused on supporting the attachment and mental health aspect of a childcare transition for little ones. I touch on my thoughts about making changes to routines at home (or not) to prepare for childcare or school, but I do not go in-depth on how to implement a sleep or feeding transition plan as my specialty is not in sleep or lactation/feeding.
-
Absolutely. i+In fact that's exactly who this guide is for. One transition done well sets the foundation for every transition that follows. And at $44 it's a fraction of what you'd spend on a single session with a child development specialist.
If you want to feel:
Less stress, more confidence.
Less stress, more confidence.
Confident that you picked the best fit childcare or preschool for your child
Certain that your child feels connect to you even while you’re away
Trust that your provider understands your child’s needs
Empowered to create a routine with rituals that work for your child
Then this guide was made for you.
Less than a single session with a child development specialist.