Little Steps, Big Feelings
The starting nursery plan nobody hands you
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What you get
- 64 pages, 8 sections, 24 cut out cards
- A4 and US Letter, both included
- Full color and ink friendly, both included
- Printable and fillable PDF, 815 typing fields
- Instant digital download, no physical item
Starting daycare planner printable, for the parent who was handed a form, a peg and a start date and nothing else.
Separation anxiety in a toddler is not a problem to fix. It is the part of starting nursery that nobody writes down, so this is the pack that writes it down.
The hardest 90 seconds of the day happen at the door. Decide them on a calm evening instead of in a doorway at 8 in the morning.
Little Steps, Big Feelings is a starting daycare and nursery settling in kit: 16 questions for the visit, a goodbye plan, 4 weeks of trackers, a toddler lunchbox section and 24 cut out cards. Printable and fillable, A4 and US Letter.
What's inside
64 pages, in 8 sections, in the order the first term actually happens.
- Get ready · what to look for on the visit, 16 questions with a line each, the paperwork and the daily bag
- Practice · practicing the morning and being apart, 16 sentences to borrow word for word, and building your goodbye ritual
- Say goodbye · what to do and what to skip at drop off, what it means if they cry, what it means if they do not, and your drop off plan
- Settle in · a line a day for 4 weeks, naps and bugs and the wobble weeks, and 16 questions for the first review
- Track the days · food, naps and diapers week by week, then 20 days of circles. No scores anywhere and nothing that counts up
- Feed them · the lunchbox formula, 30 toddler lunchbox ideas, snacks that survive a bag, and breakfast before nursery
- Share what helps · 4 pages built to be handed to the room, from all about my child to what helps and what hurts
- Look after you · how you might feel, what people will say, and a plan for your own first morning
The 24 cut out cards
4 sheets at the back, filed by where the card ends up rather than by what is on it.
- Cards for the door · for your coat pocket in the first 2 weeks
- Cards for their bag · for a pocket or the side of a lunch box
- Cards for the fridge · at eye level, for the mornings that do not go smoothly
- Notes to hand over · small enough to read in a busy room
12 of the 24 are blank on purpose, because the sentence that works for your child is yours and not ours.
One gentle step at a time
Starting nursery is a big thing, and nobody hands the grown up a settling in plan. Print the questions page before the visit, cut the door cards before the first morning, and read the last section on the way home.
Every page is neurodivergent friendly by default: short lines, nothing to keep up with, and nothing that counts.
Soft systems for loud minds.
Good to know
How do I get my files?
Your download links appear on the order confirmation page the moment payment goes through, and they arrive by email too. Nothing is shipped.
What's included?
Every planner comes in US Letter and A4, in full color and in an ink friendly version, plus a fillable PDF you can type into. Bundles arrive as one zip file with every planner inside.
Can I fill it in on a tablet or computer?
Yes. Open the fillable PDF in a free PDF app, such as Adobe Acrobat Reader, and type straight onto the pages on a laptop, tablet or phone. You can also print any page and write by hand.
Can I print it more than once?
Yes. Print the pages you need, as often as your household needs them. The files are for personal use, so please do not share or resell them.
The small print
This is a digital download, so nothing is posted and nothing is shipped. Files are ready the moment payment clears and stay in your account forever. For personal use only, please: these files may not be resold or redistributed. Colors can look a little different on screen and in print. Made by a parent, not a doctor or a lawyer, so this is not medical, psychological or legal advice. It is somewhere to put your own thinking.
Digital files cannot be returned once they are downloaded, so we try to be generous before you buy: full page counts, real page close ups, and honest listings. If a file is broken or wrong, email us and we will make it right.
