Siblings starting at different times

The infant day is shorter than the rest of the school, and the first week is often staggered on top of that, so two children in the same building can finish up to an hour apart. That's a logistics problem, not a parenting failure, and it gets a lot easier if you have the actual times in writing before September rather than a rumour from the WhatsApp group. 📱

Cover the gap

• Ask if there's an after-school club, and whether infants can go from day one.
• Ask other parents in your class group about a lift share for one of the two collections. Someone is always thinking the same thing.
• If you're using a childminder or crèche, confirm collection times in writing, including the short infant days.
• Try not to move the older child's routine to suit the younger one. They notice, and it becomes the story of the whole term.

Let the older one set the terms

We all picture the big sibling as a gentle guide at yard time. Sometimes they are, and sometimes being trailed by a small sobbing shadow in front of their friends is mortifying. Ask them straight out what they're willing to do, agree it out loud, and tell the school what you've agreed so nobody gets put on the spot.

The bit that gets missed

Second and third children often get much less of a run-up, because the school feels familiar. It's familiar to you. It is brand new to them. They still need the walk to the gate, the toilet question answered, and their own conversation about who's collecting them. 💛