- Over half of parents DREAD the first day of nursery
- 44% of parents consider having a baby when first-born starts nursery
- 84% felt their child had GROWN UP too quickly
- Ensuring their child ‘FITS IN’ is biggest worry
With tears and clingy goodbyes guaranteed, the first day of nursery is a nerve-racking experience for both parent and child. Following Prince George’s first day at Montessori nursery this week, George at Asda has polled 1,000* Brits to reveal the top ten fears parents face on the first day of nursery, school and university.
Over half of parents polled ‘dread’ the first day of nursery, with 84% feeling that their child has grown up too quickly.
Results reveal that one in three parents (33%) feel anxious about their child finding friends when they start nursery. More than half of parents polled felt ‘overwhelmingly emotional’ when dropping their child off at the nursery gate for the first time. So much so, that 44% of parents consider having another baby when their first-born starts nursery.
Parents will even go as far as purchasing a new outfit for their little angle ahead of the big day. This week George at Asda has seen sales of navy kids jackets increase by 22%, following Prince George’s arrival at nursery in his navy padded coat.
However when it comes to the first day of school, parents admit that their biggest concern is that their child would get into trouble (43%) or fall into the wrong crowd’(36%). When the young adolescents finally reach university, parents no longer care about ‘making friends’ or ‘being bullied’, the concern shifts to ‘getting into debt’ (73%)’, ‘not eating properly’ (69%) and ‘consuming too much alcohol’ (67%).
10 MOST COMMON NURSERY PARENT FEARS
1. Not ‘fitting in’ (33%)
2. Being teased for ‘uncool’ shoes (31%)
3. Hitting another child (29%)
4. Becoming the bully (26%)
5. Not having the latest gadgets (27%)
6. Forgetting their pack-lunch (21%)
7. Peeing on the nursery floor (18%)
8. Crying all the time (13%)
9. Being the quietest in the classroom (11%)
10. Falling over in the playground (8%)
10 MOST COMMON SCHOOL PARENT FEARS
1. Getting into trouble (43%)
2. Falling into the wrong crowd (36%)
3. Not getting the right grades (31%)
4. Not being able to help with child’s homework (29%)
5. Not having the right uniform (28%)
6. Being seen as ‘uncool’ (24%)
7. Forgetting when it is ‘non-uniform day’ (23%)
8. Forgetting their PE kit (17%)
9. Dropping them off late at the school gates (13%)
10. Not having enough money for the school trip (11%)
10 MOST COMMON UNIVERSITY PARENT FEARS
1. Getting into debt (73%)
2. Not eating properly (69%)
3. Consuming too much alcohol (67%)
4. Getting arrested (55%)
5. Skipping lectures (47%)
6. Catching an STI (36%)
7. Not washing their sheets/clothes (27%)
8. Falling pregnant (21%)
9. Feeling homesick (7%)
10. Going out skimpily dressed (4%)
George at Asda stocks all the back to school and university essentials in-store and online at www.George.com