A Guide for the First Few Weeks

The UAE’s Leading Early Childhood Centre
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“Will he be happy without me?”
“Will she actually like it there?”

Almost every parent asks some version of this in the weeks before nursery starts, usually at about 2:00AM. Here is what settling in really looks like, and what helps.

Totally normal in the first weeks

Wanting more cuddles than usual. Wanting to stay close to a familiar person. Seeming a little more tired than usual. Tears at the door.

Your child is learning new faces, new routines and a new place all at once. That takes energy, and it tends to show at home first.

Tears at the door do not usually last long. Ask us for a photo mid-morning; we would far rather send one than have you wondering.

What helps

Keep home predictable.

Same wake-up, same bedtime, same morning rhythm; ideally starting a couple of weeks before nursery does, so the routine is already familiar when the new part arrives. Pack food they already like. The first week of nursery is not the week to introduce new foods.

One goodbye, one cuddle, one wave.

Warm, brief, confident: “I love you. I’ll be back after lunch.” Then go.

It is tempting to slip away while they are busy and avoid the tears. It is worth resisting. A child who turns around and finds you gone learns that people can disappear without warning. A short, calm goodbye teaches the opposite: that goodbyes are small, and that you always come back.

Your heart may be racing while you do it. That is allowed.