Nursery staffs older children playing with my 14 month old

Then I guess if the OP is that uncomfortable about it they need to find another nursery. She should also report them for breaking the rules, the rules enforced to ensure the age appropriate safety of all children attending, they cannot bend safeguarding rules.

Then I guess if the OP is that uncomfortable about it they need to find another nursery.

Their OP explains why the staff would have these older children there, and I agree with the above post that even if the staff aren't paying, it is perhaps a perk of the job and ensured a happy and consistent workforce.

A childminder would look after them all together!

"and I'm assuming the staff's primary age children are not included in the nursery numbers"
Well that's a big assumption!

I work in a school but still have to pay when my children go to breakfast or after-school club.
Paying or not, babies, toddlers and breakfast club children are separated.

Also if it is a free perk for the staff it probably means that the nursery avoids the high turnover and constant recruitment that costs many nurseries a lot of money. In any case, if this is part of their model then OP's choice is to accept that or move to another nursery. There seems to be a real overestimate from some on this thread of the extent to which a parent can just demand a nursery change what they're doing. Nurseries normally have long waiting lists, especially for the younger ages. They aren't going to change their staff's working and childcare arrangements because OP feels funny about it.

How do we know they don't pay something towards having their child there?
I work in a school but still have to pay when my children go to breakfast or after-school club.

I said in my post I don't think he should be feeding her.

According to the staff he is cute and funny and likes your baby, as many older children do.
Well they aren't going to say, colleagues child is a brat, even if he was.
He should be told NO.

Our wonderful, brilliant nursery – I will genuinely weep when DS graduates – allows staff children in like this and it’s great: makes life miles easier for staff, so they can have their kids in with them during half term for instance rather than booking that time off. So my kids have their regular key workers not substitutes. Lots of familiar faces and when my DC started school they recognised nursery workers’ children from seeing them at nursery. The nursery is really embedded in the community, not just a money/childcare exchange – staff stop in the street or park to ask after graduated DC, they welcome back older DC accompanying their parents in picking up younger siblings and will let them use the loo or have a drink of water or offer leftover snacks from nursery tea – it’s really give and take, makes for a lovely atmosphere, and it has never occurred to me for an instant that it should be anything other than this.

How lucky your baby is to have a supervised older child play with her!

OP hasn’t met the 7 year old.

Not every child under the age of 8 is an angel.

Some are sly, some are aggressive, some are obsessive, it shouldn't be happening, the age ratio is there for a reason.

Breakfast club children should never mix with woddler / toddler / or preschool children in a professional childcare environment.

She gets an additional freebie. Lucky her.

Such a shame that you feel like this. What has happened to the world when people are uncomfortable and suspicious of a 7yo showing a caring side?

Is the 7 year there officially eg breakfast club before school / holiday club? I'd be grateful worried about ratios if not.

Surely PPs would feel differently if a surgeon brought their 7 year old to work and let them have a root around their innards? I mean, he's just a little boy who loves playing with scalpels?

In what way are the two scenarios even vaguely similar?!

I have no idea who it is,

He is the nursery workers 7 year old child.

what he's like

According to the staff he is cute and funny and likes your baby, as many older children do.

and what they do together.

They play and he helps with her breakfast

You say that he is supervised throughout the time.

What actual concerns do you have?

This would bother me too. This isn't a childminding setting where you expect a range of ages and the childminders own children to be involved. It's a nursery with rooms dedicated to defined ages.

You didn't sign up for this.

Except that someone is a child. She (or the funding) doesn't pay for 1:1 playtime with a 7 year old.

The short time he's playing with her before school will be more attention for her, not less. The rest of the day she'll be getting at best 1/3 of an adults attention. Someone talking and playing with her 1:1 is probably the best part of the baby's day.

I would be just as concerned as you are OP.

There is a big difference between a five year old and an eleven year old interacting in the school playground and a seven year old taking care of physical needs (feeding) a fourteen month old.

To be honest yes it's cute and funny a couple of times but when you're presumably paying through the nose for your child to attend nursery then I wouldn't expect this to continue.

I don't think he should really be feeding her (the staff should do that) but as for being around and playing with her, honestly, what is the actual problem? When she goes to school there will be older children around her all the time that she will interact with and you won't have a clue what goes on between them.

I'd be ok with him being there, but feeding your baby, no I wouldn't , don't think a child of 7 should be feeding a baby that is an adults job, which is what your paying for.

It sounds reasonable that the staff have children with them until the school next door opens and I imagine this is included in their ratios.

So you are saying OP is paying for the additional staff required to maintain ratios? Paying towards this child’s wrap around care as the nursery are having to operate with spaces or additional members of staff to look after this seven year old?