I thought it would be easier to find a nursery with a no outdoor shoes policy !!

[Noshoesnursery]

Every one so far that I’ve looked at they all wear outdoor shoes inside meaning the carpets and rugs are not clean ? I thought they would be outdoor shoes off at the door for children and staff and just clean indoor shoes inside ?

is it really that unusual ? It’s a deal breaker for me but I need to find one !!

That was what was going through my head. Shoes would get lost and mixed up and it would take up so much time

No, I only ever wear comfy shoes! If I was going to put my feet up on the sofa then yes I would take my shoes off, but usually I keep them on all day. I do have some slippers but hardly ever wear them because most of my shoes are just as comfortable.

Lucky you don’t live with my DH. He goes out for a run then comes back and tracks mud all the way up to the shower. Now that does drive me mad.

So actually the answer is for children to keep a pair of outdoor shoes ( that never go on pavements) at nursery and change just on arrival and when leaving.
That could be quite practical. Though I don’t run a nursery so it remains hypothetical!

They don’t get lost. An average 18-month old knows where to put their shoes. There are names on them anyway, like on all their outdoor clothes. If you spend time in the cloakroom to practice getting dressed and put shoes on, they can soon do it themselves. Why hurry with everything?

Our nursery (over 12 years ago) had free access outside all year round, so everyone was in and out all day. There is no way you will find a nursery where they have the time and staff to change shoes many times every day.

I'd like this too but I don't think it is a UK thing.
Over time I've just accepted the shoes inside

🤣🤣🤣

I think you’ll be able to find it for baby rooms but not toddler plus. Our baby room was strictly no shoes and parents had to use covers or take shoes off for collection. Toddler room plus very different as ofsted tend to like free flow. If you’ve got kids going in and out all the time it’s just not as practical to make the distinction.

When rain comes and goes so frequently here, especially this time of year, chances are by the time they've supervised all the children collecting the right shoes, putting them on the right feed and closing them properly the rain will have started and they will have to undo it! Then the rain stops, start again, oh another rain shower. Absolute disaster.

Do you think your DC will actually become unwell from the presence of outdoor shoes inside? Or is it just that you dislike the idea because you’d prefer everything they touch to be scrupulously clean?

Both nurseries my DDs went to were indoor shoes only, I agree with you outdoor shoes inside is gross, especially in baby room

They’d apparently had an issue with hand foot and mouth a few month previously so they took it really seriously as said they had full classes (15 children per class) all off unwell

Our nursery is shoes off, all staff and kids wear slippers or crocs etc indoors in summer so I thought that was normal! Even at parents evening we all took our shoes off (I made a mental note to bring slippers to the next one!)

Mate, I get the logic. But in reality nurserys just don't do this. Look past it.

Like we'd always use water/wipes to wash mud off us but why then do we use dry loo roll after a poo. But we do.

They do this in the baby room at my DCs nursery but not the other rooms, I wouldn’t expect them to as they are all walking by then.

So are you saying they leave the doors open and the kids go in and out in full rain and rain clothes and wellies on, or how does it work when it is pouring down (or snowing) with open doors? Just curious.

They don’t need to stay inside because it’s raining - if they’ve got their stuff on to go outside and it rains, they just go outside! No need to have a change of plan.

The children in the nursery I work at aren't allowed to wear outdoor shoes in the main rooms. They might manage to run through to the toilet from outside but most are good at remembering to take them off when they go in. While playing inside they will take them off or wear slippers.

This makes no sense. Primary schools have carpet time every day - I don’t know of a single school that makes the kids take their shoes off for that. Presumably you don’t get up in arms about your older 2 sitting on the carpet at school? It’s no different to your toddler being at nursery with outdoor shoes in the room.

The average 18 month old cannot put their shoes on, nor can they read their name.

Many 18 month olds can have a good go at getting shoes or wellies on by themselves, and can learn with help and practice.

Yes, but with open doors that many seem to think is very important, how does it work with full outdoor gear on in weather like pouring rain!?

What are you on about doors open? They don't go outside when it's pouring down or snowing. Ours don't use wellies until an older age because the outdoor area for younger ones doesn't get mucky, just the material that is used. They throw on coats and go outside when the weather is any way acceptable. I just think personally the faff of taking on and off shoes, monitoring the right shoes on the right feet, closed properly, etc etc would take too long! Others have said they have seen it work in action, I don't think it would work in the nursery my DD attends.

As someone who went to school and nursery in Scandinavia where no outdoor shoes allowed indoors is the standard (often even in offices!), I feel your pain. I think the difficulty is that for fire safety reasons, everyone needs to have hard soles on at all times so in case of a fire alarm there are no delays with people putting shoes on. so the indoor shoes would have to be hard-soled slippers or shoes. It definitely complicates matters!

For everyone saying that you can't expect nursery staff to spend so much time helping kids with their shoes though - I wholeheartedly disagree. They should be doing just that and also ensuring the kids are always wearing weather-appropriate gear. I think it's utterly disgraceful that they won't do this and I chose a new nursery for my second child after being told off for sending my first child to nursery in a one-piece snowsuit as it took too long for him to put it on. They said they'd rather the kids get cold and wet bums and legs and then they change them all out of their wet clothes in one go when they come back inside. Utterly moronic.

Many can and do with just a little help, and they certainly recognise their own shoes and often their friends shoes. The name is for us if the shoe happens to end up somewhere else.