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 !!

I don’t understand.. why do they need to have outdoor shoes on in case of fire? Or any shoes at all? If there’s a fire, I would imagine that’s the least of their worries to have shoes on.

Have you ever heard of forest nursery? The kids are out 365 days a year, rain or shine. There is no inside apart from the toilets. They play all day, all year round, on the dirt that gets stuck on the outdoor shoes that you’re worried about.
Guess which kids get poorly the least?

Well, because we have regular fire alarms, and have to get them out of the building and to a rendezvous point in under a minute. Would be impossible if they all had their shoes off...

We practise this several times a year, set the fire alarm off and out they go on their socks (they love it!). We have a backpack by the door, with a blanket etc if there is snow on the ground or it’s wet.

Also most kids have those socks with rubber dots underneath so they don’t slip. It works well.

It’s not impossible at all? We do it often.

God help you when you realise they are putting toys in their mouths also mouthed by other kids and eating sand outside OP. My daughters nursery had a no shoes policy in the baby room and that was it, somehow she managed to survive with all those outdoor shoes….

I don't thunk we'd be allowed for them to go out in just their socks. Would be so many parent complaints, and actually, there's risk from stones etc.

Eek. I feel like parenthood is gonna be a long road for you 😅😅

Not only in the UK. 😘

Ok, ours think it’s good because it teaches them to leave the building/house quickly and as you are dressed at the time.

Ours go basically straight out to forest ground and there has never been an accident in my 25 years that someone has stepped on something. Last time they stood there just waiting for the fire truck to arrive. Very exciting. And they remember going outside without shoes, which means they talk about it often and about what you should do in case of a fire.

Easy enough when they first arrive, but what about during the day when they might have children going between inside and outside play, those outside wanting to come in to the loo then go out again, etc.? They can’t have a member of staff permanently on door-monitoring, shoe-changing duty!

I agree it’s a good idea for a baby room where babies are crawling, but other than that it’s just not practical. I’m not even sure it’s desirable. Not all families take off outdoor shoes when they come inside, you know, unless they’re particularly wet or muddy. Are you never going to let your child go in a house like that?

This just isn’t practical.
In my opinion experience the baby rooms are usually shoes off but once they move up they wear shoes due to the freedom to come and go between inside and outside as they please.

This is the epitome of PFB, you can’t even picture a child older than a baby or understand how they operate!

So do you not let your children play outdoors in nature and mud and soil and all the rest?!

You keep your shoes on in your home? Why?!

We have a mud kitchen in the garden they like playing outside . I’m just paranoid about dog poo and general pavement germs , germs where people may have walked in and out of a public toilet etc etc

My kids nursery was free range for all kids - so no baby room - all ages playing together and kids able to move indoors and outdoors whenever they liked.

You'd have had kittens if you saw it OP!

Lived in Asia for short time. Shoes off indoors is cultural norm. Hot place.

Nursery /Reception -
all kids had in-class crocs/slippers, they took off outdoor shoes and put in cubby and put on in-school crocs.
Toilets had toilet crocs outside.
kids took off class crocs and put on (shared) toilet crocs.
Adults expected to remove shoes if go into classroom.

Lovely clean classrooms.

plenty of access to germs without what’s on the pavement - dog waste, bird poop, waste from bins, phlegm ..

Yes this is my issue the pavement germs

What about winter time when they have winter boots, snow overalls, gloves and hats covered in snow or even mud..or wellies and rainsuits, are the doors open then? I mean our roll down hills and in puddles and there is not an area on their clothes that is not dirty or wet..

Why not? (Unless they are noticeably dirty or muddy or I have crawling babies in the house.) I don’t go around licking the floor.

I also have a cat and a dog. Do you expect me to wash their paws every time they come in from outside?

My children survived without any more illnesses than the norm!

Well most cats do clean their own paws obsessively tbf 😂😅

But regardless of all that- aren’t you more comfy without the shoes? Do you sit on the sofa with shoes on? This is wild

True!

@Noshoesnursery I wonder if this is a rational worry or a 'disgust' setting thing for you? ie whether there is any significant reduction in infections in no shoe nurseries (or sweden or japan etc) and therefore worth finding one for your child's safety, or there isnt a reduction in dog-poo carried infections, in which case it may be something to work on letting go. I don't know the answer but suspect it's the latter - but that's my prejudice I guess

I think you'd need to get a good nanny or childminder in order to follow this rule tbh - nurseries can't be that tailored to individual kids