Angry with nursery for putting babies in with older kids at the end of the day

[Nuni]

Because some of the staff go home early, they don't have enough staff to keep the baby room open the last couple of hours before nursery closes.

I deliberately chose a nursery with a room for Under 2s, I'm paying the same price for the hours she's mixed in with older kids. She's still so small and vulnerable, I don't like her being in with 4-5 year olds

Why didn't they tell me this before?

Or do all nurseries do this?

Keyworker is fantastic but I feel really let down by the way the nursery is run... surely if they advertise a baby room it should stay open until closing time? I wanted a safe, baby-friendly area, where she feels secure, not being lumped in with older kids at the end of the day, in a room set up for a different age group, just so they can avoid paying more staff

Its the older kids 4/5 that are better with the younger toddlers (1-1.5 yr olds) as they can communicate with staff and understand the little ones are just babies so they aren't rough with them. At least that seems to be the case at our kids nursery.

Yeah our nursery do this, it's something I like about it!

Ah fair enough ! Nurseries round where I am don't go beyond 4.

You should have been told when you were looking round.

Although people with their 2nd or 3rd baby may be unsurprised, I am sure you will not be the only first timer who thought the babies would be in the baby room.

Whether its an oversight or careful marketing, it is wrong that you weren't proactively informed. They should change their marketing/website.

My DS's nursery does this and I don't have an issue with it.

My DS has loved being around older kids since he was little and it actually helped him move on through the rooms. He couldn't wait to be with the big kids.

I think you are being a bit precious tbh. Children learn from watching other children and getting interaction with them. As long as the ratio is sufficient to monitor them properly then it shouldn't be an issue.

What would you for if your child had older siblings

I'm sure she seems really small at the moment, but IME the younger kids get a lot out of mixing with the older ones, and vice versa the older kids enjoy being the "grown up" ones. One day she will be 5 as well!

How rude of the staff to want to go home at the end of their shift
If you choose a nursery with extended opening then this is going to happen
Its really had practice to have 1 member of staff alone in a room so they have to join up
Otherwise they would have to put the fees up to cover the extra staffing

dumped?
I presume that the older children aren't left looking after or harming the younger ones?
My DGC was perfectly happy with the older children, in fact he would often try to be in their room; it never crossed his parents' minds to query this.

They put some rooms together at the nursery we use but babies don't get put with older ones. I think this is because there are 2 baby rooms that usually take 12 each but if they have less than 15 in, they put them all together so it's very rare that there would be so few babies to make it worthwile. Plus the baby rooms are upstairs and the rest are downstairs. There are 3 rooms at 18 months to 3 which do get squidged together towards the end of the day and 2 pre-school rooms who mix on and off all day. It's a big nursery though.

Sorry shouldn't have used the word dumped!

Our babies are never left or placed in a room with older children and of course staff.

All 3 of my kids have attended nursery at one point or another over the last 16 years and this has always happened. It's not something I've ever had a problem with, as long as the ratio of children:adults is right then I can see the harm. Unless Damian from the Omen attends the same nursery as your child.

Yeah this happens with DS - he's nearly two and been going since he was 10 months. He loves hanging out with the older kids and anyway they're often all in the garden.

There are a couple of little baby babies - like under 6 months and so it doesn't really matter where they are anyway, they're always just being cuddled or asleep.

Well, if you think about it this is what happens when you have several kids - in my experience, my kids love watching older ones play. As long as ratios are maintained, the babies can play too and it isn't for hours, I actually think it's a good thing.

This happens at our nursery too. We didn't find it surprising or a problem at all tbh, it just makes sense. I think at ours, they all go
In together for a little while in the morning and again in the afternoon. It's maybe half an hour each time.

Our nursery do this - DS is still in one of the baby groups and its never bothered me. When I get there to pick him up there's only him and one other child from his group left. I think it's nice actually to see all the age groups playing together for a little bit.

Very standard practice IMO, reasonable and fab for child development. What if you want another child will you segregate them? It'll be a small group at the end of the day not 30 kids I expect and appropriate ratios so I see no issue with it. Why would 4yrs old harm a baby?? They're not that daft and they are supervised!!!

My DC nursery does this. They all start together in one room. Then they split into two rooms for snack before they all go to their age groups then depending on numbers they move about rooms a bit depending on who is napping etc. My eldest is at preschool and if it's good weather they will put the smaller ones in prams and do the school run with them. Its lovely and the older ones love being with he young ones and vice versa. Better than being stuck in one room all day.

It's perfectly normal and I promise you it's fine.

The nursery we use has always combined rooms when the numbers reduce towards the end of the day. Although when DD was a baby, the eldest children in the building would only have been aged 3 as 3+ are in a separate building.

Regardless, it never bothered me. As long as staff ratios were correct, I figured DD would benefit from mixing with different children, playing with different things and it was familiarising her with the rooms she would be moving up to when she left the baby room.

Are the correct child:adult ration maintained?
How old are the 'older children'?

DD's nursery did this and it was one of the reasons we liked it - both when small and when a bit older.

Babies and small toddlers usually love watching, and learning from the older children.
The older children usually love watching and 'helping' the smaller ones. By helping I mean singing to them or pretending to read them a story, but holding them or actually doing the caring for them.

I guess if you don't like it, then tell the nursery.
They may not be able to staff it fully - they will reduce staff as children reduce in numbers - so may need to look at employing staff for longer hours but also this may lead to a price increase.
Or you may need to hand in your notice with them and look elsewhere,

Yep happens everywhere :) pretty normal and not something to worry about. Children can gain so much from mixing with those outside of their own peer group. Have a little google and I'm sure you will see what I mean.

Completely normal to have some mixing and no issue as long as the children are well supervised.

It's also nice as they get to know the older ones so it's less daunting when they move rooms.

My DC's nursery does it. It's good for transition to the next stage. DD really enjoys it. fine by me.

Gosh you would hate my dd nursery then, in the holidays and after school/ breakfast club they take dc up to age 11.

DD's nursery did this. She absolutely loved being with the older kids for a bit and I think it made her transition when she moved up much easier. Do you otherwise feel happy with the standard of care there?