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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To expect a no outside shoe rule in the baby room

104 replies

Motherchicken · 09/01/2021 05:04

So I visited a nursery with my still crawling 12 month old today. I put on my nice socks fully expecting to be told to take off my shoes. But everyone in the room had on their shoes. All the other babies had on their shoes but were walking around. I guess I’m asking AIBU and expecting too much.

OP posts:
OrangeSlices998 · 09/01/2021 05:10

YABVU. Why would you think staff would take their shoes off? Baffled. What harm are shoes around babies?!

whoamongstus · 09/01/2021 05:15

OrangeSlices Bird shit, dog shit, mud, general pavement grot. Toddlers maybe not, but crawling age babies? Bit gross.

emilyfrost · 09/01/2021 05:15

YABU. Why would you expect nobody to wearing shoes? Confused

whoamongstus · 09/01/2021 05:16

I should add I've got no children and I've never set foot in a nursery so I've no idea what the norm is but it seems reasonable to me that they'd wear slippers or change into clean shoes in the baby room!

TrashPanda · 09/01/2021 05:17

There are 2 baby rooms at our nursery, both are shoes off, the staff have indoor shoes, slippers or just socks. We were asked to take shoes off for visits. Both rooms take babies from 3 months to getting up on their feet. They move to the toddler room when starting to walk independently and are over 12 months, most are 15-18 months when they move, shoes on in that room. Then when they turn two they move again.

Original poster
Motherchicken · 09/01/2021 05:17

@OrangeSlices998 I honestly just thought this would be the norm. In my own house we don’t wear shoes, the baby licks and eats off the floor all the time (😂 again, this might just be me). I just thought this would be the norm in a nursery baby room to try to keep it as clean as possible for the babies that are crawling around all day.

OP posts:
ZadieZadie · 09/01/2021 05:18

It's no shoes (other than on babies!) In DD's baby room. I thought that was the norm, too.

TopBants · 09/01/2021 05:19

@OrangeSlices998

YABVU. Why would you think staff would take their shoes off? Baffled. What harm are shoes around babies?!
Well, your average outdoor shoe will have traces of soil on it, maybe even dog poo. Babies crawl on their hands and put their hands in their mouths... I'd have thought it'd be obvious.

I've visited a couple of nurseries- both baby rooms had shoes off, though one had the option of shoe covers for visitors.

Original poster
Motherchicken · 09/01/2021 05:20

@TrashPanda this is what I would expect the children and adults to have indoor shoes and visitors to remove shoes or have those blue bootie things like you get at swimming.

OP posts:
LadyMinerva · 09/01/2021 05:25

And people wonder why allergies are at an all time high....

By keeping babies in sterile environments their immune systems are being stunted.

TrashPanda · 09/01/2021 05:25

It changed for a bit from June to September when they had more mixed age bubbles to keep siblings together and have less mixing. Back to age groups when the schools went back. All staff are getting changed completely on arrival at the moment as well but that's pandemic rather than standard.

TrashPanda · 09/01/2021 05:29

I wouldn't say any baby room at a nursery is going to be a sterile area. We are a shoes on household, I'm really not a germaphobe. Lots of babies mixing will surely be testing each others immune systems enough.

OrangeSlices998 · 09/01/2021 05:29

@TopBants I’ve worked in nurseries, albeit years ago, we never took our shoes off in the baby room. 🤷‍♀️

Mrbob · 09/01/2021 05:33

It seems pretty gross to have crawling babies and outside shoes. Mind you I think the same is true at home. It would seem better to have indoor shoes or slippers to wear at work

SimonJT · 09/01/2021 05:36

The nursery my son attended had a strict indoor shoes only policy in rooms where any children were still crawling.

Aimee1987 · 09/01/2021 06:18

My sons nursery has a no outdoor shoe policy in the baby room (takes babies 6 weeks to 2 years)

Bluesername · 09/01/2021 06:22

Are babies in 'shoes on' rooms significantly less healthy than in 'shoes off' rooms? I am guessing not.

inquietant · 09/01/2021 06:23

@LadyMinerva

And people wonder why allergies are at an all time high....

By keeping babies in sterile environments their immune systems are being stunted.

Wearing indoor shoes does not mean it is a sterile environment.
TopBants · 09/01/2021 06:27

@Bluesername

Are babies in 'shoes on' rooms significantly less healthy than in 'shoes off' rooms? I am guessing not.
I'm guessing no studies have been done on it. But my concern would be soil and faecal matter on shoes- kids can end up with worms if they ingest that stuff. 🤢
LadyMinerva · 09/01/2021 06:56

Has anyone consulted the billions of women before us that have had children as to what they deem as acceptable when it comes to germs?

Yes, I'm aware life expectancy was lower..'back in the old days'.

But if it wasn't for them none of us would be here.

Perhaps we all need to relax a little bit?

OverTheRainbow88 · 09/01/2021 06:59

Everyone takes their shoes off in the baby room in our nursery, and in every single one I visited when choosing one.

When we used to go in for drop off even if it was 1
Min we took our shoes off.

Like I do in my own home.

SquigglePigs · 09/01/2021 06:59

Our nursery has shoes off in the baby rooms. I think you were right to expect that. I wouldn't have chosen a nursery that had shoes on in the baby room.

OverTheRainbow88 · 09/01/2021 07:00

And it would put me off a nursery if they worse shoes in the baby room.

chloechloe · 09/01/2021 07:01

YANBU. I’m always amused about the responses on these threads as I live in Germany where you would never have a need to ask this question. Everybody takes their shoes off at the front door of entering anybody’s home and it’s the same in nursery and kindergarten. In nursery etc the kids have a pair of slippers they keep there, together with their waterproofs and outdoor clothes that they wear to go outside and ingest dirt to keep their immune systems strong Grin Simple as that!

This is one of the reasons I love living here!

When friends visit other houses they often take their slippers with them to put on on arrival. A German habit I find most amusing.

pictish · 09/01/2021 07:05

What do you think might happen to your child owing to the shoes?

As far as I’m aware, toddlers are not dropping like flies owing to shoes being worn indoors. What is this all about?