AIBU to worry about small broken leaves in nursery baby sensory play?

[Tintinuviel]

First tine parent, here. I've been viewing nurseries for my baby, and im still trying to get an idea for what is normal healthy play versus what is unsafe.

I recently viewed a nursery that I liked in many ways, but one thing gave me pause:

When I was in their baby room they had a small water tub for play and a sand tub. The water tub was filled with opaque water, and various toys. However both tubs contained multiple (many) loose plant and tree leaves. Lots of the leaves were broken up into a small chokable size.

To me this seems inappropriate for a room with teething babies who explore by sticking things in theor mouths. Wet leaves can be pretty sticky and hard to get off. And the water being cloudy whilst it's full of small chokeable objects concerned me as that means stuff don't really know what's in there in terns of small leaves that can be swallowed.

I'm not convinced nursery staff can supervise play close enough to make small leaves ok. But I don't know if I'm overreacting.

if this was a room for children over 3, I wouldn't worry as older children are obviously less likely to put random crap in their mouth

I haven't fed back with the nursery yet. Would I be unreasonable if I fed back my concerns over the leaves? Is this normal play equipment for a baby room?

Real leaves? Was it a nature play or something? Sounds odd

I’d request another visit, if you see similar again I’d feedback what you’ve said above.

Do you expect your child to never play outside until age 3 or 4 when the choking risk reduces?

I don’t see how a few leaves (presumably from when the sand has been out in the garden) would be worse to ingest than the sand itself. And babies can drown in centimetres of water. I imagine the children are very closely supervised with both? But I don’t know that my kids ever had those sorts of things in their nursery baby rooms, I don’t recall seeing them in photos or the room itself until they were toddlers.

I think we probably see the purpose of a nursery differently and probably have different thresholds when it comes to safety.

I don't see what the outside has to do with it - this is an educational establishment you pay to safeguard your children and educate them in an age appropriate way.

When I take them outside, I'll be supervising one child, fully aware they may be shoving grass in their mouth.

Some broken detritus thrown in a tub at the back of a room of teething 1 year olds doesn't strike me as a valuable learning experience. Choking is silent and can turn deadly very fast. If you don't know that a child is putting something in their mouth, it can be hard to spot on time.

And I'm just not convinced there's enough nursery staff to leave preventable choking hazards around a baby room with a dozen kids to watch. Seems like it's an avoidable risk given this ISN'T the outside. Maybe I'm biased jevause they've had a bunch of separately raised concerns reported to Ofsted in recent years. Those concerns were apparently addressed but it doesn't fill me with confidence.

As far as i'm aware we're meant to quarter grapes at that age and offer things like lettuce shredded. This goes against what I've been told is safe practice.

I don’t think you like this nursery OP and that’s okay

Yeah really leaves - mostly tree leaves from outside but also some assorted farly thin plant leaves i think.

I doubt it, nobody was playing with them, they were haphazardly chucked in the tub and there was nobody around that area. If they'd been passing them around a table that would have been different.

Yeah that might be an idea- I did like the staff, just wondering how and whether to raise this with them.

Does the nursery not have an outdoor area for out door play?
my youngest previously went to a forest nursery where they were outside in all weathers from age 6 months. I do think you’re overreacting here, of course staff can supervise the water/sans pit area

also, you’re wrong if you think a 3 year old won’t put random things in their mouth!

Maybe you're right.

I really wanted to like them, and I like the staff. But their ofsted history gives me pause, and that probably doesn't help to give me confidence that they'll supervise play appropriately.

I liked what I saw in the older kid rooms, but as I'll be hoping to start my child there around age 1 I do want to be comfortable with the baby room.

Are you saying that the water and sand play is inside and they've deliberately put leaves in it?! That seems very odd. Is it perhaps usually outside and they'd brought it in due to rain/extreme heat?

But ultimately, if you have to 'raise something' with them before your child has even started this is 100% not the nursery for you.

This nursery isnt for you.

I would suggest looking at CMs as well as nurseries. I was not keen on CMs as I thought they would be unreliable/there was less oversight etc.
My nursery was all set and the settle session was a safeguarding nightmare so I complained they gave me my deposit no arguments... and i was left scrambling 3 weeks before I was supposed to go back to work. Best thing that ever happened.

Both CMs we have used have been Wonderful. The kids go to zoos, shows, classes, sports days ....

A good childminder is better than a good nursery.

I'd have a look... you may find only mediocre CMs and a great nursery but you may find a great CM.

I don't see what the outside has to do with it -

Because young children will also be taken outside and experience leaves.

You are being incredibly ott. Very young toddlers will also mark make on leaves, badly glue leaves to make ‘art’ and play with them in sand and water.

No one has to guess whether this is your first child or not.

FWIW I was happy with their outdoor areas.

Thank you for opinion, I did ask, after all. I did also say I have the one, so no need to guess!

It's hard to know what's normal and expected in a setting you have littke experience of; the older parents i know explicitly advised me to focus on things like choking hazards. I know people who refused to choose nurseries based on how the fruit was cut.

I can't say it would bother me in the slightest, but it bothers you and you're the one who needs to drop their baby off somewhere they feel confident they will be safe and looked after. Look for another nursery, you don't want to be spending your day with a constant niggle that your child isn't in the right place.

I have to admit i don't know anyone who's used one, so i might have to do some research!

Part of my issue here is trying to calibrate what IS an issue that should concern me as a new parent, and what is normal.

I'm starting to realise some of my friends who have advised me were rather picky (no shame, obviously we all are in some ways) in ways perhaps most people aren't, so the advice I've received on nurseries and what to look for has been limited.

That's why I was hoping to see what people say here.

I think it can be really hard to go with a childminder if you don’t have any recommendations from people you know to go off. Especially first time around when you don’t really know what you’re looking at either.

So far as really wanting to like a nursery but then not I think this fairly normal, sometimes you just need to go with your gut.

Yeah exactly. That's what I mean. There was at least a dozen, and lots of bite sized pieces that had broken off.

It was present to a degree in all the classrooms, but I wasn't concerned about it in the rooms for older kids. I just don't know how concerned to be about it in a room with infants and very young toddlers.

I think you're probably right.

Thank you, that's really fair. And actually its helpful to hear from people it doesn't bother.

Thank you, I've read what I can about what questions to ask etc but you can't substitute experience!

I don't have any local recommendations for nurseries from people I know, either which makes it hard.

I think the chances of a child choking on a piece of leaf is extremely small, because little bits of leaf are going to be essentially food sized, not airway sized (like marbles, Lego pieces, screws, grapes etc). But adding leaves to both water and sand play is such an odd thing to do. I'd be more concerned that they have the sand and water play inside tbh. Surely the floor is really slippery?! My bigger concern would be a toddler going backwards and smashing their head on the floor.

But, as I say, it's not for you. Nowhere that you feel you need to raise safety questions before your child has even started is the right place to leave your child.

This wouldn't have bothered me. But I am lax and think a lot of parenting rules are rubbish.

But you either trust them or you don't.

They do, I actually liked their outdoor area!

You're right about the 3 year olds but I'm hoping to mellow and have more experience by then. Thank you for being honest, even if you think I'm over reacting!

It's play with natural materials, actively encouraged by powers that be. The bits of leaf are similar to the shredded lettuce that you mentioned you felt acceptable I imagine? They'll be replaced daily along with the water.

Thank you.

See, that thought wouldn't have occurred to me because I'm only just learning what to look for and what's normal!

The advice I got from friends on what to look out for has been mixed, and postpartum has been...complicated.

You're right.

I really want to pick a nice safe place without being a nightmare first time parent but it's hard to know where to start. 😥

Thank you, it's actually been helpful to hear people who aren't bothered by tge same thing.

Honestly this wouldn't bother me. I work in this area (not Uk) and we are constantly being told to use natural materials as much as possible, but then, natural things aren't as easy to clean as shiny plastic things and are not always made perfectly. It sounds to me like someone was playing with a dry leaf sensory box and others were playing with water play and a bright spark came and tipped one into the other and they hadn't the chance to clean it all out yet! I'm in an older group but the other day at the wrong moment you would have seen our sea themed water tray with sea shells and some plastic fish had lots of rice floating around. It sat there for a few hours before I has the chance to empty the whole thing out