'Slippers-only' at nurseries - please can someone explain why?

[ceebeegeebies]

DS2's nursery has suddenly introduced a 'slipper-only' rule at nursery (they keep their outdoor shoes in their bag to put on when they go outside). I have thrown away the newsletter now which mentioned it but it stated it was something to do with the EYFS and the children's well-being Why do slippers help with the children's well-being??

I don't have a problem with it other than it is just another thing to have to do when I do the drop-off/pick-up as DS2 is not great at putting his own shoes/slippers on yet and I am always running late as it is

It's because they have kids crawling on the carpet and it's better not to have outdoor muddy shoes on the carpets!

or shoes covered in dog-shit and spit on the same floors as crawling babies. I'm surprised any nursery hasn't already got this rule.

That is fair enough but I have been using this nursery for over 5 years now and outdoor shoes have always been acceptable before

Also slippers are generally softer if someone was to stand on a little ones feet or fingers.

I think it's a good rule to have. Lots of children walk to nursery and there is a lot of dog shit on our streets, along with other filth! Round our nursery, there is building work being done and they have left a lot of mess on the pavement which many children are traipsing through prior to entering the building. At nursery, children will play on the floor so it makes sense to keep the floor clean.

Seems like a reasonable rule for the reasons others have stated. Bit of a faff though.

Ours doesn't have this rule and I'm perfectly happy with it. So I suppose like the OP I'd be a bit, well annoyed I guess, at having to go out and buy some slippers for nursery and then be fiddling around with that on top of coats bags lunches and all the rest of it. I'm sure I'd get used to it though

I actually think this is a really bad idea. Slippers offer no support for growing feet - and would assume thta for many children getting a good fit woiuld be difficult (do they come in width sizes?) which would lead to feet slipping around inside them which could lead to trips and falls. No shoes at all would be better I woudl have thought.
dd cannot wear plimsolls at school as they do not offer enough support.

Haggis funnily enough I noticed that when DS2 walked away from me today, one of his feet was slipping quite badly to the side of his slippers so, no, not great support at all

haggis - children (and adults) don't need 'support' from shoes - unless they are carrying heavy loads over rough ground. The best thing for growing feet is to wear no shoes at all, slipper-socks with very thin flexible soles are almost as good.

Why not have the children in socks? Or barefoot?

Agree that sloppy slippers are not a great choice of footwear for an active young child.

maybe they should have said plimsols rather than slippers. or totes toasties or something

DS's nursery have wellys kept in the welly cupboard for when it's wet / muddy in the garden and wear their regular shoes or just socks inside.
In the main room it's lino not carpet - babies room it's carpet but most of those are pre shoe aged kids/ crawling.
I would have thought it's more of a faff - also wouldn't work in his nursery as in summer the whole wall opens up so the garden/ main room are open to each other all day and the kids can run in & out

I used to work in a daycare setting and the reason we asked for 'light indoor shoes' (such as Doodles) was because little fingers do get stepped on when children are playing/sitting on the floor (as IDontWanttoBe.. said) and it makes a big difference if it's a great Timberland tread clumping down or a light soft shoe!

Also, what malinois said - normal feet don't need 'support' from shoes.

At our nursery it for hygiene and also is in keeping with our home away from home ethos, we are in a converted house. our wear socks or slipper socks mostly.

My nursery has always done it, but then by 2.5yrs my dcs could do this themselves.

Our upper school has an indoor shoes only because of the new antibacterial carpets they have in the classrooms. Some nurseries I work in have a similar rule due to the mess which some children came to school. It's a good way to get children to learn how to get their shoes off and on too.

In my experience the number of injuries prevented by not wearing shoes is far far less than the huge number of injuries cause by children wearing stupid slippers. I hope your nursery is not going to let children wear mule type slippers. Children should not have to concentrate on keeping their footwear on when they're just walking. I also hope that it won't result in an hour's worth of staff time during the day spent putting shoes and slippers on the children.

I always insist the children wear something on feet - once had a bomb scare in cold weather and it was a nightmare with staff holding barefoot children!

Antibacterial carpets???

Agree that slippers don't sound great. Although I worked in a secondary school in Japan and everyone wore slippers inside there. The kids had special plastic flip flop ones

The Antibacterial Carpets is the spin off from The Inspiral Carpets. They didn't sell many albums but they're big in Japan and with health and safety officers.

Personally I think its a great idea. Keep the carpets clean.

It's daft, in my old nursery we wore slippers but then to take them outside you traipsed through the playroom any ways to get to the door but I love wearing my slippers.

Instead of slippers, why not just get some well fitting indoor-only shoes?

because shoes are dirty and babies might suck the carpet?
same at my dc's nursery. not a big deal imo.

It's partly noise I think.