Nursery visits- what should I ask / get my nose into?

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DP and I are visiting nurseries next week to find a place for our PFB DS.

In the hope of of finding somewhere decent, can anyone suggest what things I should ask about / look at?

I've read some stories on here and am worried I won't be able to spot a rubbish one.

thank you.

Go and see a few and pretty soon you'll be able to see which ones you are comfortable with.... See if the kids look happy... See if the staff look happy. You'll know if it's somewhere you would be comfortable leaving your DS. Good luck OP.

Are the staff welcoming to you and your DS when you visit? I think that's the most important thing.

I also asked about the structure of the day, where babies take naps and what activities they do.

How do they manage free flow outdoor space? How much time do they get outside and how interesting is the space? Are there opportunities to climb, crawl, discover, interact with nature etc.

Are the meals home cooked? How do they deal with allergies, special requirements, baby-led weaning, fussy eaters etc?

How much interaction behind the different age ranges are there? I didn't think about this first time round, but now I have two at the same nursery and they do have opportunities to see each other, usually at the end of the day when it is a bit quieter and one nursery worker will take the younger one through to visit or when they both play outside in the big garden and I love it. I also think it is good for the kids to see kids of different ages.

Mostly, it's just about how the nursery feels. Be aware that they are noisy and hectic places, but look for the caring and the looking after behaviour and see how the children interact with the staff.

Hope that helps

Thank you