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Nurseries

Find nursery advice from other Mumsnetters on our Nursery forum. For more guidance on early years development, sign up for Mumsnet Ages & Stages emails.

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Original poster

How clean should a nursery be?

21 replies

Bewiser · 05/10/2017 20:35

If you visited a nursery for a viewing and saw the following, would you think it was normal or would it put you off?

Sand all over the floor (baby room with crawlers) apparently it's like this all the time.
Bits of 'something' on the floor unsafe for a teething baby to be chewing on. Was seen but not picked up and binned.
All outdoor toys very muddy and in the vegetable patch it was just overgrown weeds.

There are other positives for the nursery and it has a good reputation locally.

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DemonBaby · 05/10/2017 20:40

Toddlers are filthy vile creatures. My 18 month old is covered is god knows what about twenty seconds after he has his bath, I have no idea how.

I'd rather they just played with the kids than spent all their time cleaning up. Mess is good at that age.

Obviously choking hazards are a different kettle of fish.

Original poster

Bewiser · 05/10/2017 20:41

Thanks for the reply! I dread the toddler stage...

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DemonBaby · 05/10/2017 20:45

How old is your baby?

existentialmoment · 05/10/2017 20:46

I wouldnt be at all impressed with that. DD's nursery does lots of messy play but its always cleaned up after the activity.
I have never gone to pick her up and seen crap on the floor.

Original poster

Bewiser · 05/10/2017 20:46

11 months

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mangomama91 · 05/10/2017 20:47

See there's mess from just being a baby/ toddler playing and then there's mess from lazy practitioners not cleaning up.
Of course they're going to get sand on the floor but the Practitioners need to keep the floors relatively clean. In a baby room they should be supervised by the sand anyways so a member of staff is there to be able to sweep up massive spillages straight away. However if it was an older room then they may have not noticed yet/ depends how much sand on the floor.

With regards to things being left on the floor that shouldn't be and babies can get and put in mouth that's just not acceptable and needs to be picked up/ cleaned up straight away.

DemonBaby · 05/10/2017 20:47

Just my kid who comes out plastered head to toe in sand/paint/spaghetti then

Original poster

Bewiser · 05/10/2017 20:57

Yes, lazy is what I'm worried about. They certainly weren't rushed off their feet.

OP posts:

DemonBaby · 05/10/2017 21:00

But what were they doing? Interacting with the children or ignoring them?

Original poster

Bewiser · 05/10/2017 21:12

No you're right, they were interacting with the kids. One baby each (two adults, two babies).

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Original poster

Bewiser · 05/10/2017 21:13

I think I'm just second-guessing myself before signing up.

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Hmmalittlefishy · 05/10/2017 21:16

I think with nurseries you do have to go with your gut feeling alot of the time
Muddy toys and an unweeded veg patch wouldn't bother me it has been wet
Sand not particularly either as it always gets everywhere.
Items babies coukd chock on would be a real worry
Can you go and visit again before you make your mind up?

mangomama91 · 05/10/2017 21:16

There needs to be that balance between plenty of interaction with the children but also always ensuring they're providing a safe environment. There should be enough members of staff to make sure that happens.

DemonBaby · 05/10/2017 21:24

At the end of the day it doesn't really matter - if you don't feel comfortable with it don't send your baby there.

It wouldn't bother me. I am very lax about cleanliness. But I am not you. And that's fine!

Original poster

Bewiser · 05/10/2017 21:29

I will have some settling-in sessions so I'm thinking I could do those and keep an eye out for anything out of order at each pick up and drop off.

Presumably at that stage, I can still back out and find somewhere else if need be.

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SnorkellingCat · 06/10/2017 08:53

I'd not be impressed with that. DDs nursery do messy play but they put like paper covers down, the children wear an overall and the play takes place either on a huge floor tray or on the paper. The garden is sometimes a bit messy as they do lots of outdoor and messy play out there but I assume the garden is harder to clean/it'll wash away when it rains so I don't worry.

existentialmoment · 06/10/2017 09:46

It wouldn't bother me. I am very lax about cleanliness

So am I. I'm not lax about choke hazards on the floor with crawling babies though, and any nursery that is has exceptionally low standards. I'd be worrying about what else they don't notice or don't care about when you aren't there.

Fruitcocktail6 · 06/10/2017 09:52

Sand wouldn't bother me, but the other bits don't sound very nice.

coldcanary · 06/10/2017 09:56

Sand on the floor was par for the course in the nursery I worked at, even with the babies it ends up all over the place, as long as it's cleared up and the floors are mopped at the end of the day/session then that one really isn't a huge issue.
Choking hazards would be though, decent NN's would be able to play with the children and keep half an eye out for things that needed to be moved out of the way of small hands and mouths. We called it hoovering - you're generally on or close to the floor anyway so it's easy to quickly pick up something while playing.
Veg patches can be great but the staff don't always have time in the day or resources to keep it up and plant it.

Fruitcocktail6 · 06/10/2017 10:03

Sand wouldn't bother me, but the other bits don't sound very nice.

PlugUgly1980 · 07/10/2017 11:26

Go with you gut instinct. The fact you’ve questioned it suggests you’re not a 100% happy. I viewed a Nursery in the summer which had a great reputation. Kids all playing outside and the person who showed us round was raving about how clean and tidy it was inside...it looked grubby and cluttered. The nail in the coffin was walking passed the little toilet room and casually peering in to see very dirty toilets. I appreciate little kids need help flushing but these were grim. My daughter goes to great nursery. They have “tidy up time” after each activity, lots of storage etc. Yes, she comes home covered in mud and paint, and Nursery always looks clean and tidy.

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