What do I need to know?

[AmIThough]

Ok so today I'm having those 'I'm an awful mom' moments because I feel like I should just know the answer to my questions but...

I've seen plenty of MNers say you need to register your child for nursery before they're born but I've contacted a nursery for a place for Feb and they have availability- this is fine isn't it, and just an example of MN exaggeration rather than a reflection on the nursery?

What questions should I ask when I'm there - what do I need to know?

I missed out half my post - I'm going to view a nursery for when LO will be 9 months old and I go back to work after Mat leave

Things we asked:

What does the daily routine look like?
How do you let me know what my kid is doing, and how do you monitor and report development?
What's the food like? What happens if they dont eat?
What happens if child gets sick?
What do we need to provide for the child/what do you expect from parents?

There were loads more questions but those were where we started. We did have an advantage though in that the nursery we chose was close to my office and as a result I was able to speak to colleagues who send their kids there.

You should also be able to see the nursery's Ofsted reports on request or possibly online.

Also we viewed in early january and ds started two weeks later. Some nurseries are heavily oversubscribed but I really think it depends where you are in the country.

Thank you @katmarie I'll add them to my list!
This nursery is actually on the ground floor of my office building (multiple companies in one block) which is why I'm going to check it out - the location would be perfect!

Does it have access to a garden? I'd be looking for that as outdoor play is so important.

Pre-birth nursery bookings aren’t so much an example of MN exaggeration; more an example of different localised markets. Just be glad you’re lucky enough to be in a place where you have some choice at reasonably short notice.

In my own setting, I’m taking enquires for September 2021. Normal waiting times are 18-24 months. If all my minded children left tomorrow, I could pretty much replace them and still have a waiting list. It’s not uncommon for mums of children I look after to ask when is a good time to have their next baby so we can find them a place.

Yes, you could get a childcare place round here in less than 6 months, but you’d be limiting the choice to those lower quality settings for which there’s little demand.

I would look at a range of settings nearest maybe convenient but might not be best.

Definitely not an exaggeration, a reality in some locations. DD’s nursery has a waiting list of about 18 months.

Definitely view a few if you can and read up Ofsted reports etc.

I wouldn’t say a MN exaggeration... it depends on the nursery. My daughter was registered before she was born and their waiting list is HUGE. I wanted to put her in 4 days instead of 3 and this isn’t available until late next year.

I work in a nursery and we regularly have babies registered before they're born, or very soon after birth. It all depends on demand in the area.

I work in a nursery and our baby room is full till November 2020, including 2 not even born yet, so it’s not an exaggeration

You can get good advice on what to ask by contacting your local authority's children and families department, and Pacey, which is a national childcare umbrella organisation.

Also, I would sit down in quiet with pen and paper then instead of saying "what should I ask?", I would ask myself, "what matters to me?" and "what would worry me?"

If it’s important to you, then it’s worth asking. This means different things to different parents.

Don’t overlook the business/admin side of the arrangement. More childcare arrangements break down over money/contractual issues than quality of care.

Above all, make sure your expectations are in line with those of the nursery. Parents often end up complaining about things they’ve actually agreed to when they signed the contract: such as holiday arrangements or late collections. Or they assume the nursery staff will somehow know and act exactly as a mum would at home: eg whether to pick up a child the moment they make a sound, or expecting staff to match 20-odd pairs of randomly discarded socks to the right children.

You need to sort out your expectations in advance. All too many mums wait until they encounter a point of disagreement then assume they are right and the nursery is wrong, which is no way to build a partnership in the child's best interests.

make Sure you ask about the first aid provision (we went to view one that only had 1 first aider in the entire nursery - needless to say we didn’t pick that one!) and enquire about what the staff turnover is like