Is this normal/am I being too precious?

[AngelDelight28]

DD (aged 1) has recently started nursery and is settling in well, I'm told. I get a good vibe about the nursery overall and the staff seem nice but there are a couple of things bothering me.

It's rarely the same person collecting and handing DD back (due to Covid we have to stand outside and a staff member comes out to take DD in or hand her back at the end of the day). We've had maybe 5 or 6 different people in just a few weeks. This must be really confusing for DD and she gets distressed at drop offs and is often brought out crying too (but I'm told she doesn't cry much throughout the day).
I thought they were meant to have a key person? There hasn't been much mention of that.

Another thing is when I drop her off in the morning it's often chilly, so I layer her outfits up (e.g tights, short sleeve dress and long sleeve top over it). I assumed they would take off some of the layers as the temperature rises later in the day but when they hand her back she's dressed the same way as how I handed her in, despite it being roasting from noon onwards.
But when I sent her in just shorts and T shirt she was freezing to touch when I collected her and her nose was running. There was a jumper in her changing bag but it wasn't put on her.

Should I bring any of this up, or is it a case of me being too sensitive? I'm aware they're busy and they have other children to look after as well as DD. But I hate to think of her being too hot or cold all day.

I'd definitely ask about the clothing/layers/make it clear that it's OK to use their judgement!

My DS has a bag at nursery, he's often come home in completely different clothes if we've misjudged the weather (for example) and I've always trusted them to use their common sense 'in loco parentis'. I would be less trusting if I'd had the experiences that you have so far!

I'd send her in a warmer layer that is clearly outer clothing like a jumper over summer clothing. It won't matter if her legs are bare in July as long as her core is warm. They are more likely to remove a normal outer layer than things like tights or a top.

@BackforGood Yes, well I'm from southern Europe, Scottish people's idea of "sweltering" is tights and jumper weather to me
Currently it's only 20C, it was 17C and drizzly in the morning, which felt chilly.

@Poppins2016 Yes I have lots of clothing options in the bag too, I had a quick chat with the staff yesterday to ask if they can remove/add a layer depending on the weather.
I'll give the tights a miss from now on though as I have been suitably chastised on here

Depending on her start and finish time there may be new staff on duty at drop off and then at pick up times. Your child will have several staff they are familiar with through the day and we keep our room staff consistent through the week so that children settle with any of them easily. The key person will be the one to monitor progress and decide what activities will help do this and make a bond with your child.

We would dress/undress children according to temperature and weather during the day but try to dress them again just before they are due to go home - especially if the pick up is late in the day. If pick up is in the middle of the day and still hot then that is a bit stranger though.

They probably remove layers but add them back when you pick her up.

The key worker thing is often just a nominal person who does that child’s paperwork, so you probably have to accept with nursery that your child is looked after by multiple people and you/she may not know all of them well.

Clothes - I would expect jumpers to be taken on and off but probably not tights.

There’s a bit of experience or intuition maybe involved in deciding what a small child will be comfortable wearing - whereas it might seem obvious to a 30 year old mother of two, it might not be at all obvious to a childless 19 year old who is new to working with kids.

Also, practitioners tend to avoid doing anything that can be construed as judging your parenting. Changing a baby’s outfit involves a practitioner making a judgement about the clothes a parent has chosen for their child. We try to avoid doing that as it doesn’t always go down well. Parents feel judged and that’s not a good basis for a relationship.
That’s why communication is key, you need to tell the person you hand over to that the tights can come off.

Honestly you should be able to talk about anything and everything with the nursery. No issue is too small and I bet they've been asked it all before.

The whole idea of a key worker is to build a bond with your child as a secure attachment. It's been recognised that this is important in building resilience and self esteem. It is not just for paperwork, splitting responsibilities etc and is vital. COVID has complicated it but you should know your keyworker and your child being welcomed by them is crucial ask how the nursery use their keyworkers many just play lip service to the requirement forgetting its about the child's wellbeing and even more important with the adverse childhood experiences that covid has increased.