DD not getting outside time at nursery WWYD

[Deathonacrumpet29]

I'm concerned about my daughter and I think nursery are fobbing me off.

They have a large garden but every time I pick my daughter up she hasn't been outside. DD is 14 months. She's only been there a short time and they are busy there (there was a long waiting list).

Her keyworker does send a photo every day but always inside and similar eg food around her mouth at lunch time or her playing in the same area of the room with same toys - but since she has been there she has never taken any photos outside -even on sunny days.

We choose this nursery as it has a reputation for being eco-friendly, outdoorsy and the large garden it has! It's ideal for getting the children in the fresh air and out in nature. For context, the building used to be an old pub so has a massive pub garden and it is right next to a heath! I'm including this so you can see that it isn't in a built up area with no access to outdoor space - quite the opposite!

I complained to the manager and since then I have been informed that she has had outside time but I'm concerned this is only happening to her in isolation and she is being taken out specifically and probably very hastily as I've complained. When asked if she went out with her friends she shakes her head and is very sure she is just taken out on her own? No photos of outside time either.

Do nurseries do this? Only take children out if their parents complain? I'm glad she is getting outside time but I can imagine she is confused why she would go out there by herself. When I queried about this a member of staff said that she didn't know if they all went out as she was on her break!? I asked her to find out and let me know and I've heard nothing.

I'm not friends with any other mums as we drop off at the door due to COVID at different times still so I can't just ask another parent if they know if they go outside.

I think nursery staff are misleading me about this and/or being lazy and I'm not sure what I can do about it?

Has anyone been through similar?

I just want my daughter to get some fresh air - that's why we chose that nursery. Why aren't they taking the children outside?

What would you do?

My 14 month old would shake their head at most things I ask them- so I wouldn’t rely on this.

it sounds odd- why wouldn’t they take them outside?

my sons nursery has free flow so they can go in and out as these please- I almost have the opposite issue that I don’t think he’s ever inside!!

If you’re unhappy move her. You clearly don’t trust them and think they’re lying which doesn’t bode well for the parent/nursery relationship. Just find a new nursery.

I don't think you can rely on a 14 month to tell you if they have gone out or not. All you can do is formally ask what they are doing with her and a sort of itinerary for her day. My 15 months told twins are always outside when I go to pick them up and their childminder asks for outdoor puddle suits which come back dirty On a Friday so I know they've been used. Similarly on a sunny day I'm asked for hats and sun cream and they come back in different clothes as they've got them dirty with the mud kitchen or wet etc so I know they are definitely outside? What about your child's clothes? Do they come back looking like she's played outside?

Did you see the nursery in action before you sent her? Mine all went to nurseries with free flow between inside and out.
If you aren't happy with the nursery all you can do is move her.

I forgot to add - she has outdoor clothes which aren't ever dirty or wet or look like they've been unpacked and her shoes don't like wet/dirty ether.

@BingeBitch I think I'm suspicious as I've seen no evidence that they've taken her out and feel like when I ask about it I hear a sketchy/unhelpful/misleading response. And I've already raised concerns with the manager about this as we were told that they would get outside time daily like the older rooms do. I'm reacting on their communication about this which just seems like it's fobbing me off. All I want when I ask if they have been in the garden today is a yes or a good reasoned no. It's not healthy for them not to get fresh air and their whole advertising campaign is linked to being natural and eco-friendly.

I'm posting on here to see if anyone has experienced similar. I'm not sure I want to move her unless I know they aren't getting outside time. I don't trust them as I've got no reassurances from them. Simple as that!

Besides the point but can your 14 month old answer questions like that? As in she understands what you mean and can give a definitive "no"?
Just curious as my 15 month old cant! So do you think none of the children ever play outside or do you feel your daughter is being excluded for some reason?

I don't think they go outside unless they are pressured to take them out. But I'm hoping that I'm being paranoid. There's no photos though and I have more evidence that she isn't going outside than she is.

Is she in a baby room? If so, maybe the older kids mainly use the garden and they don't take the smaller ones as much?

And yes she can say a few words very clearly and yes and no and shake and nod amongst other things. She always says no and shakes her head and looks sad when I ask her. She can always nod yes. She never mixes them up.

Yes she is.

Yes she is in the baby room @Headabovetheparakeet All FB photos are inside too never outside.

At what age will she move to the next room?

My son's nursery didn't do much outdoor time with the kids in the baby room (that also bothered me) but he was outside most of the day once he was in the 18m+ room.

I'd say clean clothes is your only real evidence really. A 14 month old really doesn't have that level of comprehension to understand what you asking them about whether they go out.
If you don't trust them I'd look elsewhere but there are very few childcare settings that would offer what you are looking for unless you have a look at a forest school

She will move up when she is 2 years old. The next room is 2-3 years old.

I would trust your instincts.
The nursery where I live used to take the children out for walks in buggies(bored looking teenagers chatting to each other) and take them to the park. On more than one occasion I saw them take the kids out of the buggies one by one put them in the baby swing, take their picture and take them back out.
Before I saw this I had visited the nursery as a possible place for my 2 Yr old. They had lots of photos on the walls of children doing specific activities. They were all doing specific activities when I visited and I just couldn't articulate the feeling but it didn't feel right. I wasn't allowed to drop in despite precovid, only allowed at one specific time of the day.
My child wouldn't leave my side. Not unusual but the nursery we did go with let us drop in unannounced and she toddled off immediately to join in.
You know you believe your child when your gut is telling you to. You don't need to have lots of evidence to back it up.

Doesn't seem a long time but if they are never going outside then I think that's quite a time to wait. Especially as the weather is getting nicer. I get the feeling I'm being unreasonable here but I was told that she would have access to the garden and outside time daily so I do feel like I've been misled and lied to.

@Awumminnscotland that's very helpful, thank you. Sad that it happens though.

This is so sad. My heart hurts for your daughter. Is it possible to take her out of the nursery whilst you find her a better one or arrange at home child care? That would solve the issue right away with no need for further hassle in investigating whether the nursery are taking her outside. It might mean a compromise like moving to be around a better nursery. What do you think?

In that case, I wouldn't happy with this either.

Have you asked them how often they take the kids out and what they do? if they're sketchy or vague about it then maybe look elsewhere.

I was in a similar situation with my DD. In the end I started asking at handover today 'did you go outside?' . When the answer was 'no' on three perfectly good weather days in a row I took DD out of the nursery and told them why.

It was such a shame because there was an awful lot about the nursery that was good. However, because of the nature of my job, DD was doing long days and was there until 6:30pm every day so it wasn't a case of me being able to take her out for fresh air after nursery.

It is actually written into the EYFS that the kids should be outside every day.

When DD was in the first toddler room (up to around 18m) the staff were pretty good about going through the palaver required to get all the kids outside but it was when she moved up to the next room that it went awry. Unfortunately I think it is down to the attitude of the individual staff in each room.

I moved DD to a new nursery and was clear with the new nursery why I was moving her to them and they did go outside every day, apart from on a day that the wind was so strong that it would have been dangerous.

Yes I've asked them every time I collect and every time it's variations of "no, not today" or "we had so much fun inside we didn't want to disturb the children" phrases like this. Which I heard week after week until I couldn't keep my annoyance to myself.

So then I wrote the email to the manager.
And since then she has gone out but she's communicated that it's just her and staff have been vague/not directly answered about them all going out. All photos are inside.

I think I'm going to have to trust my gut and look for alternative nursery. Such a shame as it's eco-friendly, it's all the things I was hoping for. It's also not cheap compared to others so it's not like I'm getting what I paid for.

Thanks for all the replies.

But if you don’t trust them (and you’ve said you don’t) how can you leave your child with them? If you think they could be lying about this what else might they lie about?

@INeedNewShoes that's been a really helpful post, thank you. We live on the south coast and the weather here lately has been so lovely - they have shady areas in the garden too so it would have been perfectly safe to take them out there with some toys and books and even have their little highchairs out there - I don't get why they wouldn't do this anyway?

The older room is apparently "free flow" so they can come in and out most of the day and play in or out which is lovely. I would rather she was with a childminder in the garden or leafy park than stuck in a nursery 7:30 - 6pm when she is there. I have to work and this worry about my daughter is affecting my concentration. Just take them outside - why is that so hard?

@BingeBitch I trust that they change her, comfort her, feed her, provide her with her other needs. I think that what they aren't doing is taking them in the garden and that matters to me. I think your post is a bit goady but I'll ignore that. If I didn't trust them at all she wouldn't be there. I've already said it's a shame as this outside time is a deal-breaker for me. And I did make that clear when we were looking around and all the chats prior to applying and then waiting for a place - it is over-subscribed. I'm not saying they are monsters. I'm saying that I don't feel they are getting outside time and this upsets me, ok? I work long hours and I want to know she is feeling the breeze on her face and outside at some point in the day.

As a pp said, your words were “I don’t trust them”. You cannot leave your child with someone you don’t trust. I wouldn’t give a monkeys about their “eco friendly credentials”, if you can’t trust them, you need to move her. Either another nursery, or else maybe a childminder would suit you better for now with a view to moving her to a pre-school for the year before school starts maybe.