Nursery baby room size

[SunshineEmBear]

What is a typical size for a baby room at a nursery? What would you consider too big and noisy? My 10 month old starts nursery in a couple of months. We loved the nursery when we toured last year, but now I’m getting cold feet. Reason being, I’ve heard they’ve combined two separate baby areas into one so there’s around 20 in a big-ish room together (3 - 18 month olds). Is this size common?

The ratios stay the same (still 1 adult to 3 babies) so no concerns there. I’m panicking that I should scramble to find a smaller, calmer setting/childminder. Advice appreciated!

That's a big room. Don't forget there will also be 7 adults in that space too which means nearly 30 bodies. That's a lot.

That's a lot! In my DD's ex nursery there were max 9 on busy days, usually only 6.

go have a look and see how it feels?

you can have a room with 30ish people that feels calm or chaotic - it all depends on the setup and how activities are run

how does your dc cope with busy spaces?

Oof, yeah that's big compared to what we are used to. DD's nursery has 3 baby room staff, so i guess that is a max of 9 babies? I only ever saw 4 or 5 but I suppose some of them could have been picked up earlier than I used to get there.

Thanks all. It’s really helpful to hear your reactions as it helps me know it’s not just me being fretful about starting nursery. As DD is my first I’m not sure what’s typical size-wise apart from the 3 nurseries I visited.

Thank you, good points. Yes I probably should visit again asap, as I honestly remember it being lovely and nowhere was chaotic. It would be interesting to see if they have managed to maintain calm with that many individuals in a room (well, a relative level of calm at least).

I wouldn't choose any more than 9. Back in the Sure Start nursery days that used to be the max for 'quality' under 2s care.

Mine had up to 12 but wasn’t full every day. I found it quite a good number as there were 4 staff (2 more experienced and 2 younger staff). I felt more confident having 4 staff involved in DD’s care and she developed a bond with all of them. Her key worker was lovely and very enthusiastic but also new to the job so was happy to have the 2 more experienced staff overseeing things as well.

She is in the next room now with the same staff ratio and 20 kids and it does feel more chaotic.

I moved my son from a nursery with 10 babies where they felt constantly short staffed. The practitioners were doing everything from the bins to heating up the food. It felt very chaotic, babies were often wandering around aimlessly.

The newer nursery has up to 20 in the room but they have adequate staffing, specific kitchen staff, staff to help clean. The group is often spilt in half on the days that they are full, some are outside while others inside etc. it seems much calmer and better organised. I always feel happy that he is being well cared for when I leave him there.

Its more about the nursery than the room size.

The last nursery I worked in had 37 babies in and was horrendous, not helped that the babies were only allowed one 2hr settle before starting full time ( just post lockdown). 37 screaming babies, half the staff were bank, half the rest were lazy or uninterested and the rest of us did our best to provide a decent level of care. I lasted 9 months before moving to my current job where I have a maximum of 6 babies and run a calm, organised room with plenty of cuddles for those who need it.

I would pop in, preferably unannounced and have a look at the babyroom in full swing. It's very easy to stage a nursery to look amazing when there's no children there. Go with your gut.

That's a big room, but I agree it's all in how it's run and managed. Definitely pop in.

I'd also ask how they manage the space in terms of different activities and different groups. A baby shouldn't be trying to bond with 7+ different members of staff, the toddlers need space to charge around, crawlers need space to crawl without being trampled, etc.

Equally, if it's well structured, it might work perfectly well and mean it's a lighter, airier space.

Thanks everyone. I took your advice to revisit and it was reassuring as the space felt expansive and calm. I feel more confident about the scale of the room now.

How big is the actual room? Ofsted expect 3.5 meters squared per child for under 2s

20 under 2s is a lot. The most I've had in a nursery is 18 and that was over 3 rooms in one ground floor building so 6 babies per room. These were set out with the top room being non walkers, the middle room and bottom room, walkers

There might not be 20 in all day every day though

Hi I know this is an old thread but I just wanted to ask what your experience was with the room capacity of 20 as we are looking at sending our child into a nursery with similar capacity in 1 room!

I would always ask if there is a fire how would they get them out? Are they upstairs in a building? How do they manage lunchtimes to ensure all babies are safely fed? It’s crazy to be putting so many babies and toddlers together in these rooms.

Hi @Spudtacular1000 , my DD is now 18 months, having started at the nursery in question at 12 months.

I can feed back that we have no regrets about our decision to stick with the nursery with the larger baby room. DD has settled in so well there and loves greeting the practitioners at morning drop off.

The biggest con, I reckon, is the amount of practitioners she’s had to bond with as they don’t really seem to commit strongly to the ‘key person’ concept. I know this is so important development-wise, but what I’ve witnessed is my DD growing in confidence socially; she seems to be thriving in the busy environment. I also realise that this is advantageous for when she moves up to another room (or if staff leave) as she’s not reliant on any one individual.

On that previous point of how busy the room is, I will say the room is extremely well-run (i.e. organised and calm from what I’ve seen) and they make good use of a large outdoor play area and other indoor spaces. So it really does depend on the individual nursery and how well you feel it is run.

The previous poster mentions concerns about fire safety and mealtimes: I have absolutely no additional concerns about these as they have the same adult:infant ratio as any other nursery. The space is safe, well-run and purpose built. I say that from the point of view of someone who has conducted primary school risk assessments as a teacher and senior leadership, so I am on board with the idea that safety and safeguarding is absolutely paramount when selecting somewhere for your LO to spend their time.

Every child and nursery setting is so unique. I think you can find out as much as you can in advance (even through talking to parents with children there now) and trust your instinct. It took my DD a few weeks to settle but it’s ultimately worked out great (and better than a friend I know who chose a smaller setting, who is going through minor issues with how her LO is cared for).

That is so reassuring to hear. Thank you so much for responding so thoroughly. We are leaning more towards a larger room with 20 children. But viewing it today it was really well run and didn't seem chaotic.

You’re welcome. I know how you feel as it’s such a big decision - good luck and I hope your LO settles well.

Thank you!