Guess who was holding my baby when I went to collect him...

[Washersaurus]

The nursery chef ! He has been sat in the room before when I have been to collect DS2 from nursery, but today he was actually holding DS2 when I arrived. I'm not very happy about it tbh (he smokes aswell), how do I go about raising it with the nursery manager without upsetting everyone?

what's the problem exactly?

presumably as he works there he's cleared to work with children/come into contact with them?

I don't see why it's a problem unless he smells smoky.

also don't see the problem, as long as he wasn't actually smoking when he was holding her.

I don't see the problem, do you have any background or history with the chef?

But I pay a lot of money for someone with a childcare qualification to look after him. He is still settling in too - just seems a bit odd.

I wouldn't be bothered. In fact I think it's nice for children to have a bit of male contact (seems v rare in nurseries).

good point Littlelapin

I'm not hugely upset or worried, I would expect the chef to stay in the kitchen and for the nursery nurses etc to look after the children that is all.

The cook at DD's old nursery used to sit in with the children sometimes - they loved her and called her Auntie Mag.

They are CRB checked, the same as the staff. And I know they are not trained to work with children, but neither are some of the staff that are employed to work with the children at some nurseries.

As for the smoking - presumably if a chef he knows to wash his hands after smoking. I know smoke can stick to clothing etc etc, but I'm sure some of the staff smoke too. they can't legally refuse to employ smokers.

Well I wouldn't like it - he's not a qualified member of staff! Our nursery have a handy man that has been CRB checked and is around the place doing odd jobs but I wouldn't want him holding DS

and????

but he wasn't looking after him, he was holding him.

perhaps you would prefer he was left in a cot by himself while his key worker looked after one of the other two babies in their care?

A nursery with a chef? These are obviously circles far out of my reach.

But, unless iI'm missing something or he was letting your ds play with his cleaver or something I don't see the problem.

Washer - if it was a female chef, would you have felt the same?

I think it's quite nice for the chef to have some contact with the children he's feeding.

As pointed out, as long as he's CRB checked, an d as long as there are still the correct number of nursery workers still working, I don't see the problem.

Re: the smoking - I know he smokes because he does it in full view of anyone picking up/dropping off at the nursery. I really don't like the fact that the children SEE him doing it rather than merely the fact he smokes IYSWIM?

or is this because he is a man perhaps?

What a load of crap.

So Pussin everyone that holds you're ds must have been trained to look after children?

This is typical of the world we live in now.

How qualified do you have to be to hold a child?

The chef is the most popular person in my children's nursery. Children & staff adore him.

Not because he is a man, it is because I pay for a childcare 'professional' (well someone with an NVQ at least) to look after my children at the nursery/pre-school. I do not expect the kitchen/cleaning/gardening/maintenance staff to be helping out.

i thought you were going to say another child perhaps lol.

I pay a bunch of money every month to the nursery so as far as I am concerned, that gives me a good say in what goes on with my DS - and yes, that means someone qualified to pick him up. If I went to the vets with a pet, I wouldn't want the receptionist dealing with my pet so no different to a chef with the kids..