Questions to ask at nurseries when you go look.

[Libra1975]

I am going to see a nursery this afternoon as I am going back to work p-t when my LO is 6 months - what questions should I be asking them and what should I be looking out for? Good points? Danger signs?

Thanks.

What sort of food do they cook for the LOs - sample menus? Organic or not?
What's their policy on sugary items at mealtimes?
Where do the children sleep?
Do you follow their home routine or expect them to conform to the nursery routine?
Where do nappy changes happen, and what do you use on their bottoms?
Can I see the baby room and the toddler room?
What does the average nursery day look like, is there a routine?
Is there a garden? How often do they go out? Do they check it for animal poo? Do the babies and toddlers have separate areas?
Do they ever take them out on trips or outings?

I'm sure more will occur to me later!

oh yes, very important - do they have somewhere you can store expressed bm (don't know if you're still bf) or made up bottles of milk

thanks LMD

Look around. See what the kids look like - are they happy? Are the staff warm, friendly, attentive? Are there enough of the about the place? Go with your instincts. They can give you all the right answers, but it's how the place feels to you and whether you can imagine leaving your baby there that really matters.

enough of them

A good nursery shouldn't be storing bottles of formula (& should be able to store EBM) because the formula should be made fresh & used

Do they each have their own cot and how often is the bedding washed

Hi Libra, I have a childminder rather than a nusery, but something I would be interested in would be discipline - how do they deal with tantrums for example? I know that's a little early for A yet, but if he's going to be there through the terrible twos.... My cm and I have very similar ideas about what constitutes unacceptable behaviour, and how to deal with it.

Thanks for your responses

Hi Libra1975, I asked what the staff turnover was. Ratio of qualified staff to children. Late policy (we got charged £5.00 for every 15 or part thereoff minutes we were late) Seperate room for sleeping. Emergency contact policy. Hope this helps