What do you look for in a nursery?

[lovingpickles]

Looking at local nurseries for DS (7mo). What things should I be looking for in particular?

That the staff are happy and are attentive to your DC even on a visit. This is what really swung the nursery we chose for us, the enthusiasm of the staff and obvious passion for the job.
Ask what the staff turnover is, how they help your child adjust to nursery life and also how they report development and keep parents involved. As an example my DDs nursery had a grandparents picnic one afternoon with messy play. Great fun!

I second the staff - are they trained/in training for a related qualification, i.e. are they doing it because they want to be in childcare or because it's a job that pays the bills. Also, what's the staff to child ratio, and how big are the class sizes (may be less of an issue at 7mo, we moved nurseries recently and went from class of 12 to class of 30 and 18mo DD found that a bit daunting.)

Does it smell clean and look clean. If yes that means it is clean. If not it is dirty.

Sounds silly but thinking back to our DSs nursery days this was a sure sign. Somebody cutting corners or bad managers will let cleaning slide.

As well as the suggestions above, I would also ask to see a copy of their most recent Care Standards report (you are legally entitled to read it) & also if they have completed a quality assurance accreditation of some sort e.g. National Day Nurseries Association, Basic Skills Agency etc.