Welcome to the baby room
We are very aware that it may be the first time you have left your baby in someone else’s care and we want to reassure you that we understand this can be a worrying and upsetting time for you. Please don’t feel embarrassed if you feel upset and you are welcome to ring and enquire about your baby as often as you wish.
We love to give all babies plenty of individual attention within a safe and secure environment and hope that your baby will have a very happy start to nursery life whilst in the baby room.
During the first few weeks of your baby's time in nursery we fit in with his/her own daily routine, howeverwe usually find that he/she will gradually move into the nursery routine. At the end of each day you have a daily chart to take home which tells you what your baby has eaten, how many bottles, how much sleep he/she has had and how many nappies your baby has used. We also give you an individual message book for you to inform the staff of anything you wish them to know about your baby on a daily basis e.g. times of their last feed and nappy change or any problems e.g. not slept well, teething etc.
The 6 ladies that look after babies throughout the week are:
Tracy- loves cuddles and playtime on the carpet,
Gemma- takes pleasure in sharing books and reading stories,
Nichola-her favourite time of the day is activity time,
Kelly- likes to provide messy activities, her favorite is painting
Hollie- really enjoys joining in with play in the home corner, providing sensory activities and going outside to play.
Jenine -who also loves cuddles and playtime on the carpet
Hannah- likes to play with the table toys joining in imaginary play
Victoria- likes to put on some music and sing and dance
Each baby has 2 members of staff as their key persons who especially watch over them. On the wall outside the baby room you will find three sunflowers with photographs of all our babies in their key person’s groups. The key persons compile an individual ‘learning journey’ book of observations, photos and artwork recording the child’s development and progression.
Just inside our room, which has two areas and iscosy, bright and colourful, you will find your baby’s named coat peg, where their coat and nursery bag stay.
The smaller area of the room is for the younger babies and the larger is for the tweenies who are more mobile. We have the flexibility to change which areas of the room we use for the children by moving the dividing units and sometimes, when our numbers are low, we are able to join the older and younger babies and they play happily together. We keep the baby room as sterile and hygienic an environment as possible to help keep your baby healthy. All cutlery, toys etc. are sterilized after each use.
We have toys to stimulate all areas of learning and development in a fun and pleasurable way. The toys, which are changed daily, are out all day so that the children get the chance to play with them for as long as they wish. The children can also easily access other toys if they want to choose something different to play with. We spend a lot of time talking to the babies to develop early listening and language skills and we play with them using a variety of toys to encourage them to develop control over their bodies and to be alert and interested. We include two sensory activities each day (water, sand, painting, corn flour, paper play, pasta) and have a different treasure basket out each week for the babies to explore and play with (stainless steel, wood, material, balls, soft toys).
When the weather is nice we try to take the babies outside onto the grassed area opposite the baby room door. We have a variety of outdoor toys and we also take indoor toys with us for the children that love to sit and play. We have several buggies for the less mobile babies so they can also get out and enjoy the different surroundings.
At mealtimes your child receives as much help as needed whilst encouraging them to be as independent as they are able. We are happy to cater for breast-fed babies and have the facilities to freeze small quantities of expressed milk. If bottle-feeding, you will need to provide sterile bottles and your choice of formula milk. Parents are more than welcome to come into nursery to bottle or breast-feed their baby if they wish and are able to.
When your baby is ready to be weaned onto solid food we will work alongside you through the various stages. We provide pureed food when your baby first starts weaning and then as your baby progresses we introduce greater varieties of tastes and textures, gradually introducing mashed and then chopped foods. Babies first being weaned sit in baby rocker chairs before progressing to our highchairs and then to our cabin chairs at the table. We provide breakfast cereal for those babies in before 8.30am unless they have already eaten breakfast at home. As well as lunch, which is at 12 noon, we have snack times each morning and afternoon. For snacks we offer a variety of different fruit and vegetables for the babies to try, along with a drink of milk or water.
In nursery most babies usually have their longer sleep after lunch however, your baby may have as many sleep times as they need or you wish. They sleep in the room on a cot mattress, with their own labeled sheet and blanket which we provide for them.
The children’s nappiesare checked frequently and changed throughout the day according to their individual need. We provide biodegradable nappies, and record each time your baby has a nappy change so you only pay for the number of nappies used. Sometimes babies’ bottoms become sore especially if they are teething or on medication etc, so please provide a small tub of cream for us to use (e.g. sudocrem) labeled with your baby’s name.
Young children, especially under three year olds, can quickly and for no apparent reason develop a high temperature. Febrile seizures (fits) can occur in children when they have a fever (a temperature of 38°C /101°F or above), usually when the fever is in its early stages. The seizure can often happen before you realise your child is ill and can occur as a result of an infection or inflammation. Although not common they are not particularly rare either. For this reason we ask you to provide two named sachets of Calpol for us to administer should your child have a temperature, however following nursery policy we will only give calpol for up to three consecutive days without consent from the doctor. If you think we may need to administer Calpol on a particular day, you can ask us to do this by signing a permission form. It is important that we can always reach you to obtain permission to administer Calpol or let you know if your baby becomes too ill to stay at nursery If you are not on your usual phonenumbers you must leave a number for that day or a contact who will be able to reach you if you are in a meeting.
To help us to ensure your baby stays comfortable throughout the day we ask you to put a couple of changes of clothes in your nursery bag along withany comforters they usually use e.g. dummy, soft cloth, special soft toy.
We all have your baby’s best interests at heart so if you have any concerns or queries, please talk to us about them. All baby room staff are available to chat to for advice or support. Similarly if there are any instructions you would like to give us regarding your baby or would like us to know anything at all please do not hesitate to say. If you should wish, a suitable time can be arranged for you to discuss in depth your baby’s development and any queries or concerns. We want to work in partnership with you, to ensure that your baby has a very happy time in the nursery.
A couple comments from parents of babies in our room
“Benjamin has been at nursery for six months now and he loves it. His legs jiggle in excitement when we walk up to the front door and he smiles when we say he’s “going to see the ladies”. All the staff have been helpful and friendly, helping both Ben and us, as parents settle into a new routine with remarkable ease” Matthew Cunningham
“It is never easy to leave your baby with someone else, the baby room staff really do provide the care and attention that you hope they will while you are away. If you are ever worried about your baby, the nursery staff really don’t mind you ringing to find out how your little one is doing. I never feel I have to worry about Charlotte or Natalie when they are at nursery. I always know they are safe and happy and I can concentrate on my own tasks for the day.” Gill Clarke
A check list you may find useful for home,
What to remember at home
Spare clothesx2
Cup and drinks
Bottle/s
Formula
Dummies/ other comforters
Message book
Replacement labels
Put on sun cream
What to remember on arrival
Leave items for members of staff on unit
Discuss any messages
Sign in
Say goodbye
What to remember on collection
Check all items are in bag
Speak to staff
Collect chart
Sign out
Our daily routine
8.00 Free play.
8.15 Breakfast.
8.30 Free play with interactive materials.
9.30 Divide babies and tweenies.
9.45 Snack time.
10.00 Morning sleep time.
10.30 Adult led / sensory activities.
11.30 Drinks time.
11.40 Tidy away time.
12.00 Lunch time.
12.45 Sleep time.
2.00 Free play with interactive materials.
2.15 Drinks time
2.30 Adult led /sensory activities.
3.00 Snack time.
3.30 Free play with interactive materials.
4.15 Tidy away time.
4.30 Move through to join toddler room.
4.45 Tea time.
5.30 Move to join green room.
6.00 Nursery closes.