Last Updated on April 12, 2024

Putting your child in nursery can feel scary, especially if you don’t have any prior experience choosing a nursery, and therefore don’t know what to look for, what questions to ask, or what makes a good nursery.

I have two sons, and due to moving house or changing work situations, they’ve been in two nurseries each, so overtime I’ve had to find four different nurseries.

Moving nurseries has meant that I’ve learnt some things about choosing a nursery, as well as what questions to ask nursery staff, which I’m going to share here today so I can help anyone else who is about to start the nursery selection process.

The first thing you need to do when choosing a nursery is to create a nursery shortlist.

SHORTLIST NURSERIES YOU’RE INTERESTED IN

Before choosing a nursery for your child make a shortlist of 3-5 nurseries that you’re interested in, so you can focus your efforts on these nurseries.

Before deciding which nurseries to add to your shortlist, you need to have an idea of what you need from a nursery.

Here are some things to think about before adding a nursery to your shortlist.

Once you have answers to these things you can find nurseries that have meet your requirements, and add them to your shortlist.

NURSERY LOCATION

Do you want the nursery to be close to home or work?

My most recent experience with this has been with Thomas, who started nursery for the first time a couple of months ago at a nursery close to my work, which is 40 minutes away from home.

I’ve recently had to give notice to his nursery that he’ll be leaving, as I’ve found a nursery close to home instead.

The reason for the move was because my other son Ryan is at school, which means during school holidays, or when I’m on leave from work, driving Thomas 40 minutes to nursery doesn’t make sense.

Plus, having his nursery near work means that sometimes I pick Thomas up before he has his dinner, which makes for a very grumpy car ride home.

DOES THE NURSERY NEED TO BE OPEN DURING SCHOOL HOLIDAYS?

Some nurseries are closed during the school holidays, so if you need your child to go to nursery for the entire year make sure the nursery you add to your shortlist is open all year round.

This means a nursery operates for 51 weeks of the year as they close over Christmas.

WHAT DAYS AND HOURS DO YOU NEED?

Knowing what days you need your child to go to nursery and when you’d like them to start allows a nursery to tell you whether or not they have availability when you need it.

You’ll also need to know if you want your child to go to nursery for full days or half days.

Most nurseries have a requirement of a minimum two full days, or four half days attendance. Half days are either AM or PM sessions, usually 8am-1pm or 1pm-6pm.

Standard hours at most nurseries are 8am – 6pm and most can take your child before or after these times for an extra fee.

In terms of start dates, some nurseries take the majority of their enrolments in August / September when children start moving into other rooms.

WHAT DO YOU WANT THE NURSERY TO SUPPLY AND HOW MUCH DO YOU WANT TO PAY?

Some nurseries provide nappies and wipes and some don’t, some provide meals as part of their fee, some charge extra for meals.

Deciding whether these types of things are important or not can influence how much you pay.

Once you’ve made decisions on all of these things, visit websites of nurseries in the location you want and see how closely they match the requirements that you have.

Make sure you also look at their photo galleries, virtual tour (if they have one) and any social media accounts.

Any nursery that matches what you need as close as possible should be on your shortlist.

EMAIL THE NURSERIES ON YOUR SHORTLIST

Once you’re happy with your shortlist it’s time to email the nurseries and ask if they have availabilities on the days you need and at the time you need them, what their fees are, and if you can book in a nursery viewing.

If for any reason the nursery isn’t able to book you in for a viewing ask if they can give you a virtual viewing themselves as they walk around the nursery, so you can compare the actual nursery to any online virtual tour they may have.

However, if you are able to have an in person nursery viewing, here are some things to look for.

THINGS TO LOOK FOR DURING A NURSERY VIEWING

Some things to look for during a nursery viewing to help you decide if the nursery is right for you include:

• Are you greeted in a friendly manner?
• Is the interior bright?
• Are there age appropriate toys in the room your child will be in?
• Is there enough space for children to move around?
• Are there areas for messy play and relaxation?
• Do the children look happy?
• Are staff members playing with the children?
• What is the nap area like?
• What are the toilet training facilities like?
• Is there an area for their bags and belongings?
• Is there an outdoor area suitable for the age of your child?
• Is the nursery secure?
• What is the parking situation? If there’s no parking onsite is there parking nearby?

QUESTIONS TO ASK DURING A NURSERY VIEWING

Here are some questions that you can ask during a nursery viewing, or email to the nursery after the viewing:

• How secure is drop off and pick up? Does anyone who needs to pick up your child need special permission?
• Do you get emailed weekly menus?
• Can they cater for your child’s dietary requirements?
• What qualifications do staff have? Are they DBS checked?
• If your child has medical needs can they be met?
• What’s the ratio of children to staff? As a guide it’s usually three babies to one staff member, four 2 year olds to one staff member, and eight 3-4 year olds per one staff member
• Do they mix rooms? For example, I once went to a nursery viewing where children up to four years old were in the baby room due to it being a quiet day. If Thomas was there at that time he would have been jumped on
• How much outdoor time do children get?
• How do you find out about your child’s day? Do you find out verbally or on an app?
• Can the nursery support any behavioural activities you do at home?
• What happens if your child becomes ill?
• What’s the settling in process?

If you’re still unsure about a nursery after your viewing and after receiving answers to any questions you may have, you can look at the nursery’s Ofsted report or search online for parent recommendations.

I often tend to go with my instinct on a nursery. If the nursery replies to my emails quickly and I like the way the nursery looks when I view it then that will determine whether or not I’m happy to send my child there. Sometimes our intuition is better than all the online research we may spend time on.

Once you’re happy that a nursery has satisfied as many of your concerns as possible, and you have a good feeling about the appearance and safety of the nursery, then you can enrol your child there

I hope this post has provided you with some guidance on what to look for, and what questions to ask when choosing a nursery for your child, so you can feel as confident as possible with your nursery choice.

What’s the most important thing you want in a nursery?
I’d love to hear what it is in the comments section below.