Health and Safety: Ensuring Your Child’s Well-being in Nursery

As a parent, ensuring the well-being of your child in a nursery environment is paramount. Nurseries play a significant role in a child's early development, providing opportunities for social interaction, learning, and growth.

However, along with these benefits, it's essential to prioritise health and safety to create a nurturing environment for your little one. This guide aims to equip you with the knowledge and strategies to safeguard your child's health and safety while they're at nursery.

Nurseries are dynamic spaces where children engage in various activities, interact with peers, and explore their surroundings. Therefore, maintaining health and safety standards is crucial to prevent accidents, minimise the risk of illness, and ensure a secure environment for all children. This guide will cover key areas such as illness prevention, safety measures, emergency preparedness, and communication with nursery staff.

Preventing Illness in Nursery

One of the primary concerns for parents with children in nursery is preventing the spread of illnesses. It is often common for children who first start a nursery to begin to pick up colds due to being exposed to more germs than they have before. Children need to be exposed to these as it will help build their immune systems.  

How to keep your child protected:

• Ensure your child is up-to-date with vaccinations according to the recommended schedule
• Teach your child the importance of hand washing with soap and water, especially before meals and after using the bathroom.
• Encourage the use of tissues when sneezing or coughing, and teach them to dispose of tissues properly.

We encourage these habits everyday, by having tissues regularly available across the nursery, teaching the children how to properly wash their hands and how long they should be washing them for. A well-nourished child with good sleep habits is less susceptible to illnesses, At Fennies we allow children to sleep and rest depending on their individual routines. The nurseries have excellent facilities to support all children's sleep needs from cots, caracals and mats.

Nutrition and Hydration for Health:

Balanced nutrition and proper hydration are essential for your child's overall health and well-being:

1. Nutritious Foods: Include a variety of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and protein sources in your child's meals. Avoid sugary snacks and opt for healthier alternatives. While your child enjoys their time with us at Fennies they will be offered a wide range of nutritious foods to support their health.
2. Hydration: During the day it is important to provide your child with fresh water to keep them hydrated throughout the day. Limit sugary drinks and encourage water consumption.

The children at Fennies have access to their water bottles, throughout the day, these are kept at the child’s level so they can grab them whenever they need a drink. We ensure to promote independence and support children to understand the need to drink and stay hydrated. By preschool, the children are using cups and pouring their water with the great hand and eye coordination skills that they have developed.

We also work closely with registered nutritionists to create our nursery menus which provide healthy, nutritionally balanced meals that support your child’s needs as they grow. We actively teach children about the importance of a balanced lifestyle through healthy mealtime routines and nutritional education. Nursery Chefs use fresh high-quality ingredients and a mix of food groups to introduce children to the importance of a balanced lifestyle.

Safety Measures in the Nursery

Nurseries have to adhere to strict safety protocols to ensure the well-being of all children under their care. Some important safety measures include:

1. Child-Proofing: Ensure that furniture, toys, and equipment are age-appropriate and free from hazards such as sharp edges or small parts that could pose choking hazards. The safety of the furniture we use within Fennies is very important to us. Within all our settings we use community playthings furniture which is specifically designed for children and have been tried and tested over and over. Community playthings have designed their furniture with children in mind and have thought about all different safety features.
2. Safe Sleep Practices: Follow recommended guidelines for safe sleep, including placing infants on their backs to sleep and providing a firm mattress with no soft bedding or toys.
3. Outdoor Play Safety: We supervise all outdoor play activities and ensure the playground equipment is well-maintained and meets safety standards. We have robust outdoor play policies which ensure the safety of our children when transitioning and playing within the garden. All of our preschool rooms provide free-flow access allowing children to explore the outdoors throughout the day. Each of our gardens is designed specifically with children in mind. Working with a specialist early years company who designs bespoke garden furniture we ensure our gardens are the safest places for children to enjoy.

Dealing with Allergies

Allergies are a common concern for parents, and it's essential to communicate any allergies or dietary restrictions your child may have with nursery staff.

1. Communication: Provide detailed information about your child's allergies, including triggers, symptoms, and emergency procedures with the nursery.
2. Care Plan: Work with nursery staff to develop an action plan outlining steps to take in case of an allergic reaction. Ensure that all necessary medication is readily available and that staff members are trained to administer it if needed. Fennies have a robust procedure to ensure that children with allergies and dietary needs are cared for efficiently. This includes parents working alongside the key worker and manager to ensure that a clear understanding of any allergies or dietary needs are catered for. Within Fennies all food is freshly prepared on-site allowing us to cater for dietary needs, a clear care plan policy and open communication with parents to ensure any updates are communicated efficiently.

Emergency Preparedness

In the event of an emergency, it's crucial to be prepared and know how to respond effectively. As a nursery, we ensure to have clear guidelines and procedures to follow to ensure that in emergencies these and handled with care and minimal disruption to the children in our care including:

1. Evacuation Plans: The nurseries all have evacuation plans in place to ensure a smooth transition if this happens All staff are trained and prepared for these situations regularly.  The nursery will teach your child what to do in case of an evacuation and will hold regular drills so that they are prepared. The nursery will also bring in the emergency services for the children to meet and understand more about these roles. Allowing us to teach children about the roles of the emergency services will teach them about what to do if they ever find themselves in a situation similar at home.
2. Emergency Contacts: Provide up-to-date emergency contact information to the nursery, including phone numbers for parents, guardians, and other authorised individuals.

Accident Prevention and First Aid

Despite precautions, accidents can still happen. As a nursery, it is essential to take steps to prevent accidents and be prepared to administer first aid when necessary.

1. Prevention: Within Fennies staff Supervise children closely, especially during activities with potential risks. Keep hazardous items out of reach, and teach children about safety rules and boundaries. Risk assessments are created to ensure that we are minimising any potential risk. These risk assessments are shared with all staff. Time is taken to explain to the children the risks that come with an activity to help them think about the decisions they make.
2. First Aid Training: Within Fennies, we are passionate about ensuring our staff teams are trained in First Aid. We have an in-house trainer who ensures that we continue to offer training to our teams. We strive to have 100% of our team First aid trained to ensure that we can offer life-saving skills to any child who may need them.