I used to work in a nursery - here are red flags you should look out for

An ex-nursery worker has shared the red flags that she thinks parents should look out for when choosing a nursery for their child. Heather, a mother-of-one from Lancashire, shared a list of 'concerns' for others to watch out for and warned that parents should decline places if they spot any. The stay-at-home mother, who formerly worked in a nursery for 'seven to eight years', advised parents to watch out for things like dirty nappy-changing stations and overall hygiene while visiting prospective nurseries.

Speaking on TikTok, she also advised parents to 'know everything about staff members' and to observe them to see if they were patient with the youngsters and 'not rough'. 'When you're looking at nurseries these are definitely things you should look out for as a concern to not choose that nursery', claimed Heather. The content creator - who is a mother to a two-year-old daughter - appeared to be seated at home in her bedroom and spoke directly to the camera as she revealed her tips. Heather said, 'Number one would be to make sure the hygiene conditions are top notch. View the nappy-changing stations, view the toilet, and have a really good nosy and look round'.

She explained that if the environment looked poor during a scheduled visit, it's more than likely that the nursery will look far worse when parents aren't present. 'It should be top notch' she added. 'Your child is being looked after in their [staff's] care so hygiene should be up there'. According to Heather, this was one of the most important clues to the type of setting a parent would be leaving their child in.

Next, she warned of inconsistent staff or better put 'a high turnover of staff', and said it was paramount that parents and guardians should enquire about their working history and even their qualifications. She added that if the nursery employed more unqualified staff than qualified, this would be a major concern for her. 'You want to know everything about the people that may potentially be looking after your children,’ said Heather.

Her third point centred on 'staff interaction' - such as how the staff interacted with each other, as well as their overall demeanour when around children. 'Also, [you need to know] if they are patient or rough. You can see from the environment how good a staff member is. 'Make sure you are looking out and watching what is going on when you are viewing a nursery'. Heather then discussed policies, saying that a good nursery should have 'clear policies in place'.

'You want to ask to see the policies' she advised, adding, 'You want to see what is in place for absolutely everything. Policies cover everything when it comes to nurseries. They should have some really strong policies in place'. Heather's last red flag was about openness versus 'reluctance’ and noted that staff should be happy to answer any questions asked and even go into detail. 'When you're viewing a nursery and you've got all these questions and they're not able to answer it in a professional and correct way - that is definitely a red flag for me,' she concluded.

It comes after a UK-based teacher, who goes by @ready.for.baby on TikTok , revealed the names parents should avoid if they want their child to have a rare moniker. The content creator and nursery teacher based her choices on the names that frequently pop up in her classroom. She said, 'I hear names all the time that I just know the parent has used to try and find a unique and different name, and I love that. But the same ones are becoming more and more popular,' she said.

'If you love the name, go ahead and use it. But if you're using it to be completely different, you might want to have a rethink, because these names are becoming a lot more popular than you think. Starting with girls' names, the nursery teacher revealed that Willow, Nova and Ivy have become increasingly popular. She said that, at one time, the names were uncommon, but they have since popped up numerous times on her register. The content creator said, 'I hadn't really heard of anyone using these until recently. But over the past couple of years I feel like the use of these has really shot up. So, if you want something completely different, you might want to have a little bit of a rethink.'

Meanwhile, for boys, she picked three modern monikers that appear to have entered the mainstream. She suggested parents should consider avoiding Indie or Eden, and said she had also heard the latter used for girls. Additionally, she has witnessed multiple children with the names Teddy and Beau in her class. 'Beau, especially, I feel like, is becoming really popular at the moment. So, if you love these names, go ahead and use them. 'But if you're using them thinking they're going to be the only one in the school or the only one in their class, they might not be. So, you might want to have a look at some different names.'