Nursery Equipment: Routines - Sweet dreams

Early years settings have a vital role to play in providing an environment in which children can achieve emotional and physical well-being by getting the quota of sleep they need during a busy day.

Commitment card EE 3.3 - The Learning Environment covers the importance of the emotional environment, while the Welfare Requirements place a duty on settings to provide space for children who wish to relax, play quietly or sleep, and state this must be appropriately equipped and furnished.

Cosy corners and soft areas are as important as dedicated sleep rooms and allow children to have what child psychologist Jennie Lindon describes as 'peaceable times'.

'Providing for sleep is about placing nurture and care at the centre of good practice,' she says. 'All children will need a rest or a nap at some point in the day and this is essential to support well-being. Cosy areas will enable children to have restful moments as part of the flow of their day.'

A priority is to make the environment as homely as possible and find out from parents about a child's routines. Discussion of sleep routines may require sensitivity.

'A key person may sometimes need to have a careful conversation with parents about preferred sleep routines,' says Ms Lindon. 'A good partnership will ensure that the child's needs come first, and allow for that child to sleep in nursery when he or she needs to.'

SLEEPING

Cots and blankets

Traditional blankets and sheets and wooden drop-side cots are enjoying a revival. At Warwick University Nursery, which now occupies brand new, purpose-built premises on campus, manager Debra Castle says that these do not have to be expensive.

'We bought drop-side cots and fitted sheets from Mothercare because they were the best value I could find. We cover babies in a flat sheet, and if necessary a light blanket. These blankets are fleece throws, cut in half, that were on special offer at a local homeware store.

'The very young babies may sleep in sleep bags, which are available from Mothercare and Boots, or anywhere that sells baby clothes. We find these are better for babies who wriggle about a lot when they are sleeping.'

Caroline Johnson, proprietor of Stables Daycare and Holborough Day Nursery in Kent, has recently changed from travel cots to wooden ones, supplied by Community Playthings.

'These are sturdy and secure. They are also on wheels and can be easily moved,' she says. 'We have two sleep rooms - one for babies from three months to 16 months, which has five cots in it, and a toddler sleep room for children from 14 months up, which has six cots in it. Our priorities in our sleep rooms are temperature, comfort, a sense of calm, gentle lighting and security and safety.'

In equipping its sleep rooms, an important consideration for Norbreck Happy Days Nursery in Lancashire was to source eco-friendly furniture, in line with its green credentials.

Manager Corinne Snowden says, 'After a lot of research we bought rubberwood cots from John Lewis, which are sturdier than other woods and are environmentally friendly.

'We use anti-allergenic foam mattresses, which are covered by a plastic layer and can be easily cleaned. When children get to age two they can sleep in one of our beds, which are on plastic frames and are bought from local nursery stock supplier Yorkshire Purchasing.'

She adds, 'Each child has their own bed linen and covers, which add to their sense of security.'

Flexible sleeping

Babies and young children will have different preferences when it comes to sleep and may not always want to go in a traditional cot.

Some babies prefer to sleep on demand and like to find a cosy quiet corner where they can curl up in a 'dog basket' style bed or bean bag. Others like to have a cuddle in the arms of a familiar adult - for this reason the Busy Bears Nursery in Durham has recently invested in rocking chairs for its under-twos sleep rooms. Proprietor Emma Graham says, 'These are lovely for babies to snuggle in with their key person, and parents can also use them for breastfeeding.'

Busy Bears has an array of sleep spaces within its learning areas, which include sleeping bags, cosy blankets and cushion areas. Ms Graham says, 'We are fortunate in that we have the space to create cosy corners in the learning areas and also have separate sleep rooms. The sleep areas are extremely homely with soft furnishings and are themed, such as by black and white. We have soft lighting and music, and we have recently switched our attention to the decor looking up, attaching decorations to the ceilings.'

Busy Bears' youngest babies sleep in swing cots in a room that accommodates nine children. In the room for 15-month-olds to two-year-olds, there are only two cots, but there are mattresses for up to 20 children.

'It is a bit like a scene from ten in a bed; after lunch the majority of children will cuddle up to one another to sleep,' says Ms Graham. 'It is the same story in the twoto three-year-olds room, where the sleep area is a deep sea den that offers free-flow access for those children who might become tired during the day and just nip down for 40 winks.'

Home from home

In line with the Welfare Requirements, it is important that babies' sleep is carefully monitored, and often this will be recorded on a wall chart. Staff generally check babies every ten minutes and record their observations.

A well-resourced environment, combined with these routines, helps to cement partnerships with parents.

Ms Castle says, 'When we first admit a baby or child, we spend a lot of time talking to parents about their home routines, especially around sleep. We use this information to inform our care. For example, if a parent rocks a baby to sleep before putting them in a cot or puts them in a sleep bag, we do the same thing.

'We have one child who always naps on the sofa at home and as we don't have a sofa we make him a little nest of bean bags in a quiet corner and he drops off there.

'Children are relaxed when their home routines are mirrored in nursery, and it is much easier for everybody. Of course, if the children are used to sleeping with a comforter of some sort, we let them have that too.'

EATING

The best eating environments for babies and toddlers use low-level furniture, which allows them to easily make contact with other children and members of staff. Small babies are usually fed by their key person or a familiar member of staff in a comfortable armchair, making the experience as close to home as possible.

Older babies will enjoy being fed on demand in low chairs with a tray attachment, or at a table alongside other adults, babies and toddlers, depending on their routine.

This arrangement is ideal at the weaning stage because it allows children to experiment with food, and they will recognise having their own spoon and bowl.

At Warwick University Nursery, Ms Castle says, 'We don't have a separate dining room, so the children eat in their playrooms. They sit in small groups with their key person and the food is served at the table so that the children can make choices about what they have and how much.'

Ms Castle says the under-threes have the correct-size cutlery, plates and cups for their age and ability. 'We try to make mealtimes as sociable as possible. Throughout the nursery we have used Community Playthings tables and chairs, ensuring that we have the most suitable chairs for the baby's age and stage.

'In the baby room we use the same brand's Mealtime chairs with trays. We really like these; they are strong and sturdy as well as being easy to keep clean.

'The slightly older babies use Me-do-it chairs and MultiTables, which are adjusted to fit. The toddlers use Childshape chairs and tables with adjustable legs.'

Ms Castle says that the adjustability factor is really useful because if children are seated at furniture that fits them comfortably, they are more likely to view mealtimes as a relaxed and social event.

'The right-sized tables and chairs also encourage independence,' she says. 'Today I watched as one child, who is 18 months old, climbed into the chair unaided and made herself comfortable when she saw dinner had arrived.'

Points to consider

• Low chairs and tables enable babies and toddlers to watch and communicate with those around them.

• Buy age-appropriate plates and cutlery that are easy to clean.

• Every baby should have a diary that records what is eaten and drunk during the day, and is given to parents.

• Share the details of your menus with parents and talk about the range of produce offered.

Best buys

- MultiTables (from £120) from Community Playthings (www.communityplaythings.co.uk). Strong and light low-level tables that come with either solid wooden or adjustable legs.

- The Steadycup (£1.99) is a sturdy weaning cup from SteadyCo (www.steadyco.com) available in a range of bright colours.

CHANGING

Changing time is when babies come into close contact with their key person and familiar staff, and the area's design and resources should promote this.

Well-organised storage to house babies' changing materials is a priority, while nappies should be hygienically disposed of in a unit supplied by a commercial organisation and emptied at regular intervals. Staff must adhere to a written nappy change procedure and wear aprons and disposable gloves. Changing mats should be wiped down and sprayed after every change.

Warwick University Nursery's Ms Castle says, 'When we moved into our new building we looked into the possibility of providing cotton nappies for all the children, but the cost of the quantity we needed was too prohibitive, and I also had concerns about the volume of laundry it would generate.

'Parents bring in their own nappies; some use "real" nappies and bring in enough for us to wash the soiled ones in our laundry, so we have a constant supply. With the disposables, each changing room has a sealed disposal unit that is emptied into bins outside the nursery when it is full or at the end of the day.

'This is then collected once a week by the company the university has contracted for the collection of all washroom waste.'

The nursery's three changing rooms are all accessed directly from the playrooms.

'One is shared between the babies and the younger toddlers; one is used by the older toddlers and the third is shared by the two-to-threes pre-school rooms,' she says. 'They all have two changing stations set into the work surface with cupboards below and a washbasin. There are also more cupboards above the changing areas so that everything the staff need is close to hand.'

Ms Castle adds, 'The bathroom between the two-to-threes playroom also has toilet cubicles, one of which is large enough to accommodate a child in an electric wheelchair and two carers if necessary. There is also space for a number of potties, away from the area in front of the washbasins.

'We have tried to make these areas as bright and attractive as possible, while at the same time easy to clean.

'The cupboards help to keep the areas tidy and there are lots of pictures and mobiles to interest children at different ages.'

Points to consider

• A separate nappy changing area needs to be a warm, private and comfortable space for babies and adults.

• Provide a stool so older toddlers can be helped to climb on the changing tables themselves.

• Changing areas should include enough storage to ensure that everything for changing is within easy reach.

• Agree procedures for changing and the disposal of soiled nappies.

• Consider the pros and cons of using reusable nappies, and support parents who wish to use them. The Real Nappy Campaign offers tips on using real nappies in nurseries www.realnappycampaign.com.

Best buys

• Curved changing mat (£26) from Wesco (www.wesco-group.com) - comes in five bright colours and is curved for safety. Wesco also sells made-to-measure changing mats.

• Large Tommee Tippee Nappy Wrapper (£44.99) - hygienic nappy disposal system for up to 40 nappies (www.tommeetippee.co.uk).

RESOURCES BOX

• Changing tables with steps, mealtime chairs and other equipment are available from Community Playthings (www.communityplaythings.co.uk)

• Similar equipment is also available from NES Arnold (www.nesarnold.com)

• Accessories such as lights, cushions and beanbags are available from Ikea (www.ikea.com)

• General baby equipment is available from the Consortium (www.theconsortium.co.uk) and Babies R US (www.babiesrus.co.uk)

• Mothercare sells nursery bedding, baby sleeping bags, cots, duvets and blankets (www.mothercare.com), and beds and cots are available from Boots (www.boots.com)

• Stacking cots from Shanticot (www.shanticot.co.uk)

- Wooden cots from John Lewis (www.johnlewis.com)