A day in the life of a nursery nurse

Twenty-one-year old Sophie Allen, a nursery nurse level 3 NVQ, had always wanted to work with children as long as she can remember. Here she talks about what the job is like.

What is your job?

"I started as an apprentice when I left college, where I studied sport for two years, but I’ve been qualified now for a year or so and until recently I was working in the Baby Room (which takes care of babies from around the age of 3 months to one and a half years) at a Kiddi Caru nursery (part of the Childcare Corporation) in Basingstoke."

What is a typical day like?

"No two days are the same when you’re with small children. The earliest that we take in babies is at 7.30am, but we all work on a rotating shift system so sometimes work starts later at 8.30am. We can take care of up to 12 babies at a time and one nurse looks after one to three babies."

Is there a routine you have to follow?

"We base the day around each baby’s home routine, but basically the day is divided up into meals, play and rests, and we always try to fit in a trip outside to the garden at around 10am so that everyone gets some fresh air.

"If I get in at 7.15am, I spend time catching up with the parents when they bring their baby in asking how the child has been the night before, or the weekend before if it’s a Monday. We set great store here on focussing on the individual needs of the child – and are always talking to parents about their child’s routine and how they are doing.

"At the same time as this, I’ll be helping set up the room and get the breakfast table laid. Once I’ve helped with encouraging the babies to eat their breakfast – which can be anything from milk to pureed food if the baby is being weaned – we have a little free play which might be a few minutes of finger painting or perhaps letting the baby chose a toy to play with. Of all the toys, babies – or at least the ones I’ve looked after – seem to love the telephones, balls and musical instruments.

"Throughout the day we do regular nappy checks and changes. At about 10am we have snack time and milk time before we go out into the garden perhaps to look at the flowers or feel the sand in the sand pit. All the meals are prepared by a chef – and lunch starts at around 11.30am -- after lunch it’s sleep time and all the babies tend to sleep till around 2-3 pm – although this depends on their individual routines -- then we might do some quiet activities playing with toys before story time.

"Most of the babies leave at about 5pm but if they are staying on till later we might go to the sensory room – which they love-- where there is a bean bag, sponges,and a tube with bubbles that change colour when a button is pressed."

Which part of the day do you most look forward to?

"I really like garden time – when all the children and babies go out together – it’s lovely to see all the different ages together. And It’s really nice when older siblings come over to see how their baby brother or sister is doing."

What is the most rewarding part of your day?

“There are rewarding moments throughout the day – a baby in my care might make a new sound or take their first step and it’s wonderful. What I also like is that not only are you helping a child develop but you are building up a relationship with the parents as well. The job satisfaction is enormous."