Duckling Room

Are you feeling a little nervous about leaving your “little one” for the first time? You’re not alone and you’re in safe hands. At KingsWood, we have years of experience supporting families through this important milestone, always with warmth, reassurance, and plenty of care.

Claire, our Under 2s Coordinator, has been caring for babies at KingsWood for over 22 years and is a mum of four herself. She leads a dedicated, nurturing team who understand just how important these early experiences are, for both you and your child.

We offer stay-and-play settling sessions, giving you the opportunity to spend time in the setting, get to know the team, and share important information about your child’s routines, preferences, and care needs. We work closely in partnership with you to ensure your baby’s care is tailored to reflect home routines as much as possible.

Care Tailored to Your Baby

In line with the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) Statutory Framework, we provide:

• Individual care routines, including feeding, sleeping, and comfort needs
• A consistent key person to support attachment and emotional security
• Close supervision and responsive interactions to support early development
• At KingsWood Nursery, we work closely in partnership with families to ensure your baby’s routines are safe, consistent, and in line with current guidance. We understand how important these early routines are and aim to mirror home practices wherever possible, while supporting best practice for safety and wellbeing.

Safe Sleep

Your baby’s safety is our highest priority. We follow current safe sleep guidance in line with EYFS requirements:

• Babies sleep in cots. If children fall asleep on our forest walks in pushchairs, we place sleeping children into cots on our return. 
• If babies fall asleep on practitioners we place babies into cots.  
• Sleep routines follow your baby’s individual needs and home patterns
• Babies are placed on their backs to sleep, unless otherwise advised
• Regular checks are carried out and recorded
• Sleep environments are calm, safe, and closely supervised

Milk & Feeding

• Formula milk and bottles are provided from home, ensuring consistency with your baby’s usual routine
• All formula tins must arrive sealed and clearly labelled
• Once opened, tins will be dated, stored appropriately, and returned home within recommended timeframes in line with guidance
• We use a Perfect Prep machine to prepare bottles safely and efficiently
• All bottles and feeding equipment are cleaned and sterilised using our on-site sterilising systems

For families providing breast milk:

• Milk must be clearly labelled with your child’s name and date
• It is stored safely in line with guidance (refrigerated or frozen as required)
• Milk is handled, prepared, and warmed carefully following strict hygiene procedures

Comfort & Dummies

We recognise that comfort is essential for babies, particularly during transitions:

• Dummies are welcome; however, we encourage their use primarily at sleep times to support communication and language development during the day
• Comforters and familiar items from home are always welcomed to help your child feel secure, however safe sleep guidance does not allow babies to have comforters with them in a cot.  

Nappy Changing 

We maintain the highest standards of hygiene and care during nappy changing:

• Nappy changes are carried out as frequently as needed
• Staff follow strict hygiene procedures, including the use of gloves, aprons, and thorough cleaning routines
• Children’s dignity and comfort are always respected

Parents provide nappies and wipes from home, which can either be stored at nursery or brought in your child’s bag each session.

Supporting Smooth Transitions

To help your child settle confidently into nursery life, we gently encourage families to support the following before starting:

• Supporting your baby to take a bottle from another trusted adult, not just their main carer
• Encouraging your child to become familiar with sleeping in a cot, rather than co-sleeping or sleeping in car seats or other equipment not recommended for routine sleep
• Establishing simple, consistent routines where possible

These small steps can make a big difference in helping your little one feel secure, settled, and ready to thrive in their new environment.

At KingsWood, we approach feeding, comfort, and sleep with care, professionalism, and sensitivity, ensuring every baby feels safe, nurtured, and supported every step of the way.

Working in Partnership with You

We know how important it is for you to feel connected and reassured throughout the day:

• You are always welcome to call us for updates
• We share communication and updates about your baby’s day at the end of each session verbally, as well as completing entries in your child's "My Story Book" each day
• With your permission, we share special moments via our closed communication channels

At the end of each day, your baby’s “My Story Book” comes home with them. This captures their experiences through photos and observations, celebrating their achievements and giving you a window into their day. These shared moments help you feel reassured that your child is safe, happy, and thriving in a loving environment.

Whether you’re heading to work, an appointment, or simply taking some time for yourself, you can feel confident that your baby is being cared for with warmth, professionalism, and genuine affection, building strong foundations for their future learning and development.

The Story Books are a lovely keepsake, and hold photographs and written memories including mile stones reached of your babies early years.

Parents/carers are encouraged to add in their own photographs from home and add little notes of their babies development. In a few years you will look back at the photographs and read the wonderful tales and the development miles that are recorded in your babies story book with a smile and fondness!

Sleep times will be different for every child and we follow home routines where possible. We have a spacious sleep room at KingsWood where children can rest peacefully with sleep checks done routinely. We have moses baskets for our tiny ones. Each child has a clean cot sheet, and it will only be used by your child. All baby linen is washed daily. You may wish to bring in a home comforter for your little one, such as a teddy bear, dummy or blanket. You may even provide pyjamas for sleep time for that cosy, homely feeling. Powder milk is provided from home, where as cows milk is provided by nursery.

Your child is invited to eat our meals if they are at that stage in development. All our foods are included in the set price.

Nappy changes will be as frequent as required. Please supply nappies and wipes in your child’s bag every session.

Due to being a small nursery we strongly recommend you reserve a cosy spot for your little one today. 

Give us a call and come for a little meet and greet as we wander around indoors and out 01425 656451.