I was a nursery worker for 8 years but I will never send my baby to one - here's the pros and cons

Ex nursery worker Heather is now a stay-at-home mother and posts on TikTokREAD MORE: The celebrity mums who are cleaning up with baby bath ranges 

A former nursery worker has revealed why she would never send her own baby to one.

Heather, who shares videos on TikTok under the name Mummy and Me, quit her job of eight years to become a stay-at-home mother for her baby Esme.

And the British mother has now revealed the reasons she would never personally send her daughter to nursery.

‘Because of my experience I think this is why I have this opinion of not wanting to send my child to a nursery in her early years,’ Heather said in a recent video.

She then shared a follow up video outlining the pros and cons of sending your child to a nursery when they are young – saying her biggest red flag for nursery is the ratio of staff to babies.

Heather, who shares videos on TikTok under the name Mummy and Me, quit her job of eight years to become a stay at home mum for her baby Esme

Heather said: ‘I am for all the different childcares for different reasons, but there are pros and cons to them both.  Whether you have got to go to work or you can be at home, you’re all amazing.’

But for Heather, the cons of nursery outweigh the pros for her.

Her first concern when it comes to nursery is that you do not know the people looking after your children. She said while they will be qualified and DBS-checked, you don’t know their character.

Next on the list of negatives was that you do not know how other children are going to act around or treat your child, and thirdly she said the opening hours of nurseries can be difficult for some parents, as they are not open on weekends or late at night.

A ‘big one’ for Heather is late fees associated with nurseries and the general cost.

She said: ‘We had this when I worked at a nursery. If people turned up just that little bit late you get charged very very quickly, every five minutes.

‘And also if you come in early and you weren’t on that early session you are charged again so there’s lots of hidden fees if you are late.

‘For example if you are stuck in traffic and you are stuck for ages it can bulk up the prices.’

She added: ‘The price of nurseries are absolutely extortionate and it just shouldn’t be the case. People have to send their children to nursery and it should be made more affordable.’

Another major reason Heather does not want to send her daughter to nursery is that parents can miss out on milestones.

She said it ‘breaks my heart’ when parents miss their children walking or crawling for the first time.

‘Ratios is one of the bigger ones for me,’ Heather continued. ‘The ratios change for different ages. So babies are one to three, with one person looking after three babies – which if you have a baby we know it’s hard just to look after one.’

Lastly the final con of nursery for Heather is that going to nursery makes it harder for your baby to have a routine.

‘I am such a routine mum,’ she said. ‘Like the thought of my little girl not having a nap at a certain time and it putting everything out of proportion scares me a little bit too much.’

However it’s not all doom and gloom, as Heather began by discussing the benefits of sending your child to nursery.

Heather shared a follow up video outlining the pros and cons of sending your child to a nursery when they are young – saying her biggest red flag for nursery is the ratio of staff to babies

These included the artwork they will do and keepsakes they will be sent home with, as well as the time it gives parents to go to work or run errands.

She also said one of the big benefits of nursery is how much children learn by being around other children, the independence it gives them and the socialisation.

‘It helps them learn how to socialize and learn new words. Getting those relationships and building those bonds with other children their age is obviously so important for their overall development as well.’

Finally, another benefit of sending your children to nursery is that it helps build up their immune system, Heather said.

‘They will pick everything up when they first start nursery but then it will peak and it will just become normal and their immune system will be built up. It is quite amazing to watch.’