safeguarding Archives - Leaps & Bounds Day Nursery

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Hygiene and safety around food preparation is important to everyone’s health and wellbeing. However, it’s even more important for babies, infants and toddlers. At this age they are fragile and have low resilience against bacteria, toxins and potential food poisoning. The fall-out from poor standards around food preparation could therefore make little ones very ill or, in the worst cases, even prove fatal. With that in mind, today’s article outlines ways that parents/guardians of children can take appropriate precautions when preparing and serving food to little ones.

Hygiene in the Kitchen

It’s important that any food preparation is done in a clean and hygienic environment. This helps to prevent the spread of germs and cross-contamination of foods.

Always clear and clean your surfaces.
Ensure pets to not walk on surfaces where food may be prepared or eaten.
Make sure, if using a cleaning product like a spray, that it does not come into contact with any of the foods or plate surfaces that food will go onto.
Make sure that all kitchen utensils are clean and have been washed in warm soapy water or in the dishwasher.
Remember to keep sinks clean and hygienic too.
Keep fridge and cupboard door handles, cooker knobs and hobs clean and hygienic.
Ensure that tea towels and hand towels are fresh and regularly washed to prevent the further spread of germs.

Personal Hygiene Around Food

There are also things that you can do on a personal level to keep hygiene and food safety levels high for your family:

Tie long hair back to avoid it coming into contact with food.
Always wash hands before preparing food, and rinse them well.
If you feel unwell, for example with a tummy bug, try and ask a family member or friend to help with food preparation so you avoid spreading germs to your child.
Ensure your fridge is set to the correct temperature to keep food cold and the door kept closed whenever possible.
Ensure the fridge is kept clean and always clear up spillages or leaks there right away.
Try to avoid smoking while preparing food. Second-hand smoke and smoke residue is not at all good for children.

Precautions Around Food Preparation

Preparation of the food itself is, of course, an important consideration when it comes to hygiene and avoiding germs getting into children’s meals.

Always wash your hands before preparing or handling food.
Wash vegetables, salad, fruit etc. and even peel some types of vegetable, particularly root vegetables that have been grown in earth.
Avoid giving eggs to children younger than 6 months of age. If giving chickens’ eggs to children aged 6 months or older, ensure they are stamped with the Red Lion or ‘British Lion Quality’ mark if serving raw or only lightly cooked. All other eggs must be thoroughly cooked i.e. so that the yolk and egg whites become firm. That includes eggs from ducks, geese and quails.
Make sure all foods are thoroughly cooked.
Pay particular care to the cooking of fish, seafood and shellfish, ensuring that it’s cooked thoroughly.
Allow the cooked food to cool for a short time, testing that it’s become lukewarm, before feeding it to your child. You can place the hot food in an airtight container and run it under cold water, stirring periodically, to cool it faster.

Cooling & Storing Food

A safe approach to food cooling and storage is also incredibly important for the wellbeing of you, your child and family.

Always store raw meat and fish away from other foods. Store each separately in covered containers on the bottom shelf of the fridge. This prevents drips falling onto other foods.
When saving cooked food to store in the fridge or freezer for later use, try to cool it as quickly as possible — ideally within one or two hours (N.B. for rice, see below) and put it straight into the fridge or freezer once cold.
Rice is a special case due to the possible build-up of toxins. It must be cooled within one hour and eaten within 24 hours. Never reheat rice more than once. Learn more about the dangers of reheating rice here.
If freezing foods, label and date them, so they can be used in an appropriate time frame.

Reheating Food

Reheating food also needs to be done in the right way in order to keep families safe and well:.

Do not reheat rice or cooked food more than once. As we said above, particular care needs to be taken with rice.
Always defrost frozen food thoroughly before cooking — either in the fridge overnight or by using defrost mode in a microwave.
When reheating food, always ensure it is the correct temperature for your child to eat otherwise it could burn them if too hot or not be safe to eat if not cooked sufficiently.
If reheating meals in the microwave, be very careful as it can retain the heat more and continue cooking even once taken out of the microwave.

Things Your Child Can Do

You should also inform and teach your child about hygiene and food safety. Leading by example and explaining why you’re going what you’re doing is a good approach.

Remind your child to wash their hands before they eat and that it’s a matter of hygiene.
Try to ensure your child is seated and calm for eating. A child who is running around or playing is at greater risk of choking when eating.
It goes almost without saying that you should avoid allowing children to eat when they are seated on the potty or toilet.

Food Safety, Hygiene & Quality Assurance At Leaps & Bounds Nursery

We do, of course, follow all best practices at Leaps & Bounds Day Nursery. We are rated with the full 5 stars in terms of food hygiene and preparation and also won the Gold Quality Award, Birmingham City Council’s “Healthy Setting Award” and have completed various quality assurance schemes.

Nursery Places in Edgbaston, Birmingham

Leaps & Bounds: Ofsted-rated as a ‘Good’ Nursery & Pre-school in Edgbaston, Birmingham

If you are looking for high quality weekday childcare for your baby or child under five, ensure you choose a nursery that’s highly rated by Ofsted — Leaps & Bounds Day Nursery and pre-school for example. Leaps & Bounds is officially a good nursery and pre-school, located in Edgbaston, Birmingham. It is also very near Harborne, Ladywood, Bearwood and Smethwick, so will be convenient for childcare services if you live or work in any of those locations. We accept children funded through the Government schemes like 15 hours per week of free childcare for 2-year-olds, 15-30 hours per week of free childcare for 3 & 4-year-olds, childcare grants for students and tax-free childcare too (all subject to eligibility, of course). Interested?

Please choose a button to get started on a guided visit, nursery application or simply to find out more:

A Final Word

While this guide is primarily about hygiene around food, it would be remiss of us not to include the following additional reminders:

Only feed your child age-appropriate foods. This is particularly important when they are babies;
Avoid any known allergens (if your child is allergic) and any foods they are intolerant to;
Avoid foods that are known to be potentially harmful. For example, foods that are too high in salt, sugar and saturated fats, contain arsenic in the case of rice drinks, or contain mercury in the case of some fish/seafood. Choking hazards like whole nuts and olives are other examples to avoid. See our A-Z of foods to avoid giving your infant for more details.
Always check ingredients and age guidelines on food packaging, including formula milks.
Always ensure you are giving your baby or child a healthy, balanced, age-appropriate diet and one that uses portion sizes that are appropriate to their age and developmental stage.
Be vigilant when cooking to ensure your child is not exposed to dangers like hot ovens, hot hobs, boiling kettles, trailing electrical leads and so on.

31 August 2022/by Mark

We previously looked at the types of food for parents to avoid giving infants and now follow up with a separate post about foods that are most likely to cause allergic reactions in the very young.

Some reactions towards food are also not true allergies, in the scientific sense. For those that are, it’s important to stress that severe allergic reactions (a.k.a. ‘Anaphylaxis’) in infants under one are rare. However such severe reactions should always be treated as a medical emergency. Even amongst children aged up to two, though, the incidence of proven food allergies is only 5% and such reactions are generally mild. Nonetheless, parents, carers and guardians of infants will naturally want to be cautious. Today’s post discusses the food types that most commonly cause allergic reactions and how they can be introduced to infants.

Severe allergic reactions (Anaphylaxis) in infants under one are rare, however such reactions should be treated as a medical emergency.

Symptoms to Look Out For

So, what are the symptoms of an allergic reaction? The NHS lists symptoms like sneezing, wheezing, coughing and a blocked or runny nose as possible signs of an allergic reaction. Itchy, red, watery eyes or a red, itchy rash are also possible signs, as are worsening symptoms of eczema or asthma.

The Most Common Food Allergens

According to the NHS, the 8 food types that are most likely to cause allergic reactions are:

Cows’ milk	Eggs
Gluten (found in wheat, barley, rye, oats etc.)	Nuts including peanuts*
Seeds & seed derivatives*	Soya
Shellfish*	Fish

^{* We touched upon some of these ingredients in our A-Z Guide to Foods to Avoid Giving Infants but will mention the following again: seeds and nuts, including peanuts, should only be served to under-fives crushed, ground or as a ‘butter’ as they are otherwise a choking hazard; eggs should be avoided before the age of 6 months and thereafter never be served raw/lightly cooked except if they exhibit the Red Lion or “British Lion Quality” stamp; shellfish should also never be served to infants raw or lightly cooked.}

Always read food labels carefully.

Mustard, celery, the preservative/antioxidant sulphur dioxide, the legume lupin and molluscs are the next most common food allergens after those listed in the table above. Kiwi, the fruit, is also known to cause allergic reactions in some infants, however is apparently the only potential allergen out of those listed above that doesn’t have to be listed, by law, on the ingredients list of pre-packaged food products.

When to Start Watching Out for Allergens

The NHS recommends slowly introducing the food types above, usually from about the age of 6 months if they’re developmentally ready. This is the age when babies most commonly start the process of weaning i.e. moving – gradually – towards eating solids. Start only when the infant is well, including having a good skin condition, because eczema is a possible sign of an existing allergy. The NHS strongly recommends that you talk to a GP or health visitor before introducing new foods to infants who are already known to have an allergy diagnosis or family history of allergies, including eczema, asthma and hay fever.

Any ‘new’ food types, particularly known allergens from the list above, should be introduced to the infant only one at a time, preferably early in the day so that you have more time to monitor for any reactions. Accepted advice is to start only with a tiny initial amount and monitor for possible symptoms of an allergic reaction. Amounts can later be increased, bit by bit over the following days, if the infant is found to be tolerant. And, of course, a new food type can then be tried only once the previous one has ‘passed the test’. However, bear in mind that some allergic reactions are far from immediate. Known as non-IgE food allergies, their symptoms can take anywhere from 2 hours to 3 days to show. So, the message is to be very careful and methodical when it comes to introducing new foods to your infant.¹

^{1: More detail about IgE (rapid) and non-IgE (delayed) allergy symptoms and other useful information about the introduction of potential allergens to infants can be read in a very good article by baby and child nutritionist Charlotte Stirling-Reed.}

Once introduced and shown to be tolerated by the infant, the new foods should then remain a part of the child’s usual diet and be eaten regularly. This minimises the chances of the child developing an allergy to such food types later on. Interestingly, where the introduction of peanuts and hens’ eggs has been delayed to a later time in the child’s development, the risk of developing an allergic reaction to them has actually increased. So, the risks need to be carefully balanced.

Special Mention: Milk Conundrums

The NHS recommends “exclusive breastfeeding or First Infant Formula” milk for babies during their first six months (and, indeed, breastfeeding has many benefits). Breastfeeding is not always possible though, for one reason or another, which is where the mention of First Infant Formula comes in. However, with standard First Infant Formula Milk being based on cows’ milk, and cows’ milk being one of the food types that infants are most commonly allergic or intolerant to, a healthcare professional will need to be consulted in the event of a reaction. For those found to have Cows’ Milk Allergy (‘CMA’), alternatives like Hypoallergenic Formula Milk, Lactose-Free Formula Milk or even Soya Formula Milk may be suggested by the GP/healthcare professional. However, it’s important for such milk alternatives to be given only under professional medical supervision as there are important and specific considerations around each. We explain more about those in a separate where we outline the different types of milk and formula for babies and infants.

Another milk-related conundrum that nursing mothers may have is whether they should avoid potential allergens themselves in case it passes to the infant through breast milk. The NHS’s advice in this regard is succinct and straight forward:

“If you’re pregnant or breastfeeding, you do not need to avoid foods that can trigger allergic reactions (including peanuts), unless you’re allergic to them.” ^{(NHS) ∞}

Please note: We hope guide is a useful starting point for parents/guardians who want to learn more about safely introducing little ones to new food types. However, it is a guide only and you should do your own research. Talk to your GP, health visitor or other healthcare professional if you need professional advice or guidance in regard to your child’s diet and any allergy- or health-related issues. Always check food labels and contact the emergency services urgently if your child exhibits signs of a severe allergic reaction.

Healthy Food at Leaps & Bounds Day Nursery, Edgbaston, Birmingham

Meals at Leaps & Bounds Day Nursery are freshly made, using high quality, nutritious ingredients, which are prepared for us by award-winning early years caterers. Healthy snacks, meals and drinks are all included in our nursery fees, as appropriate. We cater for all dietary needs (e.g. vegan, vegetarian etc.) and, of course, are mindful — and hugely careful — about any allergies amongst the little ones. We also participate in the ‘Startwell’ programme, which encourages our children and families in the Birmingham area to eat healthy meals and to live healthy lifestyles.

Searching for the best nurseries or pre-schools in Edgbaston, Birmingham, Harborne, Ladywood, Bearwood or Smethwick?

Please get in touch if you would like to visit Leaps & Bounds or to enrol your baby, toddler or under-five child at this excellent childcare setting. We are a high quality nursery and pre-school in Edgbaston, Birmingham but are equally convenient for those who live or work in Harborne, Ladywood, Bearwood and Smethwick. Why not bring your child along to see the nursery in action and to ask us any questions that you may have. You can also apply for a place if you’re ready to make a decision about your childcare. Please choose a button below to get started:

Next Time

Today’s article focuses on food that may cause allergic reactions in infants. We subsequently follow up with a great guide to Seasonal Allergies in Under-Fives. Instead of being caused by food, seasonal allergies are caused by such things as pollen, dust, mould and pet dander at certain times of the year. Click the green link above to learn about symptoms, causes and ways to help children affected by such allergies.

19 July 2022/by Mark

2 year olds, 3 & 4 year olds, Babies, Birmingham, Childcare, Early Years Foundation Stage, Edgbaston, EYFS, Health & Safety, Nurseries, Pre-schools, Safeguarding

Safeguarding for Nurseries – A Guide for Parents

Back in September, we touched upon the safeguarding and welfare of children in our Rough Guide to the Early Years Foundation Stage (‘EYFS’). In today’s post, we’ll go into more detail about how we approach the safeguarding, safety and general welfare of children at Leaps & Bounds nursery in Edgbaston, Birmingham. For example, in relation to the recruitment of suitable, trustworthy staff for the nursery, having the right security measures in place, knowing what to do in the event of illness, accident or emergency and suitability of equipment and the setting as a whole. This information should be of comfort to parents looking for suitable – and safe – nursery places in the Birmingham area.

Safeguarding children is, in essence, all about keeping children safe, secure, healthy and out of harm’s way. Every child deserves to feel secure and safe and indeed will learn most effectively when this is the case.

Safeguarding Measures

Early years settings like ours adhere to some excellent, pre-defined rules around the safeguarding and welfare of children. These must fall in line with several statutory Government directives along with the procedures set out by both the Local Safeguarding Children Board (‘LSCB’) and the EYFS. They EYFS states:

“Providers must be alert to any issues for concern in the child’s life at home or elsewhere. Providers must have and implement a policy and procedures to safeguard children.”

So the rules we follow are more far-reaching than simply keeping children safe at the nursery itself. The safeguarding measures we follow cover ways to watch out for abuse or maltreatment happening elsewhere, as well as setting guidelines for safeguarding at the nursery itself. When Ofsted makes visits to nurseries including ours, they will also be looking to ensure we follow all the safeguarding procedures effectively.

Childcare Professionals

Any staff member who will have contact with children is checked for suitability, including enhanced criminal record and barred list checks (previously known as a ‘CRB’ check but now replaced by the Disclosure and Barring Service or ‘DBS’). Additional criminal record checks are made for any staff member who has lived or worked outside the UK. Childcare professionals are also vetted in a number of other ways including identity checks, checks to ensure they are not under the influence of alcohol or other substance, and much more.

Every childcare setting, including Leaps & Bounds Day Nursery, has a designated trained professional who takes lead responsibility for the safeguarding of children. The lead person also liaises with statutory local agencies and the LSCB. Ofsted will also check to ensure that the nursery is implementing the appropriate safeguarding policies and procedures when it visits periodically. So, there are multiple levels of safeguarding checks, by several independent professionals.

All childcare staff at the nursery are suitably trained to understand the safeguarding policies in place and know what to do if there are any concerns. Staff are also expected to keep and maintain records.

The nursery also, of course, ensures that staff members are suitably trained, qualified, experienced and supervised, with the requisite skills and knowledge needed for the job being undertaken. Our childcare professionals are also given ample opportunities for additional training and professional development, so that the quality of care continually improves, to the benefit of the children.

Leaps & Bounds Day Nursery also keeps exceptionally high staff to child ratios.

For children under two, there is at least one staff member for every three children.
For children aged two, there is at least one staff member for every four children.
For children aged three and over, there is at least one staff member for every eight to thirteen children (a range is indicated because the ratio differs depending upon the particular tasks being undertaken by the children).

The Key Person

As we’ve mentioned in previous posts, every child is also allocated their own ‘Key Person’; a member of staff who is responsible for tailoring the learning and development programme to the needs of each individual child. The Key Person also engages with parents or carers so that the learning and development programme is supported when the child is at home. There is also a safeguarding element to the children having their own Key Person as that staff member will keep a continuous eye on the child’s progress and wellbeing throughout their time with the nursery. In this way, the child should attain the very best outcome and achieve their own individual learning and development goals.

Special Educational Needs & Disabilities

Leaps & Bounds has arrangements in place to support children with special educational needs (‘SEN’) and disabilities. With that in mind, the nursery also has a Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCo), who is also the Behavioural Co-ordinator (‘BECo’) for the setting.

Medicines & Infections

It goes without saying that staff at the nursery take precautions to stop the spread of any infections and that appropriate actions are taken if children become ill. This is more relevant than ever with the pandemic affecting the country so deeply this year (take a look at our anti-COVID precautions to get an idea of how we deal with the threat of a pandemic).

Staff also have strict protocols in place in relation to the administering of any medicines prescribed by a doctor, nurse, pharmacist or dentist. They will only be given, of course, with written permission of the parent or carer of the child involved. Staff involved are also suitably trained where any medical administration requires medical or technical knowledge. Written records are kept whenever medicines are given and the parent/carer(s) informed.

Injuries & Accidents

At least one staff member is always available, whether at the nursery premises or accompanying children on outings, who has a current Paediatric First Aid (‘PFA’) certificate. PFA training, relevant to the care of young children and babies as appropriate, is renewed every three years. The nursery also has its own official Medical Co-ordinator and a suitably equipped First Aid box is available and accessible at all times. Any accidents, injuries or treatments are recorded and parents/carers informed. The nursery would also follow strict Ofsted rules and protocols in the unlikely event of a serious accident or injury.

Healthy Food & Drink

Safeguarding is also about children’s health. With that in mind, the nursery serves only healthy, nutritious, balanced, meals, snacks and drinks. Food preferences, special dietary requirements and allergies are all catered for. Fresh drinking water is also available at any time. Food is prepared under strict, hygienic conditions, by people suitably trained in food hygiene. Equipment for the preparation of baby food/milk is sterilised, as appropriate.

A Safe Environment

The nursery itself does, of course, fall under the general Health & Safety rules. As such, it is always fit for purpose and subject to all the health, safety, hygiene and fire safety precautions that one would expect and, indeed, are a legal requirement of such premises. The nursery maintains the appropriate insurance policies too.

With regard to being fit for purpose, the premises and equipment are supplied in accordance with suitability for the age groups using them, i.e. babies and young children. This applies in both indoor and outdoor areas where children play. Risk assessments are undertaken in order to identify areas that may require measures to be put in place or where items need, for instance, to be maintained. This applies to outings too.

We have a proactive approach to safety, rather than a reactive one.

Emergency evacuation procedures are also in place in the event of a fire or other emergency. Emergency exits are also clearly identified and kept free of obstacles. In the case of fire, the nursery has appropriate detection and control mechanisms in place and these are regularly maintained to ensure that they are in working order at all times.
Sleeping babies and children are monitored and regularly checked. Babies have their own, separate baby room for this purpose.

In regard to children leaving the premises, further strict protocols are also in place at the nursery. These include not allowing children to go outside or leave the premises unsupervised and, when it’s time for children to go home, rules that only allow them to be picked up by individuals that have been agreed with parents. This is achieved through a password system if parents or carers have arranged for someone else to pick children up. The staff at the nursery will check both the ID of that person and accuracy of the password before the child in question is released from the nursery.

The nursery also takes serious steps to prevent unauthorised people from entering the premises, with protocols in place to identify anyone that does visit. The nursery has CCTV in place indoors and outdoors as well as at the main entrance. During the pandemic lock-down we are are also not allowing parents, carers or visitors inside the building, so as to keep everyone safe from the possible spread of COVID-19.

Parents also love the online ‘app’ that they can use to get regular updates about their child’s activity each day at the nursery. They can see photos of what their child has been doing, what they have eaten and when they’ve had a sleep. We should add that the app does not access the CCTV system, for security reasons.

Childcare providers like Leaps & Bounds Day Nursery are also expected to keep and maintain records. This includes obtaining and/or confidential sharing of information with parents or carers and, if appropriate and when required to do so, with other professionals who work with the child including social services, the police and Ofsted if applicable. Records are kept secure, of course, and information is only shared with those who have a legal right to see it. The two-way flow of information, when appropriate, is designed to ensure the safety and wellbeing of children and the smooth, efficient and appropriate running of the nursery itself.
Our Safeguarding policy is available to read or download here.

We hope this information reassures parents and carers who may be looking for a high quality nursery in the Birmingham area.

A Place for your Baby or Toddler at Leaps & Bounds Day Nursery

Leaps & Bounds Day Nursery is an outstanding nursery and pre-school in Edgbaston, B16, close to Birmingham city centre. It’s conveniently located if you are looking for childcare nurseries near you around Edgbaston, Birmingham, Harborne, Ladywood, Bearwood & Smethwick. For more information about a possible place for your child, call 0121 246 4922 or contact us or book a visit here. We’d be happy to show you around, so that you can see the nursery for yourself (appropriately socially distanced etc., of course). Get in touch!

18 November 2020/by Mark