Often as a practitioner who works in the baby room we get comments on our job such as “I couldn’t do that all day” and “I don’t know how you do it” and the truth is it does take a special kind of person to work in the baby room. To work with such a young, dependent age you need to be patient and caring. You need to have a nurturing personality and love and passion for the emotional needs of the little people that aren’t sure what their emotions are right now!
To work in the baby room you need to be able to balance many plates at once such as ‘who needs milk right now’, ‘who needs a sleep’ and ‘oh, that’s their hungry cry, let’s get them an extra snack’, all the while engaging everyone in meaningful provocations and ensuring everyone’s developmental needs are being met – and whose socks belong to who!
It isn’t an easy job by any means working in the baby room, but wow is it worth it! And it is the children themselves that make it worth it! There is no greater reward than seeing a child practising those first steps, hearing a child babble in excitement and turning those babbles and coos into first words. There is no better feeling than seeing a child’s face light up when you enter the room knowing you’ve created a close and loving bond with them and a safe and emotionally-nourishing environment for each individual child that starts in the nursery. There is huge reward in knowing a child feels such comfort they are able to fall asleep in your arms and trust you as a safe place.
As a parent myself I know how hard it is leaving your child at such a young and vulnerable age but know, also as a baby room practitioner, you are leaving your baby in good hands! So yes, it takes alot to be a baby room practitioner, but we do it because we all have a love and passion for the role and for each and every child in our care.
Lottie – Practitioner
Little Stars Day Nursery 