A NURSERY chain with a offering in Winchester is incorporating a fresh approach to help babies settle while in their care.

Top Day Nurseries, based at the Royal Hampshire County Hospital, has been working alongside a babywearing consultant to see how it can introduce the technique.

Babywearing is becoming increasingly more common in the UK with many parents choosing to ‘wear’ their babies to help them settle and also as an alternative to a pushchair.

As a group of day nurseries, Tops Day Nurseries are finding that more and more children are used to being carried at home, and therefore are expecting the same 1:1 care in the nursery environment. However, on a legal 1:3 / 1:4 ratio this can be particularly challenging for the staff team and distressing for the young child.

But a spokesperson for the group said: “Children’s physical, neurological and psychological development is nurtured through positive relationships and strong attachment. The use of slings/carriers enable caregivers to meet the individual needs of a child, whilst providing a safe and secure environment, building those positive relationships and attachments, whilst also continuing to be able to complete other tasks at the same time.

“Tops Day Nurseries are dedicated to ensuring colleagues are able to utilise a number of training opportunities therefore all new and existing colleagues will have all necessary training provided to use the babywearing carriers.”

The nursery has said that the approach will only be used in the “best interest of the child to ensure they are settled and secure”.