Nursery World - Nursery baby room staff: Time to relax

Working in the baby room can be rewarding, but it can also prove
stressful and emotionally challenging. Katy Morton looks at how nurseries can help staff manage the more difficult moments

Many staff who work with babies say how much joy and pleasure they bring, but they also talk about the stresses of the work,' says Peter Elfer, principal lecturer in early childhood studies at the University of Roehampton.

'In some ways, the role of a baby room practitioner can prove more stressful than parenting because of the ratio of one staff member to three babies in a nursery. In a baby room, babies can also set one another off. One baby crying is demanding, but multiply that by four, five or even six babies. A baby's cry can be deeply stressful and evokes physiological anxiety.'

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