Sustainability in Practice
There are many things we do on a day to day basis to ensure we are being sustainable in practice. Click here to view our blog category.
DIY Wet Wipes
Tops Day Nurseries are delighted to announce that we are providing our own baby wipes for nappy changing and face/hand wiping instead of using commercially bought wipes. This is because the baby wipes we have found on the market all contain one-use plastic, which is really bad for the environment, and we think should be banned. We have also found a number of irritants and chemicals in the commercially bought baby wipes which can aggravate delicate skin whereas more natural, organic products can do the same job without those, and they are cheaper! Click here to find out more or click here to watch a tutorial on how to make your own at home.
Reusable Nappies
Tops Day Nurseries are trialing the use of real nappies as opposed to ‘disposable’ nappies at some settings.
Each child at nursery uses around 1000 nappies per year (full-time equivalent) which is costly for parents, and very costly in terms of waste – it actually costs three times as much to dispose of a “disposable” nappy as it costs to buy! Click here to find out more about the real nappy pilot.
Real Resources
At Tops Day Nurseries, we are firm believers in natural resources. Not only are they environmentally friendly and less toxic for children, but they are often much more interesting to toddlers than plastic toys.
Natural resources encourage creativity and imagination in young children. Most of the time, plastic toys can only be used for their purpose which can restrict children’s thinking skills. Natural and real items can help children to develop fine motor skills and express their thoughts and ideas as they manipulate and explore them more. Find out more here.
Plastic Free Champions
Tops Day Nurseries have been awarded the status of Plastic Free Champions by Surfers Against Sewage.
We are passionate about reducing our environmental impact in order to protect the future of the thousands of very small children that attend all our day nurseries. This means taking every opportunity to avoid buying any one use plastic, to work with suppliers and colleagues to reduce the need for it by finding alternatives or just stopping. We are also actively communicating with politicians, manufacturers, retailers and waste handling organisations to make our concerns heard, on behalf of the children. Find out more here.
Scandanavian drying cupboard
Our process of using washable nappies in the nurseries has been carefully developed, together with Health & Safety and Environmental Health advice, to ensure that there is no risk of cross-contamination. We use standard washing machines and a Scandanavian drying cupboard as tumble driers use a lot of energy and damage many styles of washable nappies. Click here to find out more.
Home grown goodness!
Nurseries have started to grow their own herbs and vegetables with the children, using water from the water butt, meaning children can sample their home grown produce during snack and meal times and they learn a huge amount of biology at the same time.
Rooms to support brain development
Most of our nurseries are fortunate enough to have items within each room designed by childcare expert, Tom Shae and his company Fafunia. From double cots to climbing equipment, Fafu Fafunia is designed to be fun.
Creators work with a design philosophy that demands open ended products that can adapt to play as it evolves by using shapes, textures, colours and simplicity – which ties in perfectly with the Tops Ethos! Find out more about Fafunia here.
Wet bags
To reduce the use of plastic carrier bags, Tops Day Nurseries have launched Wet Bags . A ‘wet bag’ is a waterproof bag that can be used to store wet and soiled clothes and/or wet and soiled reusable nappies. Once there are wet or soiled clothes in the bag all you need to do is tip the contents into your washing machine by turning the bag inside out and then leaving the wet bag in the machine ready to be washed.
Parents receive a wet bag when they initially visit their chosen Tops Day Nurseries settings and also have the option to buy additional bags.
Green Flag Award
Tops Day Nurseries was the first nursery group in the UK to achieve Green Flag certifications at all settings! Click here to find out more.