Leaving a baby with a stranger, even at a church, is an extreme act of trust.  How do we communicate to parents that they’ve made a good decision? There are small things we can do that can make a huge impression: being on time, having a clean and tidy nursery, learning names, and greeting parents warmly.

Beyond that, connecting with parents requires distinct attention. In today’s blog post, find several nursery ministry ideas to make your parents feel great about your church nursery.

Focus on building a reliable church nursery staff

A reliable nursery crew serves as another very important key. Imagine if you went into your church worship service and had a different pastor and different worship team each week! It would be hard for us, as adults, to feel comfortable enough to hear the message if we had to adjust anew every time we sat in a pew.

Children are created to bond with familiar caregivers. Having the same person there week after week helps both the children and the adults relax and opens the opportunities for God to speak to their hearts.

Pay attention to nursery check-in

When greeting families at sign-in time, it’s the little things that matter. Here are a few suggestions to make sure that parents and their babies feel welcome:

• Greet the child first and then the parent
• Ask how to spell their child’s name correctly (this is more important than you may think!)
• Assure the parent that their children are seen and known and loved

Offer parents an activity report

At pickup time, mention something positive that the child did that day. This applies even if the child slept through the entire service (“He is so sweet when he sleeps! I kept checking on him to see if he was ready to play, and he just looked like an angel!”), even if they were running around for the whole time (“She is so fun and active! I loved watching her explore the room! So curious!”).

Yes, even if they cried from the first moment until the last (“I think next week is going to be better! I can tell how much he loves you! Don’t give up! We love having him here!”).

For many families, your church nursery serves as a point of entry for your church. Making sure they – as well as their little ones – feel welcome and comfortable in this setting will keep them coming back each week.

Interested in more nursery ministry ideas? Check out our free eBook, Building an Intentional Church Nursery!