NBR: do churches in your area have nurseries?

MrsNJSwimmer

Since we're geographically diverse here, I was wondering if you know if the churches in your area have nurseries, or if that's just a DC thing.  MH thinks it's a DC thing.  I am pretty sure my catholic church at home did not have a nursery, so maybe he's right?

lelekay

Do you mean just for during church itself, or for daily daycare?

I think some churches around here have a playroom for during church (with babysitters), but not all.  And there is one church in our area that runs a daycare/preschool (and it's priced nicely, too!), but it didn't work for us mostly because their hours were only from something like 8-3:30, not to mention that MH is Jewish and wasn't too keen on the idea. 

MrsNJSwimmer

lelekay:

Do you mean just for during church itself, or for daily daycare?

Yes, for during church. 

lelekay

You know, now that I think about it, none of the Catholic churches I've ever been to have nurseries, but some of the Protestant ones do.  It may be just a coincidence, but I wonder if the Catholics (which I was raised as one, but no longer practice) prefer the children to actually be in church?

inamra

I've only had experience with Protestant churches and most of the ones I've been to have had nurseries during service.

MrsNJSwimmer

lelekay:

You know, now that I think about it, none of the Catholic churches I've ever been to have nurseries, but some of the Protestant ones do.  It may be just a coincidence, but I wonder if the Catholics (which I was raised as one, but no longer practice) prefer the children to actually be in church?

that is interesting.  where we had DS baptized, there is one, but only for 12 months and up.  But it is a more liberal catholic church (we didn't have to become members to get our son baptized there, etc).

mrspresley

yes the churches in our area (TX) all have nurseries...the one we go to most even has the sermon on the speakers so you can still hear it while you're in there. also the one we went to in TN when we visited the in-laws had one.  not sure about Catholic churches though b/c we aren't Catholic.

vanceandlori

Our church has a nursery, but we're not Catcholic either..

MauiWedding08

I just popped in to post about shoes, but had to comment since I'm Catholic...

Every Church I have went to has a nursery, except the campus ministries I went to during college and grad school.  In college there were so many other nearby churches that I think families probably just opted to go there rather than the school one (I don't remember any children coming).  In grad school there were more families and they had a "cry room" in the back with windows.  

As a child there was a full on daycare/nursery at my small town church.  I don't remember my sister ever going there tho (she is 6 yrs. younger than me).  I do think it was used more as a childcare option for those not yet in preschool during Sunday School (since the church was so small most parents were Sunday School teachers of some sort, so they needed a place for their small kids to go).  My mom helped with the High School programs so she was always free during Sunday School and wouldn't have needed to leave my sister there.

At our current church I know they have one but like NJ I think it's for 12mo+ and not many ppl use it during church - just during Sunday School.  The church goes out of their way to get parents to bring their kids to mass.  They have goody bags you can grab on your way in with things like a wooden rosary, scrap paper and crayons, books, nativity figurines (during the christmas season), etc.  There isn't a cry room but there is a large lobby.

Married2MrWright

Some people call this the buckle of the Bible belt...and there are a ton of churches (mainly protestant) and they all have nurseries. The Episcopal church down the street has one too as does the UUC that we sometimes attend. The have a nursery and preschool classes as well as a nursing mother's room (with the sanctuary playing on a closed circuit TV).

We've not attended a Catholic Church here...technically I am Catholic, but being a divorcee, well, you know. We used to go to an Episcopal church in CA, but when we moved here we felt the most welcomed and comfortable at the UUC, which is the largest one in the country...I find that interesting considering that we're smack dab in the middle of the Bible belt!

kinibruin

we have a nursery in our church.

we also have a cry room in our balcony so that we can have baby with us and sit in the sanctuary. the thing is though, D cries so loud, the people below can actually hear him in the sanctuary.

hahahah

 and we were worried about lung maturity

leslieanne1003@yahoo.com

The catholic churches around me dont have nurseries, they just have a wall at the back that they can stand behind....I dont think church would be any fun for me if I was catholic! ha