Feedback on Daycare "Problems"

I used to work in a daycare, and the thing with the diapers is nothing unusual. But, what if he was allergic to pears, they should not have ignored that request!! It is so hard to find a good center! Good Luck!

J.:

This is your child. You have hired them to care for your child. You have agreed to work within their boundries. You aren't asking for anything difficult. They obviously don't care. I'm guessing this is a children's world. I have heard similar problems. If it was me I would withdraw my child.

Good luck!

I paid just about as much when my 2 were that age (they're now almost 4 and 2). My children have occasionally come home in different diapers, and it really didn't bother me. As for the food switch, unless there are allergies or other reasons to give him exactly what you ask, they may be trying to expand your son's repertoire of food. I guess it depends on whether those are the only 2 things. How is your son treated otherwise? Is he happy? My sister-in-law had major problems with a daycare similar to the first one my kids attended, with them waking her son up in the middle of his nap to "take a stroller walk and get outside." It really disrupted his sleep habits and schedule. If you're not happy, look around and get some referrals before moving him. I went looking for a new preschool for my daughter this summer, and found that the things the reasons we wanted to change her were more widespread than we realized-even in some of the more expensive preschools (~$200/week). If there are other reasons you are unhappy, make it a priority to find a new one. Peace of mind and your child's happiness are the most important things. Keep in mind, it may take a while to find a place you are happy with. You don't want to switch, and then have to switch again any time soon.

I have twin boys in day care, and I absolutley would have issue with what you have described. My center is wonderful! They provide infomration of supply shorages nearly a week in advance and always accomodate any requests I may have. You are right, you are paying a great deal for day care, the center should be meeting or beating your expectations!

Hi J.- As a mom of three who has stayed home and worked. It is impossible to have someone else care for your child exactly the same way you would. My advice if if your child seems to enjoy the placement and the caregivers are obviously "in love" with your child you need to put that as #1 and deal with a diaper/food issues without taking it to seriously. If there is a health reason you wanted bananas (ex. bowel issues)explain in detail health concerns.
I felt exactly like you when I left my first but now with 3 if they love my kids and noone is bleeding it works for me!!
Good Luck with your decision.
B.

If you're not happy and they are not listening to you then find someone or somewhere else. These are only some of the problems you know about....what about things you don't know. You are paying them to take care of your son and they aren't so take your son and find a place you feel safe for him and you. If you would like to email me you can ____@____.com

J.,
The wearing other kid's diapers is a forgivable offense - it happens sometimes. And sometimes it would be my fault because I would forget to bring in diapers when they requested them. The food thing is a little irratating though - my advice is this - talk to the center director about how the caregivers did not follow your instructions and tell her how much it upset you. I guarantee if they get repremanded by their boss, then they will mind your instructions better. They may not like you, but as long as they are good to your child, that is all that matters. It's important that you keep the lines of communication open between you and the director.

No one would take care of your kids exactly the way you would though - not even your own mother! It's hard sometimes to get through that, but my kids spent many years in daycare and they still turned out to be pretty wonderful.

Good luck,
K.

We have the same problems with my son's daycare. My son is 9 months old now and he started daycare at 6 months. There were times when he came home wearing a bib or a diaper that's not his....We would always remind them to keep him from the uncarpeted area in their room because it's hard floor and he might get hurt if he falls. Still, they let my son crawl in those areas and as a consequence his hand was caught in the door when someone came in and didn't see him (he was in a crawl position and his hands were under the door).

When he was six months old, he was scratched by a toddler on both cheeks.
He looked liked he was attacked by a cat! They were apologetic and promised that they will be more careful. They were careful at first but after a while they become negligent again.

My son sometimes comes home with small bruises on the face. The booboo report says he'd fell on toys or hit his head on the toys cabinet. Sometimes the teachers don't know where he got it.

After the "door" incident last week, we decided to pull out my son from this daycare (Tutor time at Lake St. Bloomingdale). We talked to the director and she said that they require a two-weeks notice and a letter. We are still obligated to pay for that two weeks even if we tried to explain to her that the reason why we are pulling out our son is because of negligence on the part of the people who are suppose to look after him. The place is becoming unsafe for him because of that....There's no way we would let him stay there for another two weeks! They'll have their money but we are not taking him back there again.

Hi J.,
I feel your frustration! When I first put my daughter in daycare, I was upset by several things eg: wrong diaper (and she had diapers! - accident reports (she was 1 1/2 years) - there was one caretaker that was putting her diaper on like low riders and I swore if she went #2 it would come out the back.

I thought long and hard about these things. I'm a teacher and I know when parents are difficult it sometimes can't help how you feel about the child - even though professionally that would be considered inappropriate - I will tell you that it does happen. I finally grew to really like the people caring for her. They gave her a lot of love and attention and that was the most important thing to me. Being passive aggressive, I would make little comments here and there about how many accident reports she's had lately and does that happen with other kids...or I noticed that my child came home in a Huggies diaper and we use Pampers, do I need to bring more diapers in? etc... I realized in the long run (this was a personal thing for me - I'm not saying this is anyone else's case) that I didn't really want to return to teaching and felt guilty that someone else was with my child, so I was looking for things and getting upset over everything.

Now with all that said, yes, I did have the same problem as you, but I think you have to go with your gut feeling. My gut feeling was her caregivers were loving and attentive to my daughter and I saw how much my little girl loved them. I think that was the clincher. I think the food thing would be a bigger issue for me because what if your baby has food allergies...then that's a big problem. Does your child's room have the right adult-infant ratio? How long has she been at the center? Are you comfortable talking with the caregivers or do they give off stand offish vibes? There's so many things to look at, but I say go with your gut feeling. If it doesn't feel good to you, pull your baby, you know what's best for your child. My daughter is now three and she still loves going to daycare - I tell them she's their "poster child" for daycare. Things sometimes come up and bother me, but they always work out. It seems like it always takes me time to get used to a new teacher. It actually took me a month to get used to her 3 year old teacher because she's not as chit chatty with the parents as her other teachers were. But my daughter absolutely loves her, so... I finally began to see this teachers good qualities. Good luck, sorry for the long response.

In my opinion, the diaper thing isn't a big deal...that does happen. But, the food thing is not. This is the reason I prefer having my son in private home daycare. There are a small number of kids, and one provider. If you tell her something, you know she knows it and you don't have to worry about other people who MAY be caring for your child. It is also ALOT cheaper than the centers (I pay a little more than half what you pay). I think the centers around here really do rip you off.

J.,
I had the same experience, except, it was w/ my 3 yr. old daughter. I did pull her out of there, though. I think, that if they are too busy, (especially for that kind of money!!), to inform you of your diaper supply being low, what other needs of his aren't they taking care of? I think a 6 month old, and much older, needs comfort, holding, etc. I have yet to find a daycare I feel comfortable with. I have quit my job, (which isn't easy, I have no family, and am a single parent.) I now work from home. It is hard, but, I need to know my daughter is being properly cared for, or, I simply cannot work at my fullest potential. Also, they left her crying for over an hour, in full view. She used to tell me she HATED it there, but, I just chalked it up to her not wanting to be away from me...
I'm sorry I don't have better news. I do hope I have helped you, though. Please feel free to write, when you have time, and always trust your gut instinct. That's one thing I've learned to do, 5 children later, and it's right about 99% of the time.
I hope you both are well,
Sue
p.s. Here's one more thought... What if they'd fed him pears, and he had an allergic reaction??? HE IS YOUR ONLY SON. THERE ARE BETTER CENTERS OUT THERE. Hopefully, a mother will see your e-mail, and respond with something closer to you.