Daycare questions- what’s normal?

[clay9000]

@paparazi257 True, they don’t have cameras, just a photo. I’ll ask the crib policy on Monday.

 

[bartgroot96]

@clay9000 I don't have an app at this daycare. It's better than the one I used for my daughter.

No bibs is a red flag. Send them.

Staying in crib awake is borderline neglect.

 

[glendavidson]

@clay9000 The crib thing is most concerning. I pass the baby room in my son’s daycare all the time, various times of the day sometimes - those babies are never in cribs unless napping.

 

[nlr1]

@clay9000 I would be put off by each of these things, too, especially keeping her in the crib because she’s a baby?! Do they not hold her or have her out on the mats playing/doing tummy time/looking at stuff? My girls were only in the actual crib to nap- otherwise the infant room was a safe space for all their immobile baby needs, and I know staff held them quite a bit. In all of my pick-up/drop-off/drop-in times over four years, I have never seen an awake baby in a crib.
The other things I would just make a point to call out like, “I noticed she was in another diaper- we’ve been instructed to use this kind for her skin. How can we make sure that’s all that’s used with her?”
For neck rings- “we’ve noticed her neck is getting irritated- we’ve put some aquaphor on it but it’s important to keep it dry. Should we bring some cloths in or what do you want to do to make sure she’s dry there?” Also, that’s a little normal for the age… can you get some of those cute baby drool bandanas she could wear with her outfit?

Communication is big for me, but I tend to lead the charge in asking how the day went and then also if it seems like a boring answer asking a bit more pointedly what toys she seems to be intrigued by. Do you get pictures at all from the week or during the day?

 

[clay9000]

@nlr1 Yes communication is big for us as well. Although admittedly I just expected them to be more forward with the information, so I need to practice taking the lead.

She has been in the floor,but honestly I’ve never walked in and seen the teacher holding a baby except if feeding. But that could be our timing? Although we’ve purposefully come in different times on purpose. Perhaps I misrepresented crib time because we just aren’t aware of where she is because we just get responses like ‘yes we do floor time’ or ‘yes we do tummy time’ but not like ‘we did tummy time today’ or ‘we looked in the mirror today’ I wish when we ask about the day they told us concrete repo see about the day- but I’ll start phrasing it that way.

I haven’t noticed her personally in the crib awake, just in the crib often. Not sure if stayed in there to sleep or just moved when asleep, but other kids have been awake in the cribs.

 

[wallywoodrow]

@clay9000 Agree that 1 and 2 are cause for concern. 3 I can overlook - my kid has come home in the wrong diaper once or twice. At that age the daycare usually wrote on her paper what they did but i would expect much at that age.

 

[trevorjohnson33]

@clay9000 All of those things would be red flags for me honestly

 

[cupofdaisies]

@clay9000

1. Some babies with very sensitive skin and lots of neck folds can be more challenging to keep clean and dry. I suggest you wash, dry and apply a thin layer of something like Aquaphor to your baby's neck every day before daycare.

I'd also talk to daycare about it and ask them to use bibs and dry baby's neck folds after each feeding.

1. That's odd to me. At our daycare, they only used the crib for sleep. At 4 months, they did tummy time and had little mobiles and things for the babies.
2. I've never had this happen, but our daycare teachers are magicians. They've never so much as misplaced a sock. I'd mention your baby has sensitivities to some brands of diapers.
3. By the end of the day I think they might be tired. I used to ask in the morning. My daughter was usually the first baby.

 

[clay9000]

@cupofdaisies That’s a good thought. I’ll ask in the morning.

 

[waxwing85]

@clay9000

1. I would start sending her with cloth bibs to collect moisture/drool and request that they use them and change them as needed throughout the day. My LO went through multiple a day around that age and they used what we sent.
2. This is unusual and IMO unacceptable, baby should be out and about and a part of what is going on in the room.
3. I would start labeling your individual diapers with her name on them, easier for them to keep track of her brand. I’m less concerned about this point bc mistakes happen and maybe they just grabbed the wrong diaper that change.
4. We don’t even see our LO’s teacher, his director collects him at the door in the morning and another school staff member brings him to the door at the end of the day. Does your daycare use an app to track diapers, feedings, naps, &etc? I would be surprised if a large national chain like Kindercare didn’t use one. We didnt really get additional information beyond that until he hit the toddler room.

I will say that if you and your husband talk and all of these things together are deal breakers for you then that is fair and I encourage you to make whatever choice you feel is best. You could also talk with the director about your concerns, that’s where I always start at ours.

 

[clay9000]

@waxwing85 Ok I’ll order drool bibs

 

[cewilder]

@clay9000 1) send the bibs. Ask that they use them. We send 6-7 bibs per day with my kiddo. I include a wet/dry bag in her backpack for the dirty ones to come home.

2) this strikes me as odd. She should be getting floor time, tummy time, etc.

3) I’d ask about this. Tell them you noticed she came home in someone else’s diaper. Accidents happen, but this shouldn’t be common. They should have the diapers organized and labeled by kid.

4) I’d expect a written communication (on paper or an app) with naps, bottle amounts, etc. in addition to the “she had a good day.” We’ve been with a few different daycares. Under 12 months, I expect a nap, bottle and solids report. Age 1-2, I expect a nap & whether she ate anything report. A 2 year old can sort of tell me about what she did at school. Age 3+ I expect a nap report. She can tell me about her day.

 

[clay9000]

@cewilder Thanks for the age breakdown, that’s helpful. Yes we get the bottle/diaper/nap on the app.

I’ll be more forward about asking floor time activities each day.

And good point, I’ll just send the bins, we have tons. That way too I can see what’s coming home and know if they’re used

 

[stuart1717]

@clay9000 My son's infant room didn't even HAVE cribs; I would not be okay with a place that kept babies in a crib while awake for long periods of time. Is the room full of toddlers or something? That is strange.

 

[paparazi257]

@stuart1717 Where did they sleep then? Ours was required to have cribs by licensing.

 

[stuart1717]

@paparazi257 Flat floor mat, think a crib mattress but on the floor.

ETA: Not that I have anything against cribs (we used one at home!) but this place's philosophy was zero containment devices.

 

[rams3150]

@stuart1717 Where did the babies sleep?

 

[clay9000]

@rams3150 Some daycares have mats on the floor and the babies crawl to the mats and sleep

 

[rams3150]

@clay9000 Interesting! It's hard to imagine mine staying there long enough to fall asleep, just because I haven't seen it or done it myself!

 

[clay9000]

@rams3150 Yes, I’m not sure if it works well or not, for example a Montessori school we toured did that. But when we were there multiple babies were sleeping in the right spot