Daycare questions- what’s normal?

@clay9000
  1. CAN be typical , but is probably due to 2 , which is not normal. Is baby drooling a lot at home ? I would expect that to cause moisture, but babies can’t be in cribs with bibs on.
  2. Eh that happens, but it shouldn’t be frequent, definitely keep an eye on it.
  3. Are they letting you know feed times and change times ? At 4 months I would expect too much else u less baby was particularly fussy.
 
@pacersrock44 Not really too much drool at home unless I’m actively putting chew toys in her mouth. I’ll start first asking to always use one with feeding and dry neck after. She definitely spills a lot more there than at how I assume from just a more chaotic feeding. I’ll give it a week with the bin request and see if theyres a change
 
@pacersrock44 Interesting I hadn't thought about 1 and 2 being connected but good points. No bibs while napping and if theyre leaving baby in the crib so extended periods maybe they leave the big off in case they fall asleep. Red flags, sounds like babe isn't being watched.
 
@clay9000 1 I need to know more about little more. Is she a going through a drooly phase? Is wet like wet-wet or damp? They should use bibs during feeding and change her shirt if it’s wet . My daycare could not leave bibs on a baby if they were not being fed, it’s a choking hazard.

Until it’s worked out, treat it like diaper rash. Cleanse, gently pat dry, and use a barrier cream.

2 is concerning. The only reason I can think of is that they are trying to get her on a schedule (If you ask, don’t suggest this to them.) even then they should take her out after a bit if she isn’t sleepy.

The floor is great for babies to develop. There should be a space set up for this.

3 happened to us a few times. They initialed all the diapers to get them on the right child, too. It should not be happening all the time.

4 sounds not great, especially with the other stuff. The staff can lead activities and if nothing else the babies can observe or be nearby. The staff can say what book they read, songs they sang, that they stamped hands/feet to make an art project, or whatever. Are they doing activities and not telling you or just not doing them?

One of these things one time is probably a mistake. All of this stuff multiple times is a lot.

Are there generally people who work with the babies everyday? I got to know who was assigned to what room and who was filling in/floating. Things like 3&4 seemed to happen more with staff filling in.

It probably varies by center, at mine it is always best to visit/call around 10am & 2pm (after drop off / before pickup, not at lunch & lunch breaks).
 
@clay9000 These all seem a little odd to me.
  1. Ask them to use bibs.
  2. Baby should NOT be confined all day. We specifically said no container use. At that age, our baby was only in the crib to sleep and was otherwise playing on the floor or being held.
  3. Barring some bizarre emergency (which you should be told about), baby should ONLY have their own diapers, wipes, cream, etc. This is a red flag to me.
  4. We at least get a summary sheet with feedings and sleep notes listed
 
@clay9000 I have a TON of copper pearl cloth bibs and I sent 5 or so a day with my child to daycare for them to use. I had a super drooly baby and they were good about always keeping a clean one on her. If this is what you prefer, I’d voice it! You can also drop into the daycare anytime and see what’s going on. I did that a few times early on just to kinda see what was happening and since they didn’t know I was coming, they couldn’t prepare. This is your right as a parent! I have ALWAYS been direct with my daycare on what my expectations are (use a bib, use my diapers, etc). Awake babies definitely should not be in a crib. Do they have things to put the babies in like bouncers or seats? Ask that your baby be put in one if she’s awake and their hands are full! You’re paying too dollar for care, you should be receiving this info. If you aren’t satisfied, time to find a new daycare.
 
@clay9000 1&3 I personally had many fights with my daycare about. Just keep on top and reminding them. The diapers can be accidental if they have another staff member in while the teacher is on a break so I try to be understanding. I also bought the Nubby bandana bibs for her to wear when not feeding. She was just a heavy drooler so it was wet from between feedings.

2 is a red flag to me. At my daycare, babies were only in the crib when sleeping. She started at 11 weeks old and was never in the crib when I arrived even at that age.

4 is hit or miss depending on the daycare. Mine was great and had a whole daily summary form they would fill out until the kids were two and a half years old. What time they had a bottle, how much of it they had, every diaper change, and every nap listed. They would always write some random comments on it like “I hated tummy time today”.
 
@clay9000 If they get messy at lunch and her shirt is wet, to the point that it’s irritating her skin, they should be changing her shirt. Bib or not. There’s a reason I’m always sending fresh changes of clothes - they’re messy, that’s the name of the game with babies :)
 
@cadence001 Yes! She has clothes there, they’ve only changed with diaper accidents.

I’ll just start keeping a close eye this week and tracking so when I discuss I can say more concretely what’s going on
 
@clay9000 Current daycare mom, former daycare teacher.

I don’t think it’s normal to put bibs on babies for their bottle, you could put her in one of those soft cotton ones.

She should not be in the crib unless she’s sleeping or at least, sleepy. Individual interaction is mainly for bottles/changing otherwise it might be one teacher singing to 3 babies while feeding one. But she should be on the floor.

Has the diaper mix up happened more than once? If it’s just one time, let it go, but if it’s repeated you can just ask if they need more diapers and tell them what happened.

I have a very busy 11 1/2 month old and they send me a daily sheet with her bottles and diapers and if she napped. I ask them what toys she likes to play with or if there’s any songs she likes, they’re eager to tell me, but if I don’t ask, they’ll just say “Here you go! See you tomorrow!”
 
@clay9000 1-3 are not normal for us at all. 4 sometimes occurs, so it depends on who is at the check out when we pick up. And usually it’s like “oh he loved x,y,z toy today” or “he’s really getting into rolling” pretty basic. I agree with a lot of people here that all of this sounds like a red flag, especially number 2. My baby is 6 months old so not much older than yours but I get tons of pics and videos of him playing with toys, doing tummy time, jumping in jumpers, rolling around. I think they only use cribs for naps there. I’d have a convo with the person in charge or look for other childcare options
 
@clay9000 I would be concerned about all of these especially 1 and 2. My baby spits up A LOT but never comes home with wet clothes because they always have a bib on her
 
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