Mom Does't Like Toddler Zone

[2ndFamilyDC]

I have a 15 mth old girl in my dc.
When she turned one I put her in a "toddler zone".
I did it to keep the older kids happy. So she couldn't
constantly grab their toys, dump the buckets of toys
and to keep her safe from the wild boys running and knocking
her over.
I felt that for the older kids sake it was best if she had
her own space.
I would put her in their for about 90 minutes in the morning
and about 45 min. in the afternoon. She was fine in there.

Well the dcm does not like her in there. She feels that
her dd being isolated is so sad.

I kept her out this morning to see how things would go
and it was a nightmare. The older kids were all frustrated
and she was a terror. Obviously she has been with the other
kids, but just not for so long, in my opinion it did not go well.

What would you all do? continue to use the toddler zone for her
or keep her out amongst the other kids all day? What to tell the mom?

[Cat Herder]

What to tell the mom?

Tell her to google the death and morbidity rate of toddlers with a femur or skull fracture.

[mismatchedsocks]

What is a toddler zone? Is she within sight/sound of them?

do you have to tell mom anything!? Just say everything is going well now, and do what works for YOUR center??

[daycare]

do you have any kind of circle time? or class time of any kind?

I also did the same thing. BUT I would have the group join all together at circle time, reading time, dancing time, art time, etc.

When it was free play and I needed to be in the kitchen, I would have her in the toddler zone for about 15 min or so. (about 3 to 4times a day) Then when we have free play and I am in the back room, I show the kids how to play with someone younger. I feel that it is important that they learn to socialize with children of all ages, both ways.

I don't think it's a good idea to have her isolated away from the group all day. Who is she to learn to play with and talk with? How will she learn to interact and share with?

Try to have them all play together more and only have her in the toddler zone when you can't have your eyes on them 100%...

[SilverSabre25]

dcg just LOVES having her own special play space all to herself! She has all her favorite toys in there that she can play with without the bigger kids getting in her way and messing up what she's trying to do! She gets to play with her own special stuff and do it safely, while the big kids get to play with their toys that would only frustrate dcg or be unsafe her her. Dcg gets to be with the whole group during [outside time, circle time, meal time, whatever] but otherwise LOVES her own special space!

[AnneCordelia]

I have a toddler zone too. My livingroom is joined to my diningroom...they are the same 'space' with no dividers or walls. My diningroom is converted into my daycare space...table, supplies, ect. I got a 10' gate to seperate the spaces and now the toddlers are in the livingroom with the preschoolers in the diningroom. They can see, hear and touch each other...they just can't trample each other, and the toddlers don't have access to dump toy buckets.

It's awesome and works great for us. We also eat together, have circle time together, ect. So I don't feel they are 'isolated' at all.

[cheerfuldom]

Let her know that this is what works in your daycare setting and you are working on teaching her appropriate play and social skills so the goal is, eventually, for her to be with the group 100% of the time down the road. The toddler zone is a temporary option to keep her safe and provide age appropriate toys and play space. Do not tell her the specific times the zone is used, just that you use it when you have to have a safe space for her. Make sure to let her know all the positives about the area

[daycare]

Let her know that this is what works in your daycare setting and you are working on teaching her appropriate play and social skills so the goal is, eventually, for her to be with the group 100% of the time down the road. The toddler zone is a temporary option to keep her safe and provide age appropriate toys and play space. Do not tell her the specific times the zone is used, just that you use it when you have to have a safe space for her. Make sure to let her know all the positives about the area

I dont have a like button!! yes to what cheerfuldom said!!!

[Crystal]

I know I'll be the odd man out here, as usual, but I agree with Mom. It IS isolating her. It is also not helping her learn how to interact appropriately with the rest of the group. She will never learn if she doesn't have ample opportunity to do so. It doesn't matter if it is now or later that she is allowed to join, she will STILL have to learn appropriate social interactions....I say the sooner, the better.

I would get rid of the toddler zone, and consistently work with her to help her learn how to interact with the older children, and I would also be teaching the older children to be accomodating and helpful to her.

FTR....in 15 years I have never separated the infants/toddlers from the older children. They learn, just as siblings at home, to work and play together and to accomdate one another.

[Crystal]

Curious, when Mom interviewed with you, was she aware that you used a "toddler zone" or is this a new thing in your program, for her child?

[daycare]

Opps, sorry I forgot to attach. Crystal this was for you...



this is pretty much what I said as well....But what would you do with this child at this age when you are cooking food or prepping and you can't have your eyes on them? Do you leave them in the room all together??

[Blackcat31]

I agree with the fact that the older kids need some space to play without littles knocking down their buildings and such HOWEVER, it is isolating the toddler. She will never learn appropriate social skills or how to interact with others if she isn't given the opportunity to do so.

My space is set up so that 75% of it is for mixed age groups and there is one space the older kids (in groups of 2 or 3 ) can choose to go and play with items/toys that have small pieces. It is my older kids who are allowed to be separated and not the other way around.

I also agree that if mom was told this during enrollment, then she really shouldn't be complaining now, however if it is somehting new, I guess I would be upset too.

The older kids also need experience in how to solve social conflicts as well, one of which is younger children and everything that comes along with them.

[wdmmom]

The "Toddler Zone" was implemented to protect DCG from the bigger kids. Tell her that she isn't in there all day...only during free play times and as she gets older, her time in the "Toddler Zone" decreases. You are training her on how to play and BE SAFE around the bigger kids.

Once the mom realizes that the zone isn't used as a form of punishment but rather as a form of safety, I think she'd be more than understanding.

[Heidi]

I have 15 mo old twins in my group, and without the toddler zone, things would be awesomely miserable. It keeps us all sane, and it is a space where I rarely have to say "no", other than to pounding each other (again, they are twins).

My older children are still learning limits, like not touching the christmas tree, or jumping on the sofa. The younger ones can come out with the older group for a few minutes at a time, but I have to be right there, and then it's still usually mayhem.

I totally get what Crystal is saying, but again, it's about balance. Of course they need to learn to socialize, and of course they need to respect boundries, but the older children need to be able to play undisturbed sometimes. It's one of the challenges of having a mixed age group.

I would let mom know that she is happy to have her own space, and that her time "alone" is limited. My dc mom LOVED that her boys had their own space, and wished for one at home. But then, 4 of 5 of these kids are hers, so she knows what it's like when they are all "on the loose"

[cheerfuldom]

The OP said she wasn't there all the time. This was an option she created to give the big kids some time without having a young one wreck havoc on their projects and such. I can see the benefits to do a zone and to not do the zone but in this case, the OP wasn't asking if she should or should not do one.....she already has one going, it works for her and her group, the only one that doesn't like it is mom. I understand the mom's point of view but just because mom feels that way does not mean that the provider has to change anything. I think the mom would come around to it when she realizes that her child isn't isolated (all alone) but separated on occasion.