Chuckling At Neighbor

[afmama]

I'm fairly new to home child care, but I'm on my own second baby and I disagree with the over-use of things that contain the baby. I am all about a good ole blanket on the floor! Sometimes it's tough with bigger kids around, but I've bigger kids mess with a baby in a swing, jumper etc. also.

I do care on an AFB and we are allowed to use "containment" devices for 20 min. every 3 hrs. I never asked if that time included the high chair, but I don't think it does. Also we are not allowed to even use a high chair until they are 8 months old. I love holding babies for bottles...but really how do you hold a jar of food and a 6 month old haha?! Luckily my babies are older, but I just picture us sitting in the bathtub haha

[nannyde]

I think there's another issue in play here that most providers don't realize unless they have been in the business for a while and seen how infant equipment has changed so much.

I was at Walmart last weekend and I took a peek at their displays and my notion that the equipment has cheapened down was confirmed again. What they have available is strikingly different than the equipment I have in my house.

The actual square inches of each part of the equipment is SO much less. The materials they use are flimsy with poor stitching. The buckles, hardware, trays, snaps... EVERYTHING is poor quality.

The equipment is being made for single kid use. It's designed to fail.

In child care the providers are using this equipment for multiple kids over time. When you have kids in poor quality equipment that is sized down to a very small window of time .. you are going to have injuries and death.

Providers want the equipment to last for kid after kid and last for a longer time than just a few months. They don't realize that the window of time is gone for use and let the bigger babies in it.

Ten years ago the exersaucers were designed to fit until the kid was walking. Now they are for seven/eight months. This means that there will be kids climbing out of them, tipping them over, and the points of the equipment that bear the weight of the child are going to squeeze into the kids legs cutting off circulation.

So part of this is provider overuse and lack of supervision but also some of it is that there isn't SAFE equipment available for the whole birth to one age group. When poor equipment meets overstretched and undereducated providers you have injury and death.

The government response is to get rid of the equipment.

After watching center cameras for a bit now I can tell you that the struggle to keep kids out of equipment when the staff is being WATCHED is a DAILY task. Leaving providers to make the day to day .. hour to hour decision... when nobody is watching to be reasonable with use and make sure it is being used for the proper age is definitely a risk for the infant.

[sharlan]

It's been over 5 yrs since I had an exersaucer. That one was a couple of years old, but in great condition when I got rid of it. Not having the need, I haven't looked at any in years.

I do know that so many toys are very cheaply made now. I try to buy quality over quantity.

[nannyde]

For those veteran providers-20+ years what in the world did you guys do back then before all these were invented or used. Where babies just laid down on the ground with a blanket or something. My oldest daughter 18 had a bouncer/then a walker but we did't have a pnp or a playpen even but she wasn't in a childcare till she was 2. She also was my only one so what did everyone in childcare do?

Walkers with big thick round the seat trays and wheels that locked and unlocked.

I have an old school walker. I'll have to take a pic of it.

Back in the day we used wooden play yards too. Graco made a BIG deep heavy duty fold up from the center play yard. The exersaucers were available when I started doing daycare in 93. I still have the first one I bought.

It wasn't unusual at ALL to have kids confined the majority of the waking day. The babies cruising the house and being mixed in with the older kids is relatively new. When I started doing child care the babies in play yards was completely understood and never even talked about. My first inspection in 95, I had the birth to two in a big superyard the entire inspection.

The rules that you can't put children to bed when they misbehaved and/or cried all the time did not exist. Kids who acted up went directly TO BED. Babies that screamed all the time went directly TO BED. We didn't have the pressure to have kids out that couldn't handle it. Confinement was just a part of babyhood, not a punishment but a way to keep everyone safe and the caretaker sane.

That went by the wayside as equipment is now because it was overused and kids got injured and neglected.

[daycare]

I hate to sound mean but some people just don't have any common sense and unfortunately just about anyone can run a daycare.

I've heard sone crazy stuuff at daycare classes and meetings that I am dumb founded anyone would even consider asking such a question.

I remember one lady asked the instructor if she could leave her four biological kids outside all day (all who were under 6) to play so that she could take 8 kids into her daycare. Wth!!!

It's sad that they have to make the rules because they have to base it off of worst case possible.

As they said growing up it only takes one person to ruin it for everyone else...

[sharlan]

Our licensor was talking about a lady who spent the whole day at the park with her kids. As soon as the last one was there, she packed up and off to the park they went. When it was time for the first one to be picked up, they headed home. According to him, it didn't matter if it was rain or shine. She lost her license.

[MarinaVanessa]

In CA we can't have baby swings, walkers, bounce seats, exersaucers and children can not be placed in a crib or pack-n-plack if awake...

LIC. rules....I don't have any babies but I think those rules STINK

You are correct on everything except the baby swing. Everything else is against our regulations but you can have a swing. No awake babies in the crib/pack n plays, no sleeping babies in the swings. I know because I have one. At first licensing tried telling me no and I went through a big thing with them because I asked for the regulation about the swings. Finally they said ok. If someone from licensing told you no, I'd ask them to tell you in writing that you can't and why. You might be surprised.

[daycare]

You are correct on everything except the baby swing. Everything else is against our regulations but you can have a swing. No awake babies in the crib/pack n plays, no sleeping babies in the swings. I know because I have one. At first licensing tried telling me no and I went through a big thing with them because I asked for the regulation about the swings. Finally they said ok. If someone from licensing told you no, I'd ask them to tell you in writing that you can't and why. You might be surprised.

Thanks for correcting me. I don't have any infants in my care or offer infant care. I'm in northern Cali and I thought that they said no swings.
I think someone said it correctly too that you can have a swing but not sleeping in them.

[MarinaVanessa]

Thanks for correcting me. I don't have any infants in my care or offer infant care. I'm in northern Cali and I thought that they said no swings.
I think someone said it correctly too that you can have a swing but not sleeping in them.

I hope I didn't come off cross. I just thought that licensing told you no swings and that steams my chicken . I hear that licensing tells a lot of CA providers no (even in my area) and I must have been the only one that actuall reads the regulations around here because I made a big stink to my licensor when she told me I could t keep my swing. Apparently no one challenges licensing around here because when I questioned it she had a coniption lmao!! We went back and forth for a few days through phone and finally email until she finally relented and said that swings weren't officially against regs, only frowned upon. I said PPPFFFTTT <----- raspberry. I kept mine.

[sharlan]

That's my problem with CA. It is such a big state and it seems like everyone does it their way when it comes to licensing.

Each inspector has their own pet peeve that they go after. Things that upset one, doesn't even faze the next one.

[daycare]

I hope I didn't come off cross. I just thought that licensing told you no swings and that steams my chicken . I hear that licensing tells a lot of CA providers no (even in my area) and I must have been the only one that actuall reads the regulations around here because I made a big stink to my licensor when she told me I could t keep my swing. Apparently no one challenges licensing around here because when I questioned it she had a coniption lmao!! We went back and forth for a few days through phone and finally email until she finally relented and said that swings weren't officially against regs, only frowned upon. I said PPPFFFTTT <----- raspberry. I kept mine.

Oh no I'm sorry I know you were being piloted about it. Lol I'm not the best with words and I'm using my iPhone
LIC can be a pain in the you know what!!
Glad you fought it and was smart about reading your rights. It's not too often that LIC will admit when they are wrong.

[Meeko]

That's my problem with CA. It is such a big state and it seems like everyone does it their way when it comes to licensing.

Each inspector has their own pet peeve that they go after. Things that upset one, doesn't even faze the next one.

Our training co-ordinator always tells us to question. If you are not sure what the licensor says is right (or feel she's making up her own regs on the spot) ALWAYS ask to see the written reg. If she can't show it to you, then she can't enforce it. It's that simple.

[familyschoolcare]

Our training co-ordinator always tells us to question. If you are not sure what the licensor says is right (or feel she's making up her own regs on the spot) ALWAYS ask to see the written reg. If she can't show it to you, then she can't enforce it. It's that simple.

Yes, ask to see it in writing and the actual reg not the high lighted version.

During my initial inspection their was a question regarding how I store certain things. I told my lic. rep. that I was told at orientation that this way was allowed. She pulled out the high light regs. I said in other situation that is interpreted to mean that my way of storing is allowed, can I please see the actual regs. and also how are the children safer your way than mine. She then said fine but if they come and check on me there might be a problem.

[mom2many]

In 1986, when I first began my daycare business here in CA "walkers" were not allowed. This made total sense to me, since they were on wheels and could go down stairs...if you had any.

The swing was totally acceptable at this time and those were the only things on the market.

Then bouncy seats became available and these were great for feeding infants and allowing them to be more upright for small periods of time.

Then in 2000, I had an "unannounced" visit, and much to my surprise, the stationary exersaucer, which was a brand new concept to me, was a complete and utter NO NO! I had a parent bring theirs over for me to use, saying their child loved it!

I had it in a back room not even being used st the time and licensing cited me. I had no idea they were even illegal to use
This is a HUGE issue with being in the business for so many years and the constant changes that take place....especially in CA where "common sense" is not even a factor!
I wouldn't be surprised if high chairs are deemed unfit here...this state truly has some whackos in charge!!!!!!!!!

[mac60]

All this just is utterly rediculous. Makes absolutely no sense. My mom tells me that when she was a little girl, her mom (my grandma) would tie her youngest to the clothesline while she was outside working so that he wouldn't wander off and be safe. He is a old man now who served in the armed forces, and he was not damaged by this. They did what they could to keep their children safe.

I find it strange that everyone uses the term "all the time" so freely. I wonder, just how does some one know that something is used "all the time" unless they spend a full day in your home. At the very least, a provider should be able to use the items and go about her day the same as what a parent would.

I currently have a special needs child. 14 mo old. Doesn't sit up, doesn't roll over, doesn't hold her bottle, very delayed. Mom just told me last week to sit her in the highchair as much as possible so that she can strenghthen her back/neck muscles, so she can learn to grab things off the tray, etc. She does not want her laying on the floor doing nothing. The state governments need to butt out of everyones business. Until they have walked a week in our shoes, they just need to go away. They make doing this job much harder.