Switching Daycares?

[Carrie2012]

Hi Everyone!

My daugther is 10 months old and has been attending daycare since she was 3 months. We've been mostly happy with her daycare and only recently have I had any some minor concerns.

She was bit twice last week, but I completely understand happens. She's the only girl and I wish there was at least one other girl. Her teachers/assistants are all fairly young, which is no problem at all, but they seem to have a high turnover rate. I like her teacher, though I do feel like I might like her to be with someone a bit more nurturing. I have an early childhood degree myself and know how wonderful some people can be. Also, she's seems to be eating quite a bit during the day and not really drinking her second bottle well. I believe they may be having her drink it on her own and she's not focusing on drinking, whereas if someone sits with her, she usually will at least drink half or more. Also she comes home pretty filthy each day. They sometimes don't use bibs and her face has been dirty quite a few times. Is that common?

My dilemma is that we have an opportunity to move her to another daycare setting which we have been on a waiting list for. It is a highly regarded daycare and it has taken her nearly a year to get in. I am unsure of what to do. The new daycare is almost $30 more per week, which will certainly add up. That said, it is a really great daycare and she can transition to preschool there. They are more secure and I believe the turnover rate will be lessened.

I'm trying to decide whether to pay more and move her, possibly upsetting her current comfort zone and routine. I feel badly to remove her from the place she's grown to love. Does anyone have any advice for me?

[Michael]

Welcome to the Daycare.com Forum! I upgraded your status. You can post freely now.

[Carrie2012]

Thank you!

Good to be here!

[Heidi]

Welcome!

In my experience, at that age they do start to drink less formula and eat more solids. Mine were all completely off the bottle by a year, and by 10 months were mostly drinking from a cup at mealtimes, with just an evening bottle yet. At 10 months, I don't think one of them was still eating baby food. They were feeding themselves healthy "grown up" food.

If she is growing well, then that really wouldn't be an issue for me.

As for the dirty face, I have to admit a few of my dc kids go home grubby. I am big on self-help skills, so they wash their faces, etc on their own with my help. Plus, we are outside ALOT and outside is just plan dirty. As Mel (another provider here) says, "this is not an episode of toddlers and tiaras". My dcp's are comfortable with that, though, because I warn them up front during the enrollment process.

I guess I would visit the other daycare again and observe the ollder infants and toddlers at the end of the day. How do they look? Are they happy and a little dirty? Are they happy and clean? You probably got to go for that inittial visit, but did you really get to see the interactions and the result at day's end?

If you do that and still feel like it's more your style, then do what your heart and head tells you is best for your little girl.

[Meeko]

Hi Everyone!

My daugther is 10 months old and has been attending daycare since she was 3 months. We've been mostly happy with her daycare and only recently have I had any some minor concerns.

She was bit twice last week, but I completely understand happens. She's the only girl and I wish there was at least one other girl. Her teachers/assistants are all fairly young, which is no problem at all, but they seem to have a high turnover rate. I like her teacher, though I do feel like I might like her to be with someone a bit more nurturing. I have an early childhood degree myself and know how wonderful some people can be. Also, she's seems to be eating quite a bit during the day and not really drinking her second bottle well. I believe they may be having her drink it on her own and she's not focusing on drinking, whereas if someone sits with her, she usually will at least drink half or more. Also she comes home pretty filthy each day. They sometimes don't use bibs and her face has been dirty quite a few times. Is that common?

My dilemma is that we have an opportunity to move her to another daycare setting which we have been on a waiting list for. It is a highly regarded daycare and it has taken her nearly a year to get in. I am unsure of what to do. The new daycare is almost $30 more per week, which will certainly add up. That said, it is a really great daycare and she can transition to preschool there. They are more secure and I believe the turnover rate will be lessened.

I'm trying to decide whether to pay more and move her, possibly upsetting her current comfort zone and routine. I feel badly to remove her from the place she's grown to love. Does anyone have any advice for me?

You may want to consider a nanny, so that your daughter gets one on one attention. In most day care settings, they cannot afford to have one provider sit one on one with a child who may take a while to drink her bottle.

They should be using bibs...but I have children in my care who don't like them and swing them around or rip them off and get food on their clothes. Their parents accept that I cannot sit with every child, one on one and that spills happen.

I also try to make sure every child goes happy and healthy. We have fun and we get dirty!! A few smudges here and there means the child has played hard and had fun. Now I would not send them all home filthy every day, but kids attract dirt. It's part of growing up. If I miss a smudge or two, it comes off in the tub that night. The parents are happy because their kids are happy.

If your daughter seems happy in her center, why move her? Is she safe there? If you think she is in safe hands, then leave her. Send her in play clothes that can get dirty and be thankful as you bathe her each night, that she has a good time in care.

If you want one on one care, you need to hire a nanny to come to your home. Then you can make sure she finishes her bottle and is kept spotless.

[MyAngels]

Personally, I would ask for some time to sit down and discuss this with your providers/teachers/assistants.

I wouldn't be worried about the bib situation - as a PP said kids that age often pull them off and their clothes then get a bit dirty. As far as the dirty face goes, it depends I guess. I probably wouldn't be thrilled if my baby came home with a dirty face, but I'd at least ask about it.

As a provider I would not be able sit and hold the bottle or hold the child while they held the bottle for a 10 month old all the time. It's just not practical.

[Crystal]

Your child should be held while drinking her bottle....I agree that we cannot one-on-one every child, but I am quite capapble of carrying a baby while ffeding AND taking care of the other children as well. Also, this is the reason for ratios being different for infants than older children....infants NEED the attention more.

Your child's face and hands should be washed after every meal/bottle. If she removes her bib, and her clothes get (really) dirty, she should be changed.( I agree with self-help skills but at 10 months that is NOT realistic)

High turnover of staff/teachers would horrify me and I would not want that for my child.

All that said, I think you know the answer to your own question. You want stability for your child, and continuity of care. It sounds to me as if the place you have been waiting for a spot to open up at is what you are looking for. I would visit again and then go for it.

[Crystal]

I forgot about the biting. She was bit 2 times in one week???? Was this an older child doing the biting? What was the explanation you were given for each incident?

BTW, Carrie, I am a provider. Welcome to the forum.

[3girls]

IF your financial situation is steady enough that you can afford this other place for the rest of her time in daycare I would go ahead and move her, especially since she can move right to preschool with the same folks. Turnover is a huge issue in daycare centers and it affects children just as much as a change in environment. Quality and continuity of care is probably the most important thing to look for.

My dcc play outside and get dirty but I do wash their faces before they go home. I also keep up on the little girls hair. Clothes get dirty playing outside and theres not much I can do about that, but I can help with the other stuff.

[Meeko]

I skipped clear over the age!

Crystal is right and she SHOULD be held while feeding her bottle. She should be in an infant area with enough staff to cover that. I was thinking older child...my bad.

As far as food goes......I let them paddle in it at 10 months.:: It's how they learn. It's very messy and they should be cleaned up afterwards. A few smudges and stains would not bother me, but a face full of food would. Go with your gut. Maybe bring up your concerns and see if anything changes. If not, then maybe look into a new facility.

[Carrie2012]

Welcome!

In my experience, at that age they do start to drink less formula and eat more solids. Mine were all completely off the bottle by a year, and by 10 months were mostly drinking from a cup at mealtimes, with just an evening bottle yet. At 10 months, I don't think one of them was still eating baby food. They were feeding themselves healthy "grown up" food.

If she is growing well, then that really wouldn't be an issue for me.

As for the dirty face, I have to admit a few of my dc kids go home grubby. I am big on self-help skills, so they wash their faces, etc on their own with my help. Plus, we are outside ALOT and outside is just plan dirty. As Mel (another provider here) says, "this is not an episode of toddlers and tiaras". My dcp's are comfortable with that, though, because I warn them up front during the enrollment process.

I guess I would visit the other daycare again and observe the ollder infants and toddlers at the end of the day. How do they look? Are they happy and a little dirty? Are they happy and clean? You probably got to go for that inittial visit, but did you really get to see the interactions and the result at day's end?

If you do that and still feel like it's more your style, then do what your heart and head tells you is best for your little girl.

Thanks for your response! You bring up a good point about how much formula she's having. I do think that since she's 10 months, she's displaying signs she's ready to go down to 3 bottles, so that will help that situation.

I definitely am okay with her coming home kind of grubby. I've learned to send her in her "daycare" clothes that can be stained and whatnot. Sometimes there are excessive amounts of food/drink down her front, which I do think could be avoided. She seems to have no problem with a bib for us. Most of my concern is that it doesn't appear her face is being washed after eating her food; she gets a rash there, as I know many babies who are teething do, and I'm afraid that the lack of washing kind of worsens it. :confused:

[Carrie2012]

I skipped clear over the age!

Crystal is right and she SHOULD be held while feeding her bottle. She should be in an infant area with enough staff to cover that. I was thinking older child...my bad.

As far as food goes......I let them paddle in it at 10 months.:: It's how they learn. It's very messy and they should be cleaned up afterwards. A few smudges and stains would not bother me, but a face full of food would. Go with your gut. Maybe bring up your concerns and see if anything changes. If not, then maybe look into a new facility.

She's just now getting to the point where she's holding her own bottle; I'm sure they're relieved. I think it is partly that they are not sitting with her to try to encourage her to drink it and partially that I could get rid of that bottle altogether. I do know that they have their hands full with all the babies and while they have the appropriate amount of teachers/assistants for the number of children, it must be hard.

Another issue I've had is them feeding her the bottle while she is laying flat on the floor. They stopped doing that when she got an ear infection and we asked specifically that they no longer took that approach. They have been accomodating.

[Carrie2012]

Personally, I would ask for some time to sit down and discuss this with your providers/teachers/assistants.

I wouldn't be worried about the bib situation - as a PP said kids that age often pull them off and their clothes then get a bit dirty. As far as the dirty face goes, it depends I guess. I probably wouldn't be thrilled if my baby came home with a dirty face, but I'd at least ask about it.

As a provider I would not be able sit and hold the bottle or hold the child while they held the bottle for a 10 month old all the time. It's just not practical.

Good suggestion! I am not worried about being dirty on her hands, body, and clothes, as much as her face. She often has food on her face and it seems to contribute to the rash she tends to get around her mouth. It's hard because she seems to have sensitive skin. I'm trying not to be to ask too much, while also not allowing for something that shouldn't be going on to go on. It can be a difficult balance.

[Carrie2012]

I forgot about the biting. She was bit 2 times in one week???? Was this an older child doing the biting? What was the explanation you were given for each incident?

BTW, Carrie, I am a provider. Welcome to the forum.

Thank you so much for your feedback! It is so helpful to hear from someone other than my husband on these types of things.

I can see her not being washed even after a bottle, but after food and it's clearly on her face, I do feel that she should be quickly wiped.

She seems a little indifferent to the turnover; it may bother me more than her! She seems comfortable with anyone in the daycare, as there are many workers. I tend to like some girls more than others. Some just seem like natural caregivers, while for others it just seems to be more of a temporary job and they don't enjoy it much.

She was bit twice in three days. They didn't share who the boy was, but I believe it was one of the other ones- both twins- with teeth. My husband heard the teacher speaking to his caregiver about it, so I know they are aware. I do realize that children do that and the first time was not alarmed at all. The second incident- probably because it was so close to the first- alarmed me for my daughter. I am afraid she'll begin to fear daycare and her friends there. I know the staff is doing their best to create a good environment for all of them. They basically just told me what happened and that was that.

[Carrie2012]

IF your financial situation is steady enough that you can afford this other place for the rest of her time in daycare I would go ahead and move her, especially since she can move right to preschool with the same folks. Turnover is a huge issue in daycare centers and it affects children just as much as a change in environment. Quality and continuity of care is probably the most important thing to look for.

My dcc play outside and get dirty but I do wash their faces before they go home. I also keep up on the little girls hair. Clothes get dirty playing outside and theres not much I can do about that, but I can help with the other stuff.

Thanks for your feedback! I agree~ her face I'd like to be fairly clean, but I definitely realize kids get dirty. Any clothes I send her in I bascially consider 'a loss' and she can get those as dirty as she needs to.

While it is difficult to pull her from a situation in which she's been comfortable and happy, I know she could be happy at both settings. It's a difficult choice!