Your opinion on this daycare..

Margaret Lemon

My LO started daycare last Friday. First, I realize it has only been a few days, but we are all having a hard time. 

This DC is one of the top ones in the area. We were on a waiting list for 9months to get in. The ratio is 4 babies to 1 teacher. Each time I went to visit, there were always a few babies out on vaca,etc. 

Monday all 8 babies were in the room and it seemed liken there were babies everywhere. The teachers do take care of the kids, but of course there are always some crying babies waiting their "turn" to get fed,etc. my sweet little baby had red eyes from so much crying each day I picked her up. I hate leaving her there knowing this. It also doesn't help that she just got an ear infection and no one in my house has slept. I know that could happen even if she was not in DC. 

Am  I just being a big baby? I know I also really don't want to be back at work. My job pays well and has great benefits with flexible hours, so I would be a little crazy to leave it.

One minute I think I need to hire a nanny. The next, I think I am not giving this enough time. I am mostly venting. Any advice? TIA

KathrynMD

Talk to the director - she should either be able to explain what to expect and allay your fears; if she isn't sympathetic or understanding of your concerns that maybe you need to look elsewhere.  Start to build a relationship w/ the teachers so you know what's going on.  Always ask questions. ..

AZ123

That is so tough! Part of being a successful working mom is knowing that your child is being well taken care of. I could see maybe one day where you pick her up and she's been crying but each day?

 All I can share is from my personal experience and when there are a lot of kids that need to be fed at once or one that's not feeling well and needs to be held, a floater or the director will come into the room and help. The only time I've seen a baby crying is when they're waiting for the teacher to fix their food.

Voice your concerns to the director and the teachers.

ljanette85

nanny and a former DC provider here...

 unfortunatly this happens in daycares. as long as the ratio rule is adhered to there is only so much 2 teachers with 8 babies can do. its really hard when they all cry and im sure (i hope) the teachers do their best to comfort each child. it sucks, but when you sign up for daycare you have to understand that individual care kind of goes out the window...

i LOVE being a nanny and my bosses have thanked me many times for being there and have pointed out how happy they were to avoid daycare. maybe a nanny would be right for you? or maybe a smaller daycare such as a homebased one?

i also remember seeing a lot of sicks kids at daycare... contsant runny noses and many ear infections. your right, it could happen regardless, but i think that being in a large daycare with a bunch of kids seriously ups the chance of it happening.

I remember seeing how hard it was for the parents to leave their babies at the center, its not an easy thing to do at all! i would explore your options if you are not comfortable with the current dcp.

jlaOK

When I put my DS in our current DCP, I spent a morning with him to observe how they handle feeding, naptime, crying babies, etc. I got to know his teachers and got a feel for what his day would be like. This helped calm my fears ad helped answer the unknown of "what do they do all day?". 

Stillharbor

It's not unreasonable to feel like that.  I'm a teacher in a private school with a preK.  It sounds like they've got a great ratio.  And honestly, most of the time, at that age, if one LO starts to cry, multiples do.  Start a relationship with the teacher/caretaker.  They should always have something to say about how LO's day went.

ITGurl0626

Stillharbor:

It's not unreasonable to feel like that.  I'm a teacher in a private school with a preK.  It sounds like they've got a great ratio.  And honestly, most of the time, at that age, if one LO starts to cry, multiples do.  Start a relationship with the teacher/caretaker.  They should always have something to say about how LO's day went.

ITA....babies do feed off of each other.  Last week while picking my LO up from DC another baby started crying & my LO started getting fussy as I was walking out of the classroom.  As soon as we got to the car, she was fine.

I do agree with the others, try to get a good rapport with the teachers.  Your LO could still be adjusting to DC and it can take a few weeks sometimes.  My LO started a new center about a month ago & she still cries off & on when I drop her off, but when I pick her up she is all smiles & happy.  I also drop in at random times & pick her up at random times (my job is flexible too)...so the teachers never know when I am coming.  I've never seen anything out of the ordinary.  Maybe you should start popping up at random times just to see what your LO is up to.

skipperkelly

ITGurl0626:

Stillharbor:

It's not unreasonable to feel like that.  I'm a teacher in a private school with a preK.  It sounds like they've got a great ratio.  And honestly, most of the time, at that age, if one LO starts to cry, multiples do.  Start a relationship with the teacher/caretaker.  They should always have something to say about how LO's day went.

ITA....babies do feed off of each other.  Last week while picking my LO up from DC another baby started crying & my LO started getting fussy as I was walking out of the classroom.  As soon as we got to the car, she was fine.

I do agree with the others, try to get a good rapport with the teachers.  Your LO could still be adjusting to DC and it can take a few weeks sometimes.  My LO started a new center about a month ago & she still cries off & on when I drop her off, but when I pick her up she is all smiles & happy.  I also drop in at random times & pick her up at random times (my job is flexible too)...so the teachers never know when I am coming.  I've never seen anything out of the ordinary.  Maybe you should start popping up at random times just to see what your LO is up to.

I agree with the pop-in. I did this a couple of times during the first week and I feel so much more comfortable now knowing that he's well taken care of. GL.