daycare question

kmm2150

DD has been in the same daycare center since she was about 8 weeks old, and there are many things I like about it, but we've been frustrated with a few things and are wondering if this is just the way it is in daycares or if we should expect more/possibly switch.

Most of the issues revolve around feedings/food - we've asked that she not have juice but they gave her juice (one time, not the end of the world, I know, and they told us/wrote it on her sheet, so I don't feel like they are sneaking things).

From what I can tell, she and the other babies (6mo-12mo room) just crawl and toddle around with bottles quite a bit which results in bottles being spilled, her being covered with milk resulting in a rash on her face, the bottle touching who knows what, and babies drinking from each other's bottles. I'm not really there to see this, but from what my mom's said when she's picked DD up early in the afternoon, this seems to be typical.

Finally, just the general menu/snacks that they are starting to ask if she can have really bugs me - sugary, salty, junk - and I know that as she switches over to the toddler rooms we will not have as much choice to say "no, she can't have that" (once they start on the "menu" we can't send food from home unless it's for medical reasons).

I know none of these things are the end of the world, and we wouldn't switch just over a bottle of juice - I'm just wondering if this is normal to people, and we should expect it to continue even if we switch centers, or if this would bug others too.

FrickandFrack

That does not sound normal to me if she is in a DC center.  If you are not happy, I would start looking for another place to send her, especially if they are not listening to your concerns and wishes.

kmm2150

I am not sure which issue you are talking about being normal? All of them.

One bottle of juice - you said they haven't done it since - yeah, this one in and of itself isn't that big a deal, just irritating because they asked multiple times if she could have juice, we consistently said no and even sent a note, and they still did it.

Snacks - if you don't like the snacks they offer didn't you know this going in? This one is not a big deal to me just because it is snack. That's a good point - when we got her in here at 8 weeks old she wasn't eating snacks, of course, and it was pretty much the only daycare that met all our needs that didn't have  a wait list. I honestly didn't even think about the "menu" at that time. I think this ties back to the juice thing that I just worry about them giving her things that we don't want her to have yet.

Rash - how do you know what the rash is being caused by? I would have issue with her having her bottle around and different babies drinking each other's bottles. I would have to speak with the director if I knew for sure this was going on. You're right, I don't have proof that's what it's from, but it seems related - her little face is wet all the time from the bottle (this is info from my mom picking her up twice a week) and it seems to be irritating her skin.

ASmallWonder

Most of this is "meh" to me but that's me.  The juice is absolutely NBD.  It was once and not again so really, nothing to even spend time thinking about.  The bottles - you're taking one mother's account and reading it as law.  It may not be accurate.  The daycare menu where my son is is just not great.  I looked at a lot of places and they're all similar in our immediate area.  I know some people have access to places with great menus but there is nothing for us and we're not going to pack up and move over Bagel Bites, kwim?  My kid is active, loves it there and eats well outside of school (and not all the meals/snack are iffy - some are totally fine).  I don't think he's being negatively impacted but that's me and I'm pretty chill about stuff.  If it's a big deal to you, look around and see what your options are.

kmm2150

Thanks ladies. None of this is the end of the world to me, and I wouldn't switch daycares over any of these things in and of themselves. We are looking at getting her in a daycare that is much more "child development" oriented with lots of good programming and optional things to sign them up for like art and swimming lessons. We are still a few years away from these things being a big deal, but the other daycare usually has a HUGE wait list - they might be able to get her in this summer though, so we're thinking about going for it now while we can. I guess I was just trying to guage what to expect if we do switch- if any other center would likely be more of the same, or if what we're currently experiencing is bad/unusual.

lrn327

I'd actually be uncomfortable with everything you mentioned but a lot of it comes from my son having food allergies. With infants, you likely wouldn't even know they had these allergies yet.  If there was a 12-month-old in there with cows milk in a bottle and my DS had drunk it at that age, he could have had a severe reaction and would have been covered in hives even just having it splashed on his skin.  So, this bugs me as does the juice thing.  It's not that it's juice really, just that they gave her something you told them not to.  Finally, the junky food thing is also why I choose our specific DC.  Our menu looks a lot like what Hilarity mentioned.  I'd consider changing personally.  You have comparatively so much control when they're in the infant room.  As they move up, it's much less so.  I assume you know of some other ones to look at but we have an OKC mom on our BMB that likes hers I believe.  She posts here a bit, but I can PM her if you need it.