Need Daycare Advice

Rhea77

My twin boys started daycare on July1st and I am already thinking about switching them to somewhere else! I am trying to figure out if my concerns are justified or if I'm just being overly anxious. I don't want to make the wrong decision.

I'm just not sure exactly how I feel about their current daycare. I don't have a great feeling about it, but I am having a tough time putting my finger on exactly what I think the problem is.

My boys were in the NICU for two weeks before coming home. They also spent another week in the PICU following a surgery at three months old. Because of this, I think I've been a bit spoiled by having them taken care of by professionally trained nurses that operated with high standards and specific procedures. I have to keep that in mind and realize that most day care providers are not going to have this kind of training and background.

First of all, their current daycare just feels a bit depressing to me. There are tan cinderblock walls, fluorescent lights on the ceiling, and no windows. It just does not feel like a very bright, cheery environment. The toys and furniture all have a very used, outdated appearance to them. But nothing looks visibly dirty or broken.

The staff are all friendly, but don't seem to have much training in safety issues for working with infants. Every day when I go in there, the babies are all covered up with blankets and the cribs are stuffed with Boppy pillows and other toys. Several of them have asked me whether I would like the babies to sleep on their backs or their stomachs. I brought sleep sacks for them, but usually I find the babies lying in their cribs covered with their sleep sacks being used like blankets.

The staff also seem a bit lax when it comes to proper hygiene. Toys are just strewn on the floor and can be chewed on and picked up by numerous children, one after the other.

Additionally, staff have just generally seemed a bit unprofessional. I have heard them talking about the other babies and their moms openly right in front of me. Nothing terrible, but stuff you generally don't want to hear and you don't want to think they are saying about your baby behind your back.

The main reason I chose this daycare initially is because it is located right next door to where I work And it is affordable. I can stop over during my lunch break and it is extremely convenient. However, I'm wondering if it is worth it for them to be that close when I have concerns about the place in general.

Ladies, I am wondering if I am justified in being worried about the things I am experiencing. Am I having too high of expectations because I'm used to them being cared for by trained nurses, or are these behaviors truly unacceptable in a day care setting? Are these just the kinds of things that I am going to see in pretty much any day care?

The boys seem happy overall, and I'd hate to rock the boat if another place is not going to be much better. Please help

MrsG071809

My DD isn't in daycare, so I don't have real experience to tell you if your expectations are realistic or not.  But, I always say go with your gut as a mom, and if you don't feel right about this place then I wouldn't think twice about switching them.  Those all sound like legitimate concerns to me - I mean, you want your child to spend their days in a bright, happy environment.  And if they aren't observing current safety guidelines, that is a red flag to me.  I would at least interview/tour a few other places to see if you find one that feels better to you.

tilsonc

I would go with PP and go with your gut. You also need to weigh your other options and do some other tours. I just toured daycares and picked one that had tons of new toys and bouncers. The other daycare hardly had any toys and 1 bouncer for 4 babies (none in the 0-6 month age group). There will be goods/bads about every center...none of them will be perfect.

PipSqueak0313

A couple of questions and comments.

The cribs that held boppys and toys -- were they using the crib to store the items or was a child sleeping in the crib at the time? I ask because I have been in daycares that place items in the cribs to keep them away from the kids when not in use.

Were the blankets being used to cover the kids lightweight blankets or heavy ones?  It is common to use lightweight ones or the child's own blanket to cover the child during nap time.  Often infants fall asleep without regard to the schedule and it is not reasonable to expect the daycare staff to place the sleeping child inside a sleep sack.  If you are not comfortable with it, I'd recommend talking with the daycare staff and maybe send your child in wearing long sleeves and pants (room temp is often the same regardless of the season so if long sleeves/pants are comfy in the winter they will be comfy in the summer) I usually brought a receiving blanket with ds and with the exception of when he was in bouncy seats that was the only blanket his daycare covered him with.

Them asking about back/tummy sleeping is a valid question because some parents still prefer their child to sleep on their tummy.  It is not necessarily a reflection on the staff's education regarding safe sleeping.

Unless you are following every child every minute of the day, it is impossible to keep a child from picking up a daycare toy and putting it in their mouth after another child has been chewing on it.  Daycare toys are frequently washed/rinsed in bleach water to disinfect.  This is one of the reasons why daycare children have more illnesses than children that are home without interaction from other babies -- and why the children that are home are often sicker when they first start school.  This sharing of germs from the toys is something that will occur in every daycare.  It would only be a major concern if the daycare was not disinfecting the toys on a frequent or regular basis.

 Now the discussions about other parents/children can be unprofessional and can potentially violate the privacy of the parent/child and that I would recommend a discussion with the daycare director.  Ask for a copy of the daycare's privacy policy.

Rhea77

The babies were sleeping in the cribs with the Boppys and toys. They are usually covered with light or medium blankets. Based on what you've explained, I can see how some of those things might not be that big of a deal. I just remember what it was like when we were in the NICU. It felt a bit like baby Boot Camp. There were very specific procedures for everything, no cutting corners. The nurses watched us like hawks and taught us to do everything very cautiously, so I guess I grew to expect all places that deal with babies to be kind of the same way. I have plans to tour another daycare tomorrow, so that will at least give me a point of comparison.

RibbitGrl930

I agree with PPs. I would trust your gut when it comes to your babies. This is not exactly a small thing, it's the people watching your children and keeping them safe! I would hate to ignore my gut on something like this and end up regretting not doing anything about it. If you get this bad a feeling about it (and have very valid reasons to- certain practices make you feel uneasy), I'd start looking at alternatives and putting your name on waiting lists.

swelniak

Our daycare wasn't our first choice, but it had availability and I've come to be happy with it. The swings and bouncers definitely aren't new, but I don't expect that. I will say that the ladies are super nice, remember my name, and love on my baby as much as they can. They don't even allow the A&A lightweight blankets in the cribs or even paci clips because of safety hazards. They can have a blanket outside the crib in a bouncer or swing though. No daycare will be perfect, but I do think some of your concerns are valid and I'm not sure I'd be comfortable with it.

amykins1283

At our daycare the state regulations say that infants must be placed on their backs to sleep, no lovies or blankets or anything else is allowed with them, and sleep sacks are the only appropriate covering. This is basic safety information that is commonly known by most childcare providers and I would be mortified if I went into a facility that had all that extra stuff in the cribs with the babies. Add in the unprofessionalism of the staff and the sterile, claustrophobic atmosphere and I'd be outta there.

As for the toy issue, that can't really be helped as babies put everything in their mouths. They should have a daily cleaning and sanitizing schedule in place, though.

rm2013

You're not overreacting if you don't feel it's the right place then it's not. DH and I toured 6 day cares ranging from ultra expensive Creme de la Creme and Goddard School, to more reasonable places like Sunshine House. And not a single one would I have left my LO. There was no big reason why, I just didn't like them or get a comfy feeling. Also, for me if a daycare has swings or bouncy seats it's an automatic NO. I'm not going to pay almost a thousand bucks a month for you to stick my baby in a swing. And ratios were another stickler - my state requires 1 to 6, but when you are talking about tiny infants that is ridiculous. I ended up choosing a center that has no swings/bouncys, enforces a 1 to 4 ratio, and that gave me a "this is the one" feeling as soon as I walked in. I say RUN dont walk away fron your current daycare. Good luck in finding the right fit for you!