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Working Moms
DGandDG
member
Can 2 people really handle 8 babies?
DGandDG
member
in Working Moms
DS went to his second day of daycare today. He is one of 8 babies in the infant room (under 12 months) and there are 2 caretakers (legally maxed out, I think). Both times when I went to pick him up things seemed a little bit chaotic to me. I'm starting to wonder if 8 babies for 2 caretakers is really feasible? They told me that DS was fussy on the first day and I didn't really ask about the second day but he was fussing when I picked him up. He barely slept while he was there, I'm guessing because the environment is SO different (and noisy). I know that he will need some time to adjust but just wondering what others' thoughts are on the ratio? If you have used a daycare, what was the ratio that you have seen for infants and did it seem to work?
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Re: Can 2 people really handle 8 babies?
4 to 1 is a typical ratio for infants, so yes it can be done. Its amazing how sometimes, things look chatoic from an outside perspective, but they are really under control.
For instance, I will never forget, once I went to pick LO up early and he needed to be fed so I sat and fed him a bottle. It was one of those times where it was really chaotic. I watched the teachers and they were like a well oiled machine. One baby was in the swing, trying to go to sleep, the other was laying on in a bouncer chair right next to her, she had another child propt up in her lap drinking a bottle, and the other was doing tummy time next to her. Each child was getting attention from her while she was dealing with that.
The other teacher was changing diapers, filling out reports, heating bottles, checking on the kids who were sleeping and at one point she had 3 babies all doing tummy time on a big blanket in front of her.
Within 5 - 10 minutes of this chaos, all babies were quiet and happy. I just sat there with my mouth open stuned.
As far as your own LO. Give it some time, He will adjust to his new envoirnment. No, it is not 1 to 1 like it is at home, but he will adjust and be just fine. Take some deep breaths and know that it is okay.
A kiss he will never forget- Disney World 2014
It's 4:1 in my state too, however, I can remember there being 3 teachers in the classroom and I think that's b/c there were 9-10 children in the infant room.
On the occasion, when I have picked up LO there was a baby crying while the teacher was feeding/changing diapers,etc...Babies cry it's too be expected and they will have days when they're fussy. I never thought the crying child was being neglected and I'm sure my own child was the one crying too. My oldest was very clingy to her teachers. I remember that being a complaint from them. They could not leave the room to use the bathroom w/o her crying. The teachers were worried it would look bad to other parents having my LO cry during the 5 min a sub came in.So to answer your question-Yes, 4:1 ratio is doable. The teachers have experience and a routine. I personally could not handle 4 babies but that's also why I work in a field completely unrelated to kids.
As far as the sleeping-DD2 had a problem sleeping at DC. It was wonderful for me b/c she slept through the night almost immediately. She actually did much better when she moved into the 1yo classroom where they nap one time/day.
our daycare had a 1:3 ratio in the infants room. I thought that was pushing it, but honestly, I was always super impressed by how well they did it. I'm sure with experience, 4 would be manageable too.
I would be concerned if it regularly feels "chaotic." Busy, loud is very different than chaotic and disorganized and if that's the vibe you're getting, I'd look elsewhere. Also - remember that drop off/pick up are inherently the busiest times of day there.
Unless you've been around daycares, its really a weird environment and it takes a little getting used to to figure out what's normal and what's not. I'd give it a couple weeks and if you still feel like its not right, then look for another place. Also - feel free to chat w/ the teachers, they are taking care of your LO - talk to them, get to know them and honestly ask - how they manage 4 kids - its impressive! Their reaction/response should give you confidence in their abilites or it might end up re-inforcing your fears.
This. A good infant teacher is the queen of being proactive. They plan for it all. Who is going to need the next diaper change, (according to schedule, not unexpected poops), who is going to need the next bottle, who down for a nap, who should be waking up from their nap, how long does a bottle take to heat up, who needs their bottle right away vs can hang for a minute, etc.
They are really amazing when you think about it. Defintiely talk to the teacher and get to know them. Get to know how they work the room and what to expect.
A kiss he will never forget- Disney World 2014
I know my DC is licensed for 15 babies, so I was curious the state law ratio for AZ
Infants 1:5 or 2:11
1-year-old children 1:6 or 2:13
2-year-old children 1:8
3-year-old children 1:13
4-year-old children 1:15
5-year-old children not school-age 1:20
Honestly, all the noises and interactions keep my son quite entertained there. They have their schedule and yes it seems like chaos, but more like controlled chaos. The first couple days were rough, but once DS figured out the DC routine and the staff figured out his, its been smooth sailing.
wow! Just noting the huge difference in ratios. I live in Alberta, Canada. Our ratios (for day homes... I assume it's the same for day cares):
In a day home (one caregiver present) there can be a maximum of 6 kids under age 12 - including the provider's own children. In this mix there can be a maximum of 2 under 2 and 3 under 3.
The numbers may be slightly more for a daycare setting. Really not sure.
My answer is "it depends"--on the type of caregivers and also on your definition of "handle." We've been at two centers--both Goddard schools--the previous did a terrible job of it, the second was absolutely wonderful. The type of caregivers made the difference, as was the management's receptiveness to offering more help when it was needed.
I hate the idea of anything other than one on one, but we were even less comfortable with (and less able to afford) a nanny, so had to find the best we could under the circumstances. What made a difference (after our switch from the first center) was that the caregivers in the second center are genuninely happy to be there, are able to keep their "cool" when things get a little hectic, and the owner/director is always happy to help out when they call for more help. Also, even with 4:1, somehow you rarely saw screaming kids or constant rotation from one bouncy toy to the next. I honestly don't know how they did it but they did. The old center employeed a few witches who were miserable, miserable to the kids, and couldn't keep their tempers down, and the owners employeed only enough staff to meet state requirements, with no real help outside of that as needed.
In the end, you just need to get an overall good feel for the place--so, could be same ratio almost everywhere but how well equipped and willing is the staff? Also, how many babies are there (e.g., you might find a place where there's only 8 babies and 2 caregivers and it works great, whereas a place with 15 babies and 4 caregivers (so lower ratio) might be too much for you/your little one because it's just too many babies
). Best of luck with the experience!
Ratio for DS in infant room was 4:1.
Yes, it seemed to work. The teachers had been there for years and had the routine down. Plus, there were floaters that came in when things got hairy.
In PA the legal ratio is 4:1. So, yes I saw it with my son, will see it with the next one, and short of hiring one on one care (like a nanny) you aren't going to find a DC with more than 4:1 basically because it's what the state requires.
It will get better. It's an adjustment for sure. He is use to you being there for every little noise he makes. Just not going to happen in a DC.
In WI it is 4:1 for anything under 2 yo with the max group size also being 8. I worked in child care for many years and honestly 8:2 is pretty easy! That being said the two centers I worked in also had extra hands available for rooms that needed a little extra help (the Director, Manager or a flex/float teacher). Also, at any given time multiple babies were sleeping or absent.
I spent a lot of time in the 6wks-10mo room. Timing was down to an art-not really scheduling the babies but scheduling everything else and like pp said, being proactive and not waiting for a meltdown to feed/change/distract each baby.
This is great advice, as is all of the other advice and words of encouragement. Thank you to everyone for your responses!!