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Daycare put DS in an Exersaucer at less than 3 months old? Should I be concerned?
RP from 0 - 6: I do not know if I am reading too much into this, but my daycare doesn't seem to understand what things are appropriate for a 3 month old. DS will be 3 months old on Saturday. I started back to work last week. In the four days I have left him there, they have given him an ounce of water and put him an exersaucer . While DS does have good head control and the daycare worker said that they had lots of blankets around DS in the exersaucer, it still causes me concern that they do not know what toys a 3 month old should be playing with. On most exersaucers, the bare minimum age is 4 months old. I am planning to bring this up with the daycare teacher today, but it makes me nervous to think of what else they are doing with him that he may too young for. Overall the daycare seems good and is actually supposed to be one of the best in the area, but these two things are causing mom rader to go up. Am I overreacting to think I should start to look for a new daycare or is this just a simple lack of judgement and I shouldn't be that concerned?
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Re: Daycare put DS in an Exersaucer at less than 3 months old? Should I be concerned?
WTF? If a child need to be propped up with pillows to be in a contraption, he or she is not ready. This is why I don't like things like Bumbos, etc. People put their kids in them too early. They will sit up when they are ready.
Just my opinion.
I would tell the daycare that you prefer your child to be on the floor, on a mat, etc, if he is awake - to allow him to explore the world at his pace.
I would definitely express not only your concern but your preferences (within reason) for your child. I had 2 incidents in the infant room that really concerned me.
1 - they were letting the babies (DD was about 7 months at the time) play with tissue paper in order to explore different textures. DD ended up with a piece (the size of a gum wrapper) stuck to the top of her mouth. I noticed it that evening when I went to pick her up. Who knows how long it had been there.
2 - A few weeks later she had a cranberry skin in her mouth that she obviously couldnt not chew or swallow. They were giving the babies some type of trail mix. Again, not something that babies that young should be exposed to.
DD -- 5YO
DS -- 3YO
I had the same experience as Pesky. Our DCP put DD in an exersaucer at 3 months and also put towels in, but asked in advance and showed me that DD was secure. She also was clearly aware that DD could only be in it for small amounts of time, but DD loved it and I did feel it helped her build her core balance/strength.
I would still bring your concern up w/ the DCP, however. They need to be aware if you're not comfortable with something they're doing w/ your DC. If there are further concerns and it seems that they're continuing to make poor decisions, then I would consider looking at other DCPs. But I would hold off for now and continue to monitor what they're doing.
i don't think i would be all that bothered about the exersaucer thing... i know my BFF's son got one for xmas and he is 16 weeks now. he's been doing well in it although he's a little small for it. i actually encouraged her to try it earlier because we didn't get one for DD til she was 5-6 months old and she started cruising so early she barely used it before she just wanted to walk around the outside.
actually likewise about the water - while i think they should have asked you, water to a baby isn't a no-no. my pedi suggested 1-2 ounces per day starting at 2 months (it was summer in a hot climate) and it was actually a struggle to get DD to drink it. i know a lot of people don't give water to infants though so if i were watching one i would ask the parents preference before making assumptions.
however, you definitely need to feel comfortable expressing your opinions to DCP and discussing things and also trust them about what's going on. without those things then the situation isn't good. exersaucer or no exersaucer and water or no water - i dont think either way is horrible for either thing. but you're mom and it's your decision. i'd try to start a conversation about what toys your DC spends the most time with and how they do... from there you can express some concern about age appropriateness, etc, and see how they handle the question. if they put you off and try to make you feel dumb then it's no good. if they say something that is based in experience with a caution that they keep an eye, etc, then i would probably feel comforted. hopefully DCP can become a good resource for you since they obviously have more experience with more infants than a new mom of one has.
GL.
I'd be out of there. Exersaucers are bad for development anyway, let alone at before the recommended age. Kids love doing all kinds of things that are bad for them - would the DCP give a toddler cookies for every lunch because she liked it?
There is just no excuse for putting a 3 month old in an exersaucer. It is bad even for an 8 month old.
Not sure what you were implying about the water. Giving a small amount of water is a good thing, especially if the city's water is fluorodated.?
Well, two things: 1) at least they are telling you about these things. Better that they tell you than you find out in some round about way or when something bad happens.
2) you can say "I don't want DC to" have this or that, be in this or that, and they will probably respect it. I was concerned about them feeding the older infants corn muffins and when I asked if they could eat that at their age the response I got was "well, corn muffins seem pretty simple." Dr. Greene they are not. So just make your specifications known. But I feel your pain.