Detail from Daycare

I don't think the reports have to be so vague. Let me know it bothers you and trust me it will stop. I was having this problem with my 8 months old when he was around the same age and I spoke up all the time, now I believe the girls are trained and figured out it was easier to have the information written down instead of me confronting and questioning them all the time. Now it is a great experience for me. I will even see one of his providers sometimes on my walk to get him and they will stop to tell me how his day went before I even get into the daycare center to pick him up. I believe at first that felt I was a pain but now they understand that I am a concerned parient that needs to know what is going on.

Hi - just wanted to give you background on your question from the providers point of view. I used to teach preschool and lots of kids were still in diapers. Teachers take whatever is around, they do not run the distance to find the exact diaper supplies for each kid cause its a pain to do that when you are rushing to spend time with the kids and don't want to take away your attention from them for more important things. Diaper changes are just a quick interuption from their "class" time. Whether its right or wrong that providers do that, I can't say cause I didn't do most of the diaper changes. But I will tell you that it is VERY VERY common and I could almost gaurantee that they are using your kids stuff for other kids. That's just the way it goes when you send your kid to daycare or a program outside of the house. If this is something you are very upset about you may want to reconsider having someone in the house cause it won't happen that way. But I know the financial end is significant. Trust me, I know what goes on in these places. It can NEVER compare to kids being in their own environment. You may see some improvement temporarily if you say s/t to them but I doubt it'll be permanent. Good luck with this situation. We make a lot of choices as mothers and its not easy, but it'll pay off in the end!

I think that most of the daily sheets are vague, but I have my husband ask how his day was. i.e. did he play with other children, how much did he eat and what was it. The daycare my son goes to has a monthly calendar that they follow, and in the room it has daily activites that will be done that day.

As for supplies I thought the same, until I asked and was told that they keep the cubby full and one of everything in a locked cabinet. When they reach the point that they have taken the back up out of the cabinet and into the cubby they ask for more, that way they never run out.

Has you child come home with a different brand diaper on? If so I would ask why. My sons school will put on the daily sheet if they used someone's diaper supply.

Should always ask if you have questions. Call the director and talk to her/him about your concerns. If you are not happy with what they have to say. Call your daughter during the day and ask to talk to her, she won't talk back, but then you can ask her teacher how she is doing.

Hi M.,

I work at a daycare center and I can almost best that they are using you childs items for other children. When one child runs out of something they will take things from another child. Some teachers do replace them and some don't. And no its not nitpicking, baby products are expensive. And if they need extras the polite thing to do, would be to ask the parents to donate extras instead of taking them. What you can do is ask them to tally all diaper changes, and that way you will see how many diapers where used. And if its more than the diaper change question them about it. Good Luck and don't feel guilty. You are a great parent as long as you are teaching your children right from wrong and providing for them and giving them plenty of love.
K.

i felt same way as you did about supplies when my son was in the infant rooms. but know that he is in the toddler room i dont feel they change him enough. the daycare my child is at (lutheran general in des plaines) would mark down everytime they did a diaper change and whether it was wet, dry, poopie so it averaged about 5 in a 9 hour period. but when your child is there every day of the week it does add up. they also marked down naps and just made a little comment as to how his day was. also, in terms of asking how your child's day went don't be afraid to call at anytime. if your daycare discourages calling i would seriously question that. like you said, this is YOUR child and your money and you have a right to know how your child's day is going because being away from him/her is rough especially those first few months and being a new mom. i always tried to call in middle of the day so i could avoid the dilemma of the teachers who took care of him weren't there at end of day and nobody knowing what was going on. but definitely speak up and be as overprotective as you want to be :)

Hi M.,

I can't comment on the vagueness of the reports. However, regarding the supplies, I will tell you that my husband uses much more diaper cream than I do and we have gone through at least 10-12 tubes since my daughter was born. That may be an underestimate. She is 7 mos old. Just food for thought....

Good luck with everything!

I completely understand your feelings. It is common to not get much detail about your child's day. I pick up my baby, but her usual teachers are usually gone by the time I pick up, so I do not get to hear about it either. I call mid-day, and sometimes go to nurse at lunch, and hear much more about her day, and feel better. Try calling at lunch and ask to speak with her the teachers in her room for an update. Both of my children were in the same daycare 3 days a week, but I did recently switch my son's daycare, he is now 2, and they write out a full report for the 2 year old room, this tells me what activities they did, even books and songs they read, it is very detailed, and I am pleased. His previous daycare did not do this at all. My son is enrolled at the JCC in Buffalo Grove. They also don't seem to request as many diapers as my daughter's daycare, and they change him 3-4 times a day.

It is pretty common not to get as much detail and I was like you and wanted to know if she pooped, what she ate, how long did she sleep, etc.

What worked for me was to tell them I was concerned about her schedule and just want the details. I did have to keep reminding them as they would be good for a week or 2 then fall off again.

As for the supplies, they probably use them on other kids. My daycare did, they used what was handy and if her stuff was closest they used that. I would go several months with having to replace supplies a lot, then it would drop off for awhile and then pick up again.

Talk to the daycare about it and explain that it is more than normal and you can't afford that much in supplies.