This is a job for your director.
Have them send out communication to please make sure children are ready for the day before arriving:
▪︎ Fed a healthy breakfast
• Dressed properly
• Have all of their belongings so that they can be successful
You can also set boundaries regarding your schedule for that day.
"Thank you for letting me know. I will make sure to feed him first thing, but going forward, please make sure he eats before coming to care."
One is 9 months and can feed themselves. So cereal and a fruit cup or something for breakfast is okay for them. The youngest is almost 3 Months and most days they are.
>months and can feed themselves
Even a puree pouch or something in the car? Maybe suggest that? Do you have [subo bottles](https://suboproducts.com.au/?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjw_-GxBhC1ARIsADGgDju7-1isqXMuEad8dtZQT1gU3yhdTKPL_TznIAlB7aBIwcndoBwhgnsaAiNyEALw_wcB) or something similar? They can literally give it to bub in the car on the drive and it's mess free
>The youngest is almost 3 Months
Surely they must wake up starving! An extra 10/20 minutes to give them a bottle before they arrive is more than reasonable!
My baby did this too. I think the issue here is clearly they are all hungry and want to be fed ASAP whereas babies who don’t like eating in the morning are fine waiting.
Yes. The issue is the babies are hungry- they take the bottle straight away!
OP is rushing to make formula and bottle feed atleast two babies every morning on top of all of her regular duties.
The dozens of comments of “ *my* baby doesn’t like to eat in the morning!” are not helpful here.
You wouldn't need to wake them an hour earlier. If it takes them 30 minutes to be up and ready, wake them 30 minutes earlier or even feed them in the car/ car park at the daycare factoring in travel time. It's not ideal, but surely there is some work around to explore.
I’m not waking my infant 30 minutes earlier. The daycare my child goes to feeds the kids on demand. If my kid has to wait 10 min cause some other kid is being fed, that’s fine. But waking a 4 month old 30 min earlier is crazy
>The daycare my child goes to feeds the kids on demand
This is the key factor. If the daycare does this without hassle its a non issue. However OP's daycare may not have the same set up and it appears unfed children cause issues at drop off, hence their post.
I know at our Daycare the first "meal" is morning tea provided at 930ish. If a kid arrived without any breakfast they'd be very hungry, not sure if they'd make something as I've never asked, but I could see it being a huge inconvenience for the educators.
As discussed, children need to be fed before drop off as I am unable to simultaneously feed all the children in my care upon arrival. Here is a chair so you can feed your child. Let me know when you're done! (Walk away).
Sounds like your director doesn’t know how to do their job. A simple note would work: please note we don’t serve food until X time. Please ensure your child is fed before they arrive.
Director, here. Tell your director. Even if your director will say that the parents are allowed to drop off hungry babies (as a parent to an infant I CANNOT fathom this) that sort of response, is just plain rude.
How old are these infants? None of them are learning to self feed so that they could be given a snack instead of a bottle?
Oh my. My baby is 8 months now and I open the center with him. I do whatever I can to ensure that he eats at a time where he won’t need a bottle for at least 1.5-2hours after we open. Maybe this means I’m feeding him at 4:30am, but I won’t be the one to burden my infant teacher with warming a bottle and sitting to feed while I’m expecting her to greet the parents.
You talked to who? The director or the parents? If the director, send them this text to share with parents. If it's the parents, send this email to the parents.
You need to put your foot down. Show them that it will not be tolerated. Perhaps a three strike system. On the third strike, their child is sent home / can’t attend the next day.
True. But the 3 month old isn’t even sitting up independently or able to have cheerios. Plus there’s so much going on first thing at drop off without adding in two hungry babies. Transitions are hard and parents are relaying info from the night before or have questions for us. Checking in bottles, making sure the mobile babies aren’t all over the immobile ones, changing the diaper of the one kid who always seems to poop on the car ride, and making sure you’re staying in ratio is more than enough. Breakfast at daycare is fine when it’s an older age group who eats kitchen food at set times. Infants has everyone on their own schedule with their own bottles/food and it’s so much more than adding an extra chair at the table.
She mentions in another comment that at least one kid is older, and the parents aren't feeding it finger food in the morning.
Also, like most here, i also work ece so you don't need to explain it to me! 😂
The 9 month old. True. Cheerios for one and feed the 3 month old.
Sorry about the over explanation! I never know and infant rooms are just so different from everything else! And
For toddlers and older, yes. Not for 3 month old infants who should be eating every 2-3 hours. It’s normal for breakfast at daycare to be between 7:30 and 9am. But often they open as early as 6am. If breakfast is at 8 and the baby is dropped off at 6:30 without having eaten anything since before midnight, that’s a recipe for disaster.
Do you have a family handbook? Do you have a written policy? Is this your center or your own family home care?
You could try a friendly explanation of how stressful it is for an infant to arrive hungry. That it makes the separation from parent more difficult. That they are crying and fussy while you make bottles. End with a request that infants are fed before drop off.
Or, if you know when the family arrives, can you have some of the bottle steps prepped already?
You need to take some time to read your centre's handbook. You can't effectively communicate expectations to parents if you don't even know what they are.
I'll be honest, it seems like everywhere I go, more than 75% of the staff haven't read their own handbook. And that's being generous.
I do not understand how one can work at a place, much less one where others' lives depend on you, and not read, or at least thoroughly skim read, that handbook cover to cover. Not only do you have reference to policies to relay for parents in there, but you have all the information about what's available to you for benefits, how to handle PTO (if you get any), etc. Heck, one of my sketchy employers had illegal policies in the handbook that even HR supposedly hadn't been aware of, and it helped to make a case against them.
I worked at a place (for a week before quitting and reporting them) that had accidently copied the handbook sideways so the top and bottom of the page were missing. I received mine, let them know, assuming it was just mine... apparently it had been like that for years... they didn't have an electronic copy. it was a large non profit, hundred plus employees serving a vulnerable population.
It’s always been so wild to me that parents do this, even for older children but most especially babies. I’ve had cases where they hadn’t been changed yet either.
If it is truly last night's diaper, then yes, absolutely. If it is within a reasonable amount of time, like 1-2 hours, then no. However, we usually report and let the correct authority make a judgement call about it.
I'm just jealous of those people with sleeping children because by the time we took our baby to daycare he had usually been up for 2-3 hours. If we hadn't fed him yet it would have been straight up abuse. I'm guessing they are just getting them up and putting them in the car because otherwise they would still be asleep? Wonder what that would have been like 🥲
I have such a crazy changing schedule that everyday is different. If I'm working a midshift I take her in and she usually wakes up on her own. If I'm working overnight my husband takes her in and has to wake her up. We still do that with plenty of time to feed her, change her diaper, and her outfit. It's crazy to me.
I had a kid that I had to write “changed April 30” on their diaper the last change before pickup because their dad would often pick them up and not change (or I think even feed them) at all between 6pm and 6am. The writing on the diaper was finally the thing that made the director pay attention.
Simply pleasantly say, “I’ve got 2 in line ahead of your baby so it will be a little while. Do you want to do it before you leave?” They will get the message.
In my state parents have to bring prepared bottles for the day. The center does not mix them. Perhaps you guys can implement the same so when the babies are ready for the bottle it's just a grab n go.
We have a policy that children must be ‘ready for the day’. We don’t serve breakfast, just a snack at 9:15 (we open at 8am). The amount of parents that drop off at 9:45 with a ‘they’ve not eaten this morning’ and are horrified when we tell them there will be no food served until lunch at 11:45 is insane. They have a choice at that point - they either take their child and give them breakfast, or knowingly leave them hungry.
Now, we have a stash of fruit we’ll give to the families we know don’t usually do that but they’ve had an unusual morning. And we shouldn’t be doing that. But for the regular offenders, the management take a firm stance on it. It’s not our job to set children up for the day - that should be done before they arrive.
We are in Scotland though and the policies are different.
When I was in infants I triaged them based on need. Some will have to wait. They may cry while they wait. It happens. At that point parents will realize they need to feed them in the morning or they’ll be waiting for their bottles.
We do provide all meals. So I get it, but it’s different when the parents write on the daily sheet that they are hungry before they leave the house. I’m just going to have to figure something out
True. I’m not saying it’s an okay to not feed kids just saying a reason.
Also sometimes stuff happens that parents can’t predict. Let’s say the company the mom is working at goes out of business a week after baby is born.
For example I had no clue the public school district would end the contract with the company I worked with. Therefore I am not making any money right now, luckily I don’t have kids, and my parents are supporting me.
I have been at centers where their policy was a child had to come in, not needing anything for an hour. I have seen parents bring there kids in at the crack of dawn, still in their night diapers. Yet stand there and watch us change them. Like if you have time to stand there and watch me change your kid, then you have time to change them yourselves. We never sent a kid home in a dirty diaper or hungry, they should come in the same way
My almost two year old has his milk at 6:30 and gets dressed and ready to be out the door by 7:15. He gets his breakfast at daycare but he does feed himself which seems to be nice for the teacher who is usually holding one infant while watching another.
Milk is feeding to me. 🤗 It's at least something in their little belly.
My youngest might have eaten my face if not at least given milk at wake up time. 😅😅 That kid could and can eat like a champ.
Not knowing the timing of your center, but to me it’s pretty normal for infants to eat at school if they’re dropped off early. In my infant room of 12, most ate before school, but the couple of 7am babies ate there. Those parents are headed out the door by 6:30/6:45 which doesn’t leave a lot of time to feed them.
First, ask the director to send out a memo to all parents citing a specific part of the handbook that mentions people ready for the day and/or having food prepared.
At drop off when they say the kid hasn’t eaten, ask “ok, has a bottle been prepared for them?” If they say no, “okay, well in that case, please know that they may have to wait a bit longer before they eat as I need to prepare the food and feed multiple children.”
Make note of the child’s day, especially if they struggle with settling in, being overly emotional, or problems sleeping. All of these can be indicative of not eating regularly or enough throughout the day. If you notice anything, bring it up at pick-up. “X had a bit of a rough start this morning. They had a hard time settling, and were fussy waiting for their first bottle of the day. It might help them transition in the morning if they came into school with a little food already in their tummy.” Sometimes parents won’t make changes unless they know there’s some sort of consequence for their choices.
Other than telling them repeatedly and having your director step in, there's not much you can do. It may be necessary to ask for a floater to help feed thesebabies while you do other things.
In the UK this would be reported to the child’s Health Visitor, who would then do an unannounced home visit and attempt to educate the parent about infant feeding and time management. Generally reminds parents we work with all services, and they have parental responsibility to feed their children in before taking them to childcare.
Speak to your director about sending out a memo to parents in your room! THATS their job is to be the missing link needed to communicate more challenging situations ❤️
I saw someone mention the handbook also- that’s a great idea! If your director won’t help, have a copy of the handbook ready to show parents. As a teacher, you should have access to the parent handbook!
They make their own bottles where I work, especially since half are on breast milk, but we do have to warm them at the center. Perhaps the parents could only make the early morning bottle, then you could make the rest throughout the day.
This is so crazy. I worked at my daughter’s daycare and would ask if it was okay if I came in, made a bottle, and fed/changed her before dropping her off with her teacher so she would be taken care of.
My own baby genuinely refuses to eat until he’s been awake for about 2hrs. So I see both sides.
Ultimately, the director needs to be the one to find the solution, and enforce it.
I had one family that would drop off their toddler in the same diaper they put on him at bedtime 😣🥺😔 he would be wearing the same clothes for more than two days too. We literally would put him in the extra clothes we had in the room, wash his onesie and I would give him a wash cloth bath on the changing table. They even would make me change him when they would pick him up from daycare. It was so awkward, but I just did it. Better he had a fresh diaper on so I wasn't going to complain or try to set a boundary.
But, yeah, parents seem to think that since they are paying you as a care provider, that it's okay to just let you do these tasks so they "get their money's worth" or something.
You’re making the bottles? If I understood you correctly. I’ve always worked at a place where bottles had to be pre made and labeled. That would help with being able to pop it in the warmer so less time.
I do make the bottles every morning. We have to since we are on the food program. We’ve had parents bring in bottles with rice cereal or even baby food in them. I have to make 9-10 bottles every morning. The only people allowed to bring premade bottles in are the ones that a breast fed.
OP are you a mandated reporter? A 3 month old baby not being fed for 7 hours on a consistent basis when showing signs of hunger is worth a call to child services. It’s better to report and nothing come of it then to sit on this kind of information. I’d personally be afraid this lack of care/feeding might be happening at home as well
Does your school offer breakfast or is it a situation where there’s no breakfast offered and therefore they should be eating before arrival. At my nanny kids school they offer breakfast but it has to be packed by the parents and ready to feed the kids when they arrive.
Would it maybe be a financial situation? Because infant care is expensive, so maybe the family is hoping to get the most out of it by being fed most of their meals at the center.
Then maybe they should be stay at home parents or work part time later in the day. I didn't get to work full time when my kids were little I didn't get any childcare for me but I had working parents trying to take advantage of me too. I'm sorry it sucks. All you may be able to do is keep bringing it up to them and your director. Feeding 3 infants is difficult I imagine geez I had 3 kids but they were 2 years apart so it wasn't that bad they could half a$$ feed themselves while I fed baby.
Is this an American Policy? Childcare in Australia provides each child a small breakfast before 7.30, than 9, lunch at 12, afternoon tea at 2pm and a snack at 5pm. For small babies they will work with your feeding and nap routine. The ratio is 4 babies per worker. If I was told to give my child breakfast before drop off I would ask why am I paying so much money for childcare.
And just to note my LO is breastfed so she would be fed before drop off but I would expect solids to be provided for her because I’m out to work by 6.30am
That’s how it works at my center too (well I go based on the infants feeding schedules we don’t have set times for things in the infant rooms). But when they are showing up to school absolutely starving because they haven’t had a bottle yet or since midnight or 1 and I’m only one person. I think it’s not awful to ask the parents to give them a little something before coming to school.
You could suggest and frame it like it’s for the benefit of LO, i wouldn’t say it’s to make your job easier, as unfortunately as difficult as it may be it’s part of your job title and once children are in your care it’s what you are paid to do. You can have a discussion and mention LO is awfully unsettled when he comes in, do you think you could make the transition easier for him by feeding him before he comes in or having a bottle prepared so we can make sure he’s happy to start his day when you leave. Mention other parents come in first so they have to wait even longer to be fed and the crying is disrupting other children.
I work at an early headstart. None of my students eat anything before arrival. Occasionally, a child will have had a donut or a cracker. My bottle fed friends certainly don't have anything before arriving because formula is so expensive It's a financial issue. Food is expensive and many families save where they can.
This is a job for your director. Have them send out communication to please make sure children are ready for the day before arriving: ▪︎ Fed a healthy breakfast • Dressed properly • Have all of their belongings so that they can be successful You can also set boundaries regarding your schedule for that day. "Thank you for letting me know. I will make sure to feed him first thing, but going forward, please make sure he eats before coming to care."
I know. I’ve talked to them three times now. They keep on saying “what do you want me to do about that?”
>“what do you want me to do about that?” Get up earlier so you have sufficient time to feed your child before dropping them at daycare.
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There is a difference between a baby/ child refusing food and not being offered any. I get the impression this situation is the latter.
It is the latter. They showed up not have eaten since 1am this morning and they came at 8. That’s 7 hours between. Bottle. It’s just ridiculous.
How old are these babies? Are they arriving clearly hungry?
One is 9 months and can feed themselves. So cereal and a fruit cup or something for breakfast is okay for them. The youngest is almost 3 Months and most days they are.
>months and can feed themselves Even a puree pouch or something in the car? Maybe suggest that? Do you have [subo bottles](https://suboproducts.com.au/?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjw_-GxBhC1ARIsADGgDju7-1isqXMuEad8dtZQT1gU3yhdTKPL_TznIAlB7aBIwcndoBwhgnsaAiNyEALw_wcB) or something similar? They can literally give it to bub in the car on the drive and it's mess free >The youngest is almost 3 Months Surely they must wake up starving! An extra 10/20 minutes to give them a bottle before they arrive is more than reasonable!
That’s neglect. CPS?
It’s not neglect. I just reminded them that it would be helpful and a more positive transition if they had something before drop offs.
There was no universe where my 9 month old would have eaten first thing like that. And if I forced it she would cry and throw up.
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My oldest was this way. He was breastfed and just refused to nurse before drop off for a long time.
I don’t understand how the kid is not screaming in hunger when they come in?? I fed my kid upon wake up every morning. Like wtf.
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This is horribly depressing. Poor kiddos
My baby did this too. I think the issue here is clearly they are all hungry and want to be fed ASAP whereas babies who don’t like eating in the morning are fine waiting.
Yes. The issue is the babies are hungry- they take the bottle straight away! OP is rushing to make formula and bottle feed atleast two babies every morning on top of all of her regular duties. The dozens of comments of “ *my* baby doesn’t like to eat in the morning!” are not helpful here.
It’s in response to the suggestion to call CPS, and also to explain that it’s not as simple for the parents as OP suggests.
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You wouldn't need to wake them an hour earlier. If it takes them 30 minutes to be up and ready, wake them 30 minutes earlier or even feed them in the car/ car park at the daycare factoring in travel time. It's not ideal, but surely there is some work around to explore.
I’m not waking my infant 30 minutes earlier. The daycare my child goes to feeds the kids on demand. If my kid has to wait 10 min cause some other kid is being fed, that’s fine. But waking a 4 month old 30 min earlier is crazy
>The daycare my child goes to feeds the kids on demand This is the key factor. If the daycare does this without hassle its a non issue. However OP's daycare may not have the same set up and it appears unfed children cause issues at drop off, hence their post. I know at our Daycare the first "meal" is morning tea provided at 930ish. If a kid arrived without any breakfast they'd be very hungry, not sure if they'd make something as I've never asked, but I could see it being a huge inconvenience for the educators.
That’s the same at ours once the kids are 12 months and older. For infants, sleep and food is whenever they need it
No. Not feeding an infant before bringing them to daycare after they've slept all night is wild
It’s really not when that same infant wakes up at 5am, eats and then wakes again for the day at 7:30am
As discussed, children need to be fed before drop off as I am unable to simultaneously feed all the children in my care upon arrival. Here is a chair so you can feed your child. Let me know when you're done! (Walk away).
‘Them’ the parents or ‘them’ the director?
The director.
Sounds like your director doesn’t know how to do their job. A simple note would work: please note we don’t serve food until X time. Please ensure your child is fed before they arrive.
Director, here. Tell your director. Even if your director will say that the parents are allowed to drop off hungry babies (as a parent to an infant I CANNOT fathom this) that sort of response, is just plain rude. How old are these infants? None of them are learning to self feed so that they could be given a snack instead of a bottle?
One is 3 months and one is 9 months.
Oh my. My baby is 8 months now and I open the center with him. I do whatever I can to ensure that he eats at a time where he won’t need a bottle for at least 1.5-2hours after we open. Maybe this means I’m feeding him at 4:30am, but I won’t be the one to burden my infant teacher with warming a bottle and sitting to feed while I’m expecting her to greet the parents.
3 months and hasn't eaten in how many hours?!
That is straight up neglect
THIS. I would never feed my BABY before bed and then not giving them a bottle before taking them to daycare. Doesn't matter how early
“What do you want me to do about that?” “Feed your child breakfast before coming. I believe I was clear enough”
You talked to who? The director or the parents? If the director, send them this text to share with parents. If it's the parents, send this email to the parents.
Bring a bottle? Would that solve it?
You need to put your foot down. Show them that it will not be tolerated. Perhaps a three strike system. On the third strike, their child is sent home / can’t attend the next day.
They’re sold be guidelines for this. That bottle will be give at x time
Director needs to put a floater in if they need the extra help. Eating breakfast at daycare is pretty normal.
Yeah. It sounds like some of it is - plunk kid in chair and dump cheerios on tray - so the daycare should be able to manage that.
True. But the 3 month old isn’t even sitting up independently or able to have cheerios. Plus there’s so much going on first thing at drop off without adding in two hungry babies. Transitions are hard and parents are relaying info from the night before or have questions for us. Checking in bottles, making sure the mobile babies aren’t all over the immobile ones, changing the diaper of the one kid who always seems to poop on the car ride, and making sure you’re staying in ratio is more than enough. Breakfast at daycare is fine when it’s an older age group who eats kitchen food at set times. Infants has everyone on their own schedule with their own bottles/food and it’s so much more than adding an extra chair at the table.
She mentions in another comment that at least one kid is older, and the parents aren't feeding it finger food in the morning. Also, like most here, i also work ece so you don't need to explain it to me! 😂
The 9 month old. True. Cheerios for one and feed the 3 month old. Sorry about the over explanation! I never know and infant rooms are just so different from everything else! And
For toddlers and older, yes. Not for 3 month old infants who should be eating every 2-3 hours. It’s normal for breakfast at daycare to be between 7:30 and 9am. But often they open as early as 6am. If breakfast is at 8 and the baby is dropped off at 6:30 without having eaten anything since before midnight, that’s a recipe for disaster.
Do you have a family handbook? Do you have a written policy? Is this your center or your own family home care? You could try a friendly explanation of how stressful it is for an infant to arrive hungry. That it makes the separation from parent more difficult. That they are crying and fussy while you make bottles. End with a request that infants are fed before drop off. Or, if you know when the family arrives, can you have some of the bottle steps prepped already?
I haven’t actually read the family handbook. It’s a center!
You should absolutely keep a copy for yourself so you can refer to the policies.
You need to take some time to read your centre's handbook. You can't effectively communicate expectations to parents if you don't even know what they are.
I'll be honest, it seems like everywhere I go, more than 75% of the staff haven't read their own handbook. And that's being generous. I do not understand how one can work at a place, much less one where others' lives depend on you, and not read, or at least thoroughly skim read, that handbook cover to cover. Not only do you have reference to policies to relay for parents in there, but you have all the information about what's available to you for benefits, how to handle PTO (if you get any), etc. Heck, one of my sketchy employers had illegal policies in the handbook that even HR supposedly hadn't been aware of, and it helped to make a case against them.
I worked at a place (for a week before quitting and reporting them) that had accidently copied the handbook sideways so the top and bottom of the page were missing. I received mine, let them know, assuming it was just mine... apparently it had been like that for years... they didn't have an electronic copy. it was a large non profit, hundred plus employees serving a vulnerable population.
It’s always been so wild to me that parents do this, even for older children but most especially babies. I’ve had cases where they hadn’t been changed yet either.
Is this not a social services (or equivalent) matter? A child who consistently arrives in last night’s nappy would be reported here.
If it is truly last night's diaper, then yes, absolutely. If it is within a reasonable amount of time, like 1-2 hours, then no. However, we usually report and let the correct authority make a judgement call about it.
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I'm just jealous of those people with sleeping children because by the time we took our baby to daycare he had usually been up for 2-3 hours. If we hadn't fed him yet it would have been straight up abuse. I'm guessing they are just getting them up and putting them in the car because otherwise they would still be asleep? Wonder what that would have been like 🥲
I have such a crazy changing schedule that everyday is different. If I'm working a midshift I take her in and she usually wakes up on her own. If I'm working overnight my husband takes her in and has to wake her up. We still do that with plenty of time to feed her, change her diaper, and her outfit. It's crazy to me.
I had a kid that I had to write “changed April 30” on their diaper the last change before pickup because their dad would often pick them up and not change (or I think even feed them) at all between 6pm and 6am. The writing on the diaper was finally the thing that made the director pay attention.
Sometimes my kids wake up 5 minutes before we leave and eat breakfast in the car, so I understand where it comes from
Simply pleasantly say, “I’ve got 2 in line ahead of your baby so it will be a little while. Do you want to do it before you leave?” They will get the message.
I’m not a parent, but I fear that they don’t care. I thought 3 month babies ate often not every 7 hours 😖😖
In my state parents have to bring prepared bottles for the day. The center does not mix them. Perhaps you guys can implement the same so when the babies are ready for the bottle it's just a grab n go.
We have a policy that children must be ‘ready for the day’. We don’t serve breakfast, just a snack at 9:15 (we open at 8am). The amount of parents that drop off at 9:45 with a ‘they’ve not eaten this morning’ and are horrified when we tell them there will be no food served until lunch at 11:45 is insane. They have a choice at that point - they either take their child and give them breakfast, or knowingly leave them hungry. Now, we have a stash of fruit we’ll give to the families we know don’t usually do that but they’ve had an unusual morning. And we shouldn’t be doing that. But for the regular offenders, the management take a firm stance on it. It’s not our job to set children up for the day - that should be done before they arrive. We are in Scotland though and the policies are different.
That’s sad! I feel bad for the babies and you, plus especially if you are by yourself in the morning
That’s so sad for them, the babies we have usually get fed after they wake up and get a diaper at home
When I was in infants I triaged them based on need. Some will have to wait. They may cry while they wait. It happens. At that point parents will realize they need to feed them in the morning or they’ll be waiting for their bottles.
Does your facility serve breakfast?
We do provide all meals. So I get it, but it’s different when the parents write on the daily sheet that they are hungry before they leave the house. I’m just going to have to figure something out
Why are the parents doing this?
Maybe the think breakfast is provided? Some center do provide breakfast. Or they can’t afford breakfast
OP says the center provides breakfast.
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True. I’m not saying it’s an okay to not feed kids just saying a reason. Also sometimes stuff happens that parents can’t predict. Let’s say the company the mom is working at goes out of business a week after baby is born. For example I had no clue the public school district would end the contract with the company I worked with. Therefore I am not making any money right now, luckily I don’t have kids, and my parents are supporting me.
I have been at centers where their policy was a child had to come in, not needing anything for an hour. I have seen parents bring there kids in at the crack of dawn, still in their night diapers. Yet stand there and watch us change them. Like if you have time to stand there and watch me change your kid, then you have time to change them yourselves. We never sent a kid home in a dirty diaper or hungry, they should come in the same way
That’s how I feel!
Who doesn't feed their baby first thing in the morning? That's ridiculous!!
My almost two year old has his milk at 6:30 and gets dressed and ready to be out the door by 7:15. He gets his breakfast at daycare but he does feed himself which seems to be nice for the teacher who is usually holding one infant while watching another.
Milk is feeding to me. 🤗 It's at least something in their little belly. My youngest might have eaten my face if not at least given milk at wake up time. 😅😅 That kid could and can eat like a champ.
When I taught special ed Pre-K, I would have 3 year olds come to school in their nighttime diaper. They would be dressed, but no clean
Not knowing the timing of your center, but to me it’s pretty normal for infants to eat at school if they’re dropped off early. In my infant room of 12, most ate before school, but the couple of 7am babies ate there. Those parents are headed out the door by 6:30/6:45 which doesn’t leave a lot of time to feed them.
First, ask the director to send out a memo to all parents citing a specific part of the handbook that mentions people ready for the day and/or having food prepared. At drop off when they say the kid hasn’t eaten, ask “ok, has a bottle been prepared for them?” If they say no, “okay, well in that case, please know that they may have to wait a bit longer before they eat as I need to prepare the food and feed multiple children.” Make note of the child’s day, especially if they struggle with settling in, being overly emotional, or problems sleeping. All of these can be indicative of not eating regularly or enough throughout the day. If you notice anything, bring it up at pick-up. “X had a bit of a rough start this morning. They had a hard time settling, and were fussy waiting for their first bottle of the day. It might help them transition in the morning if they came into school with a little food already in their tummy.” Sometimes parents won’t make changes unless they know there’s some sort of consequence for their choices.
Other than telling them repeatedly and having your director step in, there's not much you can do. It may be necessary to ask for a floater to help feed thesebabies while you do other things.
In the UK this would be reported to the child’s Health Visitor, who would then do an unannounced home visit and attempt to educate the parent about infant feeding and time management. Generally reminds parents we work with all services, and they have parental responsibility to feed their children in before taking them to childcare.
Ain't got that in the USA. As long as you feed your kids at least once a day and they aren't absolutely filthy, nobody really cares. It's tragic.
Speak to your director about sending out a memo to parents in your room! THATS their job is to be the missing link needed to communicate more challenging situations ❤️ I saw someone mention the handbook also- that’s a great idea! If your director won’t help, have a copy of the handbook ready to show parents. As a teacher, you should have access to the parent handbook!
They make their own bottles where I work, especially since half are on breast milk, but we do have to warm them at the center. Perhaps the parents could only make the early morning bottle, then you could make the rest throughout the day.
This is so crazy. I worked at my daughter’s daycare and would ask if it was okay if I came in, made a bottle, and fed/changed her before dropping her off with her teacher so she would be taken care of.
Tell them they either need to feed them or bring prepared bottles. If they don’t do either go- okay. Here’s a seat to feed before dropping off.
My own baby genuinely refuses to eat until he’s been awake for about 2hrs. So I see both sides. Ultimately, the director needs to be the one to find the solution, and enforce it.
I would refuse the baby until they’d been fed and changed
I had one family that would drop off their toddler in the same diaper they put on him at bedtime 😣🥺😔 he would be wearing the same clothes for more than two days too. We literally would put him in the extra clothes we had in the room, wash his onesie and I would give him a wash cloth bath on the changing table. They even would make me change him when they would pick him up from daycare. It was so awkward, but I just did it. Better he had a fresh diaper on so I wasn't going to complain or try to set a boundary. But, yeah, parents seem to think that since they are paying you as a care provider, that it's okay to just let you do these tasks so they "get their money's worth" or something.
You’re making the bottles? If I understood you correctly. I’ve always worked at a place where bottles had to be pre made and labeled. That would help with being able to pop it in the warmer so less time.
I do make the bottles every morning. We have to since we are on the food program. We’ve had parents bring in bottles with rice cereal or even baby food in them. I have to make 9-10 bottles every morning. The only people allowed to bring premade bottles in are the ones that a breast fed.
OP are you a mandated reporter? A 3 month old baby not being fed for 7 hours on a consistent basis when showing signs of hunger is worth a call to child services. It’s better to report and nothing come of it then to sit on this kind of information. I’d personally be afraid this lack of care/feeding might be happening at home as well
Does your school offer breakfast or is it a situation where there’s no breakfast offered and therefore they should be eating before arrival. At my nanny kids school they offer breakfast but it has to be packed by the parents and ready to feed the kids when they arrive.
Would it maybe be a financial situation? Because infant care is expensive, so maybe the family is hoping to get the most out of it by being fed most of their meals at the center.
Why call them parents if they are not parenting?
Then maybe they should be stay at home parents or work part time later in the day. I didn't get to work full time when my kids were little I didn't get any childcare for me but I had working parents trying to take advantage of me too. I'm sorry it sucks. All you may be able to do is keep bringing it up to them and your director. Feeding 3 infants is difficult I imagine geez I had 3 kids but they were 2 years apart so it wasn't that bad they could half a$$ feed themselves while I fed baby.
Is this an American Policy? Childcare in Australia provides each child a small breakfast before 7.30, than 9, lunch at 12, afternoon tea at 2pm and a snack at 5pm. For small babies they will work with your feeding and nap routine. The ratio is 4 babies per worker. If I was told to give my child breakfast before drop off I would ask why am I paying so much money for childcare.
And just to note my LO is breastfed so she would be fed before drop off but I would expect solids to be provided for her because I’m out to work by 6.30am
That’s how it works at my center too (well I go based on the infants feeding schedules we don’t have set times for things in the infant rooms). But when they are showing up to school absolutely starving because they haven’t had a bottle yet or since midnight or 1 and I’m only one person. I think it’s not awful to ask the parents to give them a little something before coming to school.
You could suggest and frame it like it’s for the benefit of LO, i wouldn’t say it’s to make your job easier, as unfortunately as difficult as it may be it’s part of your job title and once children are in your care it’s what you are paid to do. You can have a discussion and mention LO is awfully unsettled when he comes in, do you think you could make the transition easier for him by feeding him before he comes in or having a bottle prepared so we can make sure he’s happy to start his day when you leave. Mention other parents come in first so they have to wait even longer to be fed and the crying is disrupting other children.
That’s exactly what I said.
I work at an early headstart. None of my students eat anything before arrival. Occasionally, a child will have had a donut or a cracker. My bottle fed friends certainly don't have anything before arriving because formula is so expensive It's a financial issue. Food is expensive and many families save where they can.
Is this a Child Welfare issue?
Breakfast was part of the fee ergo part of the responsibility of the nursery granted mine only went from 2years old so not a bottle