Brrrrrrr…
14.It’s the Little Things That Matter Most…
Are you paying attention to the little things that can mean so much?
It’s not until you plan your first outing with your new baby that you suddenly realize just how much you need to pack to walk out the door! If you have ever stepped out with your baby and forgot to pack all the necessities into the overflowing diaper bag which now doubles as your designer purse, you may have found yourself in some very loud, messy and uncomfortable situations. The same applies at daycare, so ensuring that your child is fully prepared and has everything needed is key to a successful experience.
Somewhere in between rushing out the door each morning and trying to make it to work on time, we are attempting to drop our children off at daycare. In the everyday hustle and bustle of life, it’s easy to get distracted and sometimes disconnect from the reality that our kids are facing at daycare. We may tend to think that if we make it to daycare on time, without any major meltdowns or setbacks, then our part is done and we can turn our focus to our “second job” for the rest of the day. While this may be true for the most part, we still need to ensure that our children’s needs are always being met, and although we have the best of intentions, and want our kids to be successful, these are things that can easily get overlooked.
Stop for a second and consider what your child may need in order to have a successful day. How are they feeling and have they rested well the night before? (We all know what a day at the office is like when you’re sick or tired; the same can be true for a child at daycare.) Are you staying connected to them emotionally and celebrating with them the small victories that daycare offers? Do they have extra clothes (weather-appropriate), enough diapers, and maybe that favorite blanket that gets them through the day? Have you taken the extra time to spend a few minutes in their classroom and find out what’s important to them and who their best friends are? Whether it’s paying attention to their pudding painting (which you may find sticky and gross) or ensuring they have all they need, it’s these little things that can mean so much to your child and can make such a difference to their overall daycare experience.
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Once, when my 3rd child was a toddler, I was visiting family in California, and we were all out to a restaurant for dinner. After the foul smell in my daughter’s diaper spoiled my appetite, I took her to the restroom to change her, only to find I didn’t resupply her diaper bag with more diapers. I was completely out, so my sister returned with several cloth dinner napkins which we used as a makeshift diaper! It was a struggle to make it work and, needless to say, it was an uncomfortable situation for the both of us. You’d think by the 3rd one, I would have known better!
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Baby Blues
A daycare provider was caring for a baby born several weeks prematurely. One morning, as the baby’s mom was dropping him off, the provider noticed that his breathing sounded labored and his color didn’t look quite right. When the provider questioned the mom, she replied that the baby had a cold but he had slept well and seemed fine to her. The provider was hesitant yet took the baby, and within an hour, the baby was doing much worse. His breathing was becoming more labored and his lips began to appear rather blue. The provider became scared and immediately tried to call his mom and dad at work but couldn’t reach either of them. She found out that his dad was home sick, but was unsuccessful reaching him there either. She was becoming increasingly nervous and began calling the emergency contacts listed for the baby, all to no avail. She was just about to pack up the baby and head to the hospital, when the child’s father finally called back.
The child’s father explained to the provider that he was not feeling well and had stayed home to rest. He said the baby had been up most of the night with a cough but they had given him Tylenol that morning and thought he would be OK. The provider was very upset to learn this new information, and wondered why Dad didn’t keep the baby home with him. She made it very clear to Dad that if he wasn’t at her house in ten minutes, she would call an ambulance. He said he would come right away, which he did. Later that afternoon, when they called from the hospital, the provider’s fears were confirmed. The child had a severe respiratory virus and needed to spend the next nine days in the hospital in intensive care. The doctors had informed the parents that if the child had gone to sleep at the daycare provider’s house, he could have died.
This event could have ended in tragedy. Luckily, the daycare provider was a mom with many years’ experience and was well aware of the warning signs that indicated something was seriously wrong. A fully qualified but less experienced provider might have thought the baby just had a cold and may not have monitored him as closely. This is what parents need to realize when they choose to bring sick children to daycare. Not only are their children going to infect all of the other healthy children but they may also end up feeling miserable all day whether you give them Tylenol or not. If you, as a parent, wouldn’t want to spend a day at the office tired or sick, why would you bring your child to daycare in such a state? Remember, even though they are little, a child’s feelings still do matter. So make the wise decision of keeping the little ones home when necessary.
Two brothers were attending a home daycare for the summer and they loved nothing more than to get dirty. They loved painting activities, mud pie baking, and especially playing with shaving cream. They would spend hours creating things and often go through several sheets of paper before they were fully satisfied with their creations. One day, the daycare provider taped huge pieces of paper to the floor and let the kids use straws to blow paint around to make colorful, creative designs. The boys loved every minute of this activity and at the end of the day they even asked if they could do another painting before their mom picked them up, which the provider happily agreed to.
About half an hour later, their mom pulled up and the boys were very happy to see her. They grabbed their paintings off the table, where they were almost done drying, and ran to the door where their mom had just walked in. They excitedly began to show her their paintings but instead of her praising them and being thrilled with their work, she seemed angry and screamed at them to keep the messy wet paint away from her. The daycare provider stepped in and informed the mom that it was washable paint and that she would put the paintings in a bag for the boys to carry home. The mom screamed, “No way is that mess coming in my car!” and ordered the boys to throw the paintings in a nearby garbage can. The boys looked absolutely heartbroken and close to tears as they walked over to the garbage can and threw their paintings inside. Silently, the three of them walked out the door. The provider now clearly understood why the boys loved to get messy so much at daycare, because they were never allowed to do that at home. The provider walked over to the garbage can and carefully pulled out both paintings which she then taped to the wall in her kitchen for everyone to see. The boys were overjoyed in the morning to see that their masterpieces were important to someone! So…messy or not, kids should have a place to be kids.
Daycare is a place where kids should feel free to learn new things, discover new ideas, have fun making creative messes, and just be themselves. They spend a lot of time and take a lot of pride in the things they do in daycare and school, so when parents don’t even take the time to acknowledge these things, it can make them feel their accomplishments are not important. Throwing away school projects and emptying overflowing backpacks may seem like just another chore for parents to do, but to the children it means something completely different. Of course, not everything they create can be saved, but a moment of acknowledgment from parents can bring children immense joy. Big messy, drippy, paintings proudly displayed on your kitchen wall may not be your idea of décor, but to your child, it will be the best wall in the house, and that’s all that really matters!
Brrrrrrr…
It was snowing out…light and fluffy snow perfect for making a snowman…
One morning in a busy daycare center, after the children had completed their morning activities and cleaned up, they were excited to hear it was warm enough for them to finally play outside. They’d been stuck indoors for several weeks due to freezing weather. (State regulations vary but in Minnesota, kids can be outside if it’s above 20 to 30 degrees without wind chill.) They prepared to get their snow gear on, grabbing excitedly for jackets, hats and gloves, then they ran over to the area where boots and snow pants were stored to finish getting ready. Teachers eagerly assisted the children with getting their gear on, while children scrambled to find missing gloves and hats. (When getting ready to play outside in snowy weather, it can often take more time to get ready than the actual time they end up playing outside.)
It never fails though, that every winter season, some children will have soft mittens instead of waterproof snow gloves, and others will be without snow pants or boots. Sure enough, that day was not unlike any other, and several children did not have what they needed to be properly protected from the cold and snow. After posting many signs on the front door, as well as personally reminding parents to bring their children’s snow gear, some parents still neglected to bring the necessary items for outside playtime. The teachers glanced at each other with a long sigh, thinking, Here we go again…
The teachers did what they could with what they had at that point. One teacher looked through the extra bucket of unclaimed items and put a few sets of mittens together, and eventually everyone was ready to go outside. The excited children immediately started picking up the newly-fallen snow and began playing with it. Some threw it around while others made snow angels. Meanwhile, a group of them, along with the teacher, began making a snowman.
Only 5 minutes had passed before one of the children, wearing soft mittens, came crying to the teacher about her wet, cold hands. Another child, who was making snow angels without snow pants on, came over crying with wet, soaked pants. While most of the children were running around enjoying the beautiful winter day, the children without proper winter gear were miserable. They were also sad because they couldn’t continue playing along with the others. One of the teachers stepped out of the snow and walked over to stand by the building, where he kept the cold, wet children by his side. He continued to monitor the playing children from where he was standing, but felt frustrated that he couldn’t interact with them in the snow. After a few more minutes, several more children without proper attire joined the “miserable group”. At this point, the teachers decided that outside time had to be cut short and they called all the children to go inside. The children that were still happily playing were upset to have to go inside early, while the miserable ones couldn’t wait. Once all the children came inside, the teachers could only hope that the wet children had some extra dry clothes in their cubbies to change into.
This story paints a very realistic picture of how miserable children can be if they don’t have everything they need. It also makes the point that if some of the children are not prepared, it takes away from the other children’s experiences as well. These situations cause unnecessary stress for everyone and throw important schedules off when events can’t go as planned. It’s so disheartening to see a child experience the misery of having freezing, cold, wet fingers, or wet clothes they can’t change out of. In warmer climates, other “gear” may be necessary, including hats, swimsuits, towels, and sunblock. Whatever the case may be, make sure to provide everything your child needs, and their teachers can do the rest. Daycare can offer your child many things, but when it comes to their necessities, it’s all up to you.