The Crib: A Blog for New Parents
Could There Be A Problem At Your Childs' Daycare?
One of the hardest new situations that parents and children have to face will be daycare. For new parents, it is hard to trust that little person into the care of anyone else, especially to someone you barely know. Returning to work after having the baby and being home with him or her is tough, it will be hard to keep thoughts of your little one apart from the job related things you are supposed to concentrate on during your working hours.
If your child is older, and starting at a new daycare, then there are other issues to worry about and consider. Such as discipline, behavior, and much more.
Even though you have done everything you could to find out all there is to know about your childcare provider, you have every right to feel slightly insecure about them at first. Moreover, if, your child starts acting different, or having behavior problems, or (the absolute worst), unexplained bruises, then there could most assuredly be problems that you need to address immediately. Your insecurity about the childcare situation is never something that you should feel guilty for, or ashamed of. That is your child and you are entitled to question every aspect of his or her life, well-being, and safety.
The following list is just a guideline to show you the types of things that should raise a red flag for you, but any thing that bothers you in any way is all the reason you need to have frank conversation with your chosen provider.
* The care provider tries to discourage you from popping in when you wish.
* Your child seems to be afraid of going to the center, or of one caregiver in particular.
* The provider seems to treat your child differently than the others.
* The caregiver does not like to answer your questions or seems like she does not want to talk to you at all.
* You notice marks or bruises on your child that you did not know about.
* The way your child behaves, talks, or plays changes in negative ways.
If your child is old enough, talk to them about how they feel about their care environment, find out what is going on. If they are too small to tell you, talk to other parents.
No matter what, trust your instincts.
