Issues w/ my daycare - am I wrong to be peeved? - Page 2

[blizzard_babe]

Originally Posted by msmiranda

\
(1) Breast milk must be labeled with red tape (like it's a biohazard or something) while formula is labeled w/ regular masking tape. To me this has connotations I find offensive (red=warning, danger). If they had to distinguish the tape, couldn't it have been blue or yellow? Or better yet, why not just have us write "breastmilk" on the label like our first daycare did? What is the point of yet one more message to BF mothers that they're weird and deviant? (Keep in mind I'm in a place where BF is less common -- only one baby had red-labeled bottles in the fridge today).

(2) They use bleach solution to wipe down the changing pad after each diaper change. I'm not crazy about my kids inhaling bleach, but the thing I am really upset at is that they ruined two articles of DS1's clothing with bleach last year (I was quite PO'd) and then when I bring it up today they're like, we'll do our best but sometimes we have to change kids one after another and we may end up laying your child down in bleach and ruin his clothes (which is essentially the same response I got when I raised the issue at the time it happened). Um, hello . . . NOT ACCEPTABLE. Am I wrong? Is this a common thing at day care?

I'd probably find 1 annoying in a half-serious, half-joking kind of way, and while they need to figure out how to let the bleach do its work (it is generally required by state regulations to be used on changing surfaces, and does work best if left to dry, not wiped off) AND keep kids' skin/clothing from coming into contact. Maybe two changing tables, so they could alternate back and forth? This would annoy me, too, but I'm not sure much can be done about it, especially if they're supposed to let it dry.

[Zevy]

The red labeling I don't think is a big deal: it is probably to make sure that it isn't mixed up with the formula. Red is very visual.

(and technically, since it is a body fluid, it would have to go in biohazard if you were in a lab, just FYI. Biohazard isn't a bad thing, it just means it is biological).

the bleech is typical protocol.

Neither is a big deal and very common.

[tnh2007]

msmiranda,
I totally understand how frustrating these things can be!!! As working/student mamas we must trust that someone else is going to take incredible care of our lo and it's hard! I guess the thing I would look at is
1. Do they take good care of your lo? In my experience sometimes I've had to let annoying things pass becauase I know they love my ds and take really good care of him and when we have had a real issue it's been resolved, so I guess I have compromised.
2. Is it a clean overall center? This was also a non-negotiable for me with my ds. If it's not clean, then we are leaving.
So, I guess if you are not happy overall maybe tour a few other places and look around. That really opened my eyes when I switched last year. Then of course I toured my friend's center and although expensive that is the one we went with. I laughingly call it the "cadilac (sorry, sp?) of daycares" but it still has it's issues.
Good luck with this difficult decision. I'm sure you will make the best one for your and your family.

[Momily]

One more thought on the red labeling for someone who worked in infant daycare.

When I was in daycare we threw away a lot of formula. You couldn't heat and offer a bottle more than twice, you couldn't leave a bottle out for more than 1/2 an hour, there were lots of rules that lead to the last 1/2 ounce of a bottle being tossed, or even more.

Understandably, moms who were pumping for their children didn't want similar amounts of breastmilk thrown out. I know I wouldn't have. So we were more careful. If I had a breastmilk fed baby and they started to fuss I might carry them to the fridge, offer them a still cold bottle and then decide whether to heat it based on their reaction (e.g. if they got excited and grabbed at it, I'd guess that they were hungry). Also, if I were alone in the room with a few kids and couldn't get back to the fridge (in a different room) I'd be quicker to call my supervisor on the intercom to come put the breastmilk back in the fridge. Finally, it effected how I rotated the bottles, I could be more strategic, noticing patterns about how long it had been since they last ate before deciding if I wanted a 4 oz bottle or a 3 oz bottle.

I guess I'm saying that, because I do think that it's important that caregivers know quickly and easily which bottles contain breastmilk, even if you get away from the "bodily fluid" idea. When my son was on ridiculously expensive prescription formula I would have wanted the to take the same precautions. Red's an easy color to see. People often stop and read what's on red because it's associated with importance.

[ashleyhaugh]

as far as the bleach thing goes, ive worked in a couple of centers, and yes, technically the table should air dry between changings, but ive never known a caregiver to intentionally lay a child on a wet bleachy table. thats crazy! more often than not, its sprayed and wiped off between each kid in a group of changings, and then left to air dry at the end. if its just one change (a random poopy diaper, or someone "off schedule" for lack of a better term), then its left to air dry.

[GoestoShow]

.

Edited by GoestoShow - 1/4/11 at 9:09am

[organicmommy05]

That is typical for most daycare facilities due to state law.

Our daycare required a special sticker be put on all the breastmilk bottles and they also had to be dated and labeled with the child name. Each bfing mom had their own colored sticker.

[monkeybum]

I would not be bothered by the red tape. My son's day care had cameras over the internet and imagine how irked I was when I saw my infant son put down his sippy of BM, and another child walked over, picked it up and started drinking it. I was an hour-and-a-half away at work watching this, phoning them like crazy and kept getting a busy signal as I watched this kid drink it - it was driving me crazy at that moment, but in hindsight it's kind of funny. But I would NOT have been happy if I was that child's mom. I would have felt better if it had been more obviously identified. It took me a LONG TIME to pump that BM! (I was actually phoning them to say DON'T let my child drink from it after that child as there were so many germs being spread there, I didn't want my son sick again!)

I had similar issues with the bleach at my son's daycare - they were bleaching the table and chairs and were getting the kids (Toddlers) to HELP. I spoke to the Director, and she advised the teachers to keep the kids on the other side of the room while they bleached, but the whole class room REAKED of bleach. That cannot be good for the lungs. They assured me it was required by law. So I bought them a natural cleaner made from cloves that is approved for use in hospitals. Benefect I think it was called. They refused to use it. We were happy with everything else there so I let it go, and just asked the teacher to keep the windows open when possible and keep my son away when bleaching anything.

My older son's daycare (the one with the cameras) never bleached anything and my kids got sooooo sick there. It's a catch 22.

[Caneel]

#1 wouldnt' even cross my radar. Try to let it go. I think it is actually a very good thing the center is so focused on keeping BM clearly identified.

Originally Posted by SuzyLee

Our daycare (and I assume all centers) had to clean with bleach between daiper changes due to licensing regs. HOWEVER they always wiped the changing pad dry between kids, and layed a clean paper towel under the kid being changed. That would irritate the crap out of me, too.

DS's center does the same, a clean paper with each new kid. Thankfully, we never had a bleached clothing issue.

DS's daycare is very clean and to date, there hasn't been a problem with illness. While I don't use bleach sprays at home, I think in a group environment, especially one where some parents might not always be a diligent as they should be about not sending kids to school when sick, erring on the side of caution is better for the entire group.

[rlmueller]

It's a requirement

For the commonwealth of VA to be licensed.

[erinsmama]

Our daycare uses something called Basic G instead of bleach & I think the director buys it from Shaklee, but the problem is that it's expensive, so Bleach would definitely be cheaper.

Maybe according to Wisconsin regulations, the Basic G is ok to use instead of bleach?

[justKate]

Originally Posted by organicmommy05

That is typical for most daycare facilities due to state law.

Our daycare required a special sticker be put on all the breastmilk bottles and they also had to be dated and labeled with the child name. Each bfing mom had their own colored sticker.

I think this sounds great! I'm the only mama sending breastmilk to DD's daycare now (11 mos), but I like the idea of each child having their own color.

[dentmom3]

OP - I was there 3 years ago. Our daycare put a special band on BM bottles ONLY and the staff wore gloves to feed the babies the BM. I was the only one pumping and pumped for over a year so I totally get where you are coming from!

I knew that they were doing what they had to because of regulations but it still bothered me. Even though I knew logically what was going on, it still got me in the gut.