Would you use child care at the gym IF. . . - Page 2

[lach]

Originally Posted by tzs

ha ha!
you know....i hate working out but it may be worth joining a gym for the air conditioning....

LOL, it was such a revelation when I had the thought "ugh, I can't believe I can't work out... I need that time to myself when I drop them off and run on the treadmill and just zone out. Wait. I can still drop them off!"

My Y has really comfy couches in the lobby, and a little cafe. I never knew that Ys could be this nice. And I love their childcare. They have an under 1 room, and a room for 1-2 year olds, and a room for 3-6 year olds. I told DH that I have no idea why we're paying for preschool: they have staff leading arts and crafts projects and read stories to the kids and there are tons and tons of toys. And always lots of other kids to play with. And the room is HUGE, too: the younger kid rooms are sort of normal sized rooms, but the 3-6yo room is a giant atrium that's gotta be bigger than my whole house. They have a big Little Tykes climbing structure in the middle and lots of little areas set up for specialized play. The women who work in the childcare center are really nice and learn all the kids names after you drop them off a few times. And you basically have to get a DNA sample to get your kid back, so I'm comfortable with the safety aspect of it all too.

So, OP, I am fully in support of gym childcare, if done right. I'm sure lots of places don't do a terribly great job. I did tour one gym where they didn't have separate rooms by age, so all the babies were just strapped into their carseats the whole time in a corner. The whole room was complete chaos, with the older kids running around. Which is what older kids do, and what the 3-6 year old room at my Y is like... but it means that the babies couldn't be let out to lie on the floor or roll around or crawl. That was not acceptable to me. But a really good gym daycare can be a really nice break for both you and your child.

[trghig]

Yes. I use childcare at the Y for my 4month old and 2 yr old. They both have a great time and the ladies who work there are great. For me working out is very important and has been a great help with my PPD.

[Plummeting]

I would, provided DD wouldn't freak out if I left her there. That would be my only caveat. HFM SUCKS big time, but it's not the end of the world and coxsackievirus doesn't hang out on surfaces for months at a time, so it will all be gone soon, unless another kid brings it back. It's common, and almost everyone will catch it sooner or later. Not everyone gets the lesions, but almost everyone catches it.

Even if DD did freak out, I'd probably just try to introduce it slowly. You know, 5 minutes today, 10 minutes in a few days, etc.

[LionessMom]

i just started at a ymca with my kids in the day care. they do great and have lots of fun. but 8mo dd2 wasnt having any of it till i started leaving a bottle for her. for some reason having a pumped bottle with her made her feel better. and when she would start to cry they would give it to her and she would be fine. she doesnt even drink it. she just chews on it. .


and i get at least 1.5 hours to do yoga and take a big girl shower.

[VillageMom6]

I'm not opposed to gym daycares, in general...

But having just gotten through a round of HFM/Coxsackie virus with all of my children and then pregnant me, I would never knowingly walk into a situation in which that was a greater risk than usual.

It was miserable and I ended up in the ER.

On the other hand, I feel a solidarity with the mom who drops off her children at the gym and then enjoys an hour of cool, quiet reading!

[Dmitrizmom]

dd2 (9 months) goes to our gym's child watch program at least 1-2 times a week. sometimes she is the only lo there, sometimes there are alot. It is a life-saver for me to get my workout done and relax.

oh... and FTR, we use cloth diapers and we don't vax. Not had any problems with them.

[Super~Single~Mama]

Sure why not? As far as her getting sick, my son was the only BF baby in his daycare (one other got BM from a bottle - his mom was an EP'er) and he NEVER once missed daycare for being sick. Not once. Granted, he's only been there 2x/week since he started, but the other babies always had some form of a cold or another, and one baby in particular was sick all the time. DS never got anything major. A few very minor colds, and that was it.

[Quinalla]

The illness by itself would not bother me, in fact I would be glad that they were informing folks. And the ratio wouldn't bother me as that is a normal ratio. I would want to drop in on the daycare a couple times and make sure I felt comfortable with it and with the people working there. If you didn't feel comfortable with them, I wouldn't use it.

So, I do think you are over thinking the illness aspect of it especially since the outbreak was awhile ago. Maybe wait a few weeks if you are worried about it still. Obviously, your baby is being exposed to germs all the time from the two of you going out and from your DH. The ratio is a very personal thing and varies depending on your baby's personality. For a very high needs baby, 1:4 simply may not work, for a more laid back baby, it is totally fine. Either way, you have to figure out your personal comfort level with that and it will change as your baby gets older too.

[MamaJenese]

The hfm thing would not keep me away from the gym. Both my kids got it last summer and they were not at the gym daycare, camp or preschool. It just landed at our house! Sounds good to me I would go hang there and get a feel for it.