I wrote a couple years back about a bad daycare that my kids were going to.
Well, I just had another unfortunate experience yesterday. They is a daycare on campus at the college I teach at. Although it is not affiliated with the school (they rent the space), it is still in the school. It is very pricy, but it was convenient for me to send my son to last year. I never had a problem with L going- he liked it, he didn't throw a fit going and there seemed to be no problem. This year, L will be going to preschool elsewhere, but I needed daycare for Baby H. I only teach one class Mon-Thurs and it lasts an hour, so I figured having H go to the daycare wouldn't be a big deal. He was only going to have to go on Mondays and Wednesdays because I have family caring for him the other two days. Of course, it's ridiculous to pay for a full day when he's only going an hour, but the convenience to me was worth it.
As you may or may not know, I used to be a stay at home mom while earning my bachelor degree online. A didn't go to daycare for the first time until she was 2.5. L was 6 months and it was so hard because he cried every day when I dropped him off. It was only a couple days a week, but it was still difficult. You think that no one can take care of your children as well as you can (of course they can't.) So, the idea of Baby H going to a daycare at 2 months was very scary to me, but like I said, I didn't think two hours a week would be that bad.
I was wrong. When I got there to drop H off, there were two women working with 8 babies that looked like they ranged in age from 3 months-16 months. There were some screaming, a baby in a swing crying, it was chaos. I know that the state licensed facilities are only allowed to have 4 babies per one adult, so it wasn't as though they were doing something illegal and had "too many" babies there at one time. I felt bad leaving him and since I was early, I figured that I would feed him a bottle and rock him, hoping he'd fall asleep. I stayed as long as I could, but he wasn't asleep so I put him in a swing.
Fast forward until I got back. There was one woman eating in a corner. The other was spoon feeding one child at the table. H was in the same swing as when I had left, but was crying so much his voice was hoarse. He was sweaty and he had puke on his clothes. His bottle hadn't moved from where I left it. I picked him up, got his stuff and left. When I got to the car I held him until he calmed down and I cried.
There is absolutely NO WAY he is going back. I would rather quit my job than send him back to that place. Luckily I have found other arrangements that I am much more comfortable with as it is someone I know who has watched L before. I had David call the daycare and tell them neither of my kids would be returning. I just can't believe that people can sit back while babies cry and scream! I care too much about my children to force them into a situation like that.
My poor baby...
That sounds awful and makes me heart-sick for him and you! I'm so sorry you went through that.
ReplyDeleteI am totally not a cry it out parent, so hearing my babies cry is awful!
Delete