Guys... I'm really stressed about this new - temporary sitter....

Hillbilly Housewife wrote: She watched Zach all week, and she's supposed to watch him for the next 2 as well.... but I'm debating pulling him out of there and having my mom watch ihm.

When we went to go meet with her a while ago, she seemed awesome. She is also watchin g the other older child from my other sitter, so Zach has familiar faces - she also sees him everyweek at the playgroup they all go to. So it's not like she's a complete stranger to him or anything.

Well...when we went to meet with her, we talked about the kid of food she'd be giving Zach. She said she would give him pancakes in morning sometimes, we said that was fine but no syruop. she said ok. So On Monday, when we dropped him off, she showd us the menu for the week, and asked us if tyhere was anything on it that we didn't want her to give Zach, there wasn't. He'd had it all. So Monday night, when I pick him up with DH, she said that she put just a little bit of syrup on his pancake pieces, and he really loved it! I let it go, but I said that we didn,t want him to have syrup next time, she said ok.

Yesterday, when I picked him up, he said that he hadn't eatne well that day, I asked what he ehad - she said he had some cheese, some yogurt, some crackers, some cake (i had told her a few bites was ok - it was another child's birthday), and that was it. She said he ate so much the day before - he had the cantaloupe, some fish? he had really enjoyed the toast with Peanut butter. I said Excuse me? She kinda looked at me blankly, I said you gave him what? She said Cantaloupe, Peanut butter and fish??.

I was so mad, I picked him up and stormed out to the car. DH stayed and took care of whatever else (bag, picking up all his stuff, maybe he talked to her, dunno). So now, I'm debating pulling him out and having my mom watch him, because although she is nice, I don't trust her not to give him anything else. I can understand it being easier to just feed all the kids the same thing, but he's not a year old yet, some things he just shoudln,t have. Peanut butter definitely wasn't on the menu, and neither wasa the fish.

I don't know how to handle this....

MommyToAshley replied: Wow. I would be concerned. If she is experienced with children, she should KNOW that kids under 3 should not get peanut butter!

Also, I would ask her what the purpose of the menu was if she was not going to follow it? If you keep him there, I would make a list of things that he is absolutley not to have and that way she can't "forget".

Hillbilly Housewife replied:
My big problem is that now that he's had some, I have to keep giving it to him...otherwise, he could develop some allergies.


Arg!!

mckayleesmom replied: I would give her one more chance and make sure that you are very stern with her about only giving him what is on the menu. You can also make a list of stuff he is absolutely not suppose to have, and ask her for a report of what he ate all day and activities. If she doesn't comply with what you want, you can make a formal complaint against her at the better business buero I think. Also, just out of curiosity, what happened to your other babysitter?

maliksmommy replied: I agree with what everyone else said about making a list of things he CAN"T have and if she has a problem then I'd take him out especially if your mom is willing to watch him. I hope it gets better~daycare can be so frustrating!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hillbilly Housewife replied:
Well...the sitter he's usually with is on vacation for 3 weeks in the Rockies. So......she obviously can't watch Zach. She's private home daycare, but she's part of an organization, who hires the private daycare people. His new temporary sitter is another one of the ladies who works for this company. ALl the people who work for thsi daycare work from home - they all get together once a week in different areas (like 5 or 6 of them in one area, 5 or 6 of them in another area and so on) for Playgroup, so they all know each other, and they all know all the kids. They cover each other when they are sick, or whatever.


I think I'm jsut going to ask her not to give him anything we haven't approved, as he is not supposed to have certian things, and that I'd rather be around if he has a reaction.

amynicole21 replied: I've had similar problems with my daycare. Sophia gets lots of stuff I haven't approved. I ended up sending a note stating that she couldn't eat anything that I didn't bring from home. The stuck to that for about a week, now are back to feeding her whatever they are serving for lunch that day. I really like the center otherwise, and haven't made a formal complaint. I might make a list of things she absolutely cannot have and see if that works any better.

I don't know much about peanut allergies, but I'm not sure that you have to keep giving it to him once he's had it or he'll develop an allergy... I'll look into it, though.

mummy2girls replied: first of all i have a question to mommy2ashley..i thought it was ok at 1 to give peanut butter... am i wrong?

now zachs mom... I know the frustration you feel when it comes to a bad sitter. If you really feel zach will not be in good hands and that the sitter is not listening to your wishes then take him out. If your mom is willing to watch him them i would let her watch him. Ive had gut feelings of jennas old daycare and i should of yanked her out after the first problem but i let her stay and then the problem turned into child neglect. Im not saying she will neglect him but for her not to listen is a big no-no. My opinion is..TAKE HIM OUT. my mom watched jen from the day i yanked her out until she started her new center... And it was the best desicion i could make....

Shelly ..mom to jenna

Mommieto2Girls replied: I would check and see what kind of daycare she is running, she of all people should know what not to feed a child before a year old, and if she doesn't know that then maybe she isn't quilified to watch ANY child under a year old or maybe even under 3. I would really check into it.

supermom replied: I've never heard that - that if he's had it, you have to keep giving it to him or else he could get allergies....that's a new one to me, but I don't keep up on it all either.

But I think that I would be concerned if he wasn't getting what he was supposed to - especially since he's not a year yet....she should not be feeding him that kind of stuff, and certainly not all at the same time if they are all new foods to him.....

What is up with these daycare people anyways? I used to run a small "home based" daycare, and I would have NEVER dreamed of doing anything that you all are complaining about.....

Hillbilly Housewife replied: I think that I am just going to piont out that I don,t want her to introduce new foods to him..and I'll give her a list of what he's had, and of what he can have. I don,t want to be mean to her, I like her, but she jhust doesn't seem "the best".

only 2 more weeks.

aspenblue1 replied: I was told by my ped every time you give peanut butter to them before 18 increases the risk of allergies.

MomToMany replied: This is a tough situation. My opinion would be just to take him out of there and let your mom watch him. If they're not listening to your requests now, they probably won't in the future. If your not comfortable with it, it's not a good idea to keep bringing Zach there.