Is this strange? Daycare

[meggabs]

I drop Mc off at 7:45 and they suggested I bring in a breakfast for her because many other kids eat their breakfast there that they bring. I asked if there was a morning snack, and they said yes, breakfast and snack all kind of roll into one. Well, I don't want Mc to be the only one not eating, especially with her weight being lower, I want her to eat any chance she gets. But doesn't that seem like that's what the "snack" is for? It seems like they are being cheap, and getting people to send breakfast, so the kids will eat little of the daycare's snack...? ALSO, I asked if there was an afternoon snack, again because of weight, she needs to eat. She said they sleep from about 1:30 and eat when they get up. Ok, seems good... the last two days I picked her up at 4 and 4:15 and they still hadn't eaten snack because she said they just got up!!! Two things- they should not sleep from 1:30-3:30/4, and they need a snack before 4pm because they eat lunch at noon! That's too long for 1-2 year olds to be be going hungry!!

Thoughts?? Weird?? Normal??

[katie]

Our dc doesn't give what they call breakfast and no one in her room brings anything. They get a snack at 9 which ranges from banana & cereal, oatmeal, yogurt, French toast. It's the size of her breakfast here usually which she eats when she gets up which was 6 today.

Dc schedule:
9 breakfast snack
11 lunch
12-2 nap
2:30 snack
4:30 snack is usually crackers of some kind

The napping and snacking your DC has seems a little off but maybe I'm used to mine. L couldn't last until 1:30 for 1 nap. And everyone gets up at the same time where at your dc they let her sleep longe. Our dc is real structured.

[kcsp910]

Caroline goes to a home daycare, so the schedule may be a little different, and we take her food. With that being said, she eats small breakfast before we drop her off (6AM), and then another breakfast at daycare (8-8:30AM)- normally pancakes at home, oatmeal at daycare. They don't do a morning snack. She's fed lunch around 11/12 and then put down around 1PM for nap. She'll eat an afternoon snack when she gets up between 3:00 and 4:00 PM. We also drop off an hour earlier at daycare.

If daycare's not expected to provide breakfast, and they are sitting down for a meal, I may go ahead and take something in. Are you feeding breakfast before you drop off? If so, then maybe a snack may be sufficient for her.

[katfco]

The morning snack/breakfast thing seems odd. I might ask for a clarification. Abby's morning snack at DC was at 9. Kids were expected to be finished with breakfast by 8:30, so the two didn't mix. Breakfast and snack combined sounds like some kids are eating breakfast late or snack early.

Sometimes Abby's DC wouldn't get to snack until around 4 because, with naptime ending at 3, then diaper changes, potty trips, a little play time, they just wouldn't get around to it. If it happens a lot I might ask how regularly they stick to the schedule.

[dixeedeluxe]

Eh, we don't really do snacks unless the girls ask. Most days they don't. But we also try to facilitate meals so that they eat until they are full and not until they are bored. Never a problem with hogjaws Adeline!

They eat breakfast around 7:30, lunch around 12, and dinner around 4:30 (all at ILs). Sometimes they'll eat an evening snack when we eat our dinner.

[robinsparkles430]

I drop J off at 7:00 and leave a cereal bar for him to eat. They get breakfast at 8:00 but other children usually have something to eat when they first get there so I don't want him to be the only one with nothing. His schedule is:

8:00 Breakfast
11:00 Lunch
2:00 Snack

I usually pick him up before 2:00 but in the past if he has to be there till 6:00, they will give crackers or something small to hold him over until he gets home for dinner. They also have a basket of crackers by the door so parents/kids can grab some on the way out.

[dixeedeluxe]

Aug 29, 2013 7:00:14 GMT -5 robinsparkles430 said:

I drop J off at 7:00 and leave a cereal bar for him to eat. They get breakfast at 8:00 but other children usually have something to eat when they first get there so I don't want him to be the only one with nothing. His schedule is:

8:00 Breakfast
11:00 Lunch
2:00 Snack

I usually pick him up before 2:00 but in the past if he has to be there till 6:00, they will give crackers or something small to hold him over until he gets home for dinner. They also have a basket of crackers by the door so parents/kids can grab some on the way out.

Such a good idea!

[skiesthelimit]

Ya that does seem weird to me. X has breakfast at dc around 8 (I drop him off at 740), snack around 10, lunch at 12, nap from 1-3, snack at 315-330 and I pick him up at 5. She doesn't let him sleep past 3, but she's only ever had to wake him up once. The only thing i bring for him is milk. If she's supposed to be supplying the food it doesn't seem right to ask you to bring breakfast.

Eta: X doesn't have snacks when he's home with me because I nurse him on demand and he will nirse instead of eat a snack.

[Deleted]

Some kids bring breakfast and some don't. Snack is at 10. Lunch at noon. Nap around 1 and afternoon snack around 4:30. That is pretty much our schedule too.

[Faevantastic]

For me, I don't think it's weird. My daycare only serves hot lunches. So I bring breakfast (usually just a banana) and two snacks daily. I also bring in every couple of weeks a box of cheezits or goldfish or kix for anytime snacks. Those are usually shared between the kids in his group.

The only thing I'd be concerned with in your situation is not getting afternoon snacks. I'd say something about that to them.

[rubber pants]

Thats weird that they let the kids sleep that long and that they dont enforce a schedule. Our daycare is VERY routined and regimented.

Breakfast at 7am
Snack at 10am
Lunch at 12pm
Nap from 1-3pm
Snack at 3pm

[Deleted]

Thats weird, just from what I'm used to for that age group for our center (I was the Toddler room teacher for years)

Breakfast/'snack' was at 8:30.... it was usually cheerioes/cereal and fruit, or pancakes and fruit, etc... breakfast food. Then lunch at 11:30. Nap right after, so like.. 12-2:30. There was usually only a few kids that slept until 2:30, and rarely any who slept after... but we always woke them at 3 anyway. Snack was at 3. So they never got too hungry. I think that daycare center is pushing it for Toddlers... they need to eat!

[mumegs]

We don't have to bring food, but they do breakfast at 9, snack around 10:30-11 and they have lunch around 12:30. Then they nap from about 1:30-3:30 and snack about 4 or 4:30 depending on when they get up. So we are on the same afternoon gap between lunch and afternoon snack, but they are napping in that time. Sometimes Macy will sleep for 3 hours, and once she napped for 4 hours at daycare. I tell them not to wake her up, if she's hungry she will wake up.

[charmediamsure]

Yeah at Jack's daycare there is a morning snack (which they call breakfast) at 8, lunch at 11, snack at 2:30 or whenever they get up if it is later.

We get up at 6ish so I can get ready for work so I give Jack breakfast at home (usually just a waffle and milk) and then he gets to daycare around 7 and has snack at 8. Their morning snack is usually a muffin and fruit or something similar.

I would think that that afternoon snack definitely needs to be earlier. Are they waiting for all the kids to wake up or something? When I pick Jack up at 3:30 there is always one kid who is still sleeping, if they waited for him the others would be starving.

Also, I'm not allowed to send any outside food with him (except his milk, I send in organic milk in his own sippy) but outside food is a no-no because of allergies.

[laurack]

at mine they don't do "breakfast" they do snack at 9, lunch at noon, snack at 3. Hubby feeds her something in the morning before he brings her in. Morning snack for toddlers is usually bagel with cream cheese and bananas.

Nap time is between 12.30 and 3 though M usually only sleeps for 1.5 hours some kids obviously will sleep longer, then at 3 they have snack.

I feel like 3 hours is long enough between food, when we are home at the weekend it seems she wants food all.day.long so they get hungry often!

[Regina Philange]

Lou starts tuesday, but i plan on sending a breakfast and then he gets breakfast snack at 9, and they feed him lunch and snacks the rest of the day.

[breezy8407]

I think it goes like this:

9:30 morning snack
11:30 lunch
12-3 naptime
3:30 snack

We just started in the toddler room this week - I've been sending a small breakfast each morning for them to eat when they arrive since we drop off at 7. The muffin tin eggs have been a hit - and I also send a banana.

[livinreality]

My kid normally sleeps from 1:00 - 3:00/3:30 and we do snack at about 4:00 so that does not seem too long for me. Yes DS is hungry at 4 and eats a decent sized snack.

[irishsara]

Aug 29, 2013 6:42:41 GMT -5 katie said:

Our dc doesn't give what they call breakfast and no one in her room brings anything. They get a snack at 9 which ranges from banana & cereal, oatmeal, yogurt, French toast. It's the size of her breakfast here usually which she eats when she gets up which was 6 today.

Dc schedule:
9 breakfast snack
11 lunch
12-2 nap
2:30 snack
4:30 snack is usually crackers of some kind

The napping and snacking your DC has seems a little off but maybe I'm used to mine. L couldn't last until 1:30 for 1 nap. And everyone gets up at the same time where at your dc they let her sleep longe. Our dc is real structured.

I think it sounds super weird.  I think its weirder that they nap so late!  It would totally screw up bedtimes for the children, I would think.

Ours is a similar schedule as above, but they only do the 2:30 snack.  Some kids bring breakfast, but some don't.  They are usually done with breakfast at 8 though. After 8, you can't eat breakfast there.  (There is a lunch room)

[meggabs]

Aug 29, 2013 8:06:52 GMT -5 mumegs said:

We don't have to bring food, but they do breakfast at 9, snack around 10:30-11 and they have lunch around 12:30. Then they nap from about 1:30-3:30 and snack about 4 or 4:30 depending on when they get up. So we are on the same afternoon gap between lunch and afternoon snack, but they are napping in that time. Sometimes Macy will sleep for 3 hours, and once she napped for 4 hours at daycare. I tell them not to wake her up, if she's hungry she will wake up.

This sounds like their schedule, too. But Mc sleeps from 1:30-2:30 and wakes up. They send the kids who don't sleep into the infant room to play, since there's always an infant up. I pick her up at 4, so she doesn't get the snack, but then I almost feel like I shouldn't give her a snack when we get home at 4:30 because it's so close to dinner (5:30), BUT she hasn't eaten since 12. Ugh. 

[meggabs]

Aug 29, 2013 7:52:46 GMT -5 @sprinkles said:

Thats weird, just from what I'm used to for that age group for our center (I was the Toddler room teacher for years)

Breakfast/'snack' was at 8:30.... it was usually cheerioes/cereal and fruit, or pancakes and fruit, etc... breakfast food. Then lunch at 11:30. Nap right after, so like.. 12-2:30. There was usually only a few kids that slept until 2:30, and rarely any who slept after... but we always woke them at 3 anyway. Snack was at 3. So they never got too hungry. I think that daycare center is pushing it for Toddlers... they need to eat!

I agree, they're pushing it. Most kids are actually asleep/laying down when I pick Mc up around 4. But she sleeps 1:30-2:30, and then they either try to have her lay down at least, or put her in the infant room to play while the toddlers sleep. Since you were a toddler teacher, is it a hassle to ask them to feed her a snack when she wakes up?? Is that realistic? Will I be "that mom"?

[meggabs]

Aug 29, 2013 6:57:11 GMT -5 katfco said:

The morning snack/breakfast thing seems odd. I might ask for a clarification. Abby's morning snack at DC was at 9. Kids were expected to be finished with breakfast by 8:30, so the two didn't mix. Breakfast and snack combined sounds like some kids are eating breakfast late or snack early.

Sometimes Abby's DC wouldn't get to snack until around 4 because, with naptime ending at 3, then diaper changes, potty trips, a little play time, they just wouldn't get around to it. If it happens a lot I might ask how regularly they stick to the schedule.

Yes, I think this is the schedule - everybody "sleeps/lays" until 3:30, then they start wake up/potty, etc and then do snack, but the couple times I've asked if she'd eaten, they said no, and it was 4:15.

[ruby412]

Our DC provides morning snack at 9. It's breakfast like- English muffin, cereal, etc. They open at 6:30 and said we were welcome to send in food for her to eat if she had to be there that early.

We usually give V some fruit and milk at home at 7:30ish and don't send anything more in for the mornings.

Is this a center or an in home?

[katfco]

Do you have a long commute? I used to take a little snack with me when I picked Abby up, so if she hadn't had snack already, she could eat it in the car. It was usually just cut up fruit or crackers, but it was enough to tide her over until dinner.

[TrudyCampbell]

I didn't know daycares woke up the children at a certain time. Why don't they just let them sleep? Not trying to be snarky or anything, I genuinely don't understand it!

[Deleted]

Once they are In the toddler room they usually have to wake up by a certain time so they can proceed with diapers snack outside other curriculum.

[browneyedhunni85]

The center I worked at did nap from 12-2. Even if the kids were sleeping they had to be woke up so that they could have snack and do diaper change. I think waking up around 4ish is a bit late. We provided all meals and snacks because it was included in tuition.

[Deleted]

Aug 30, 2013 14:51:13 GMT -5 meggabs said:

Aug 29, 2013 7:52:46 GMT -5 @sprinkles said:

Thats weird, just from what I'm used to for that age group for our center (I was the Toddler room teacher for years)

Breakfast/'snack' was at 8:30.... it was usually cheerioes/cereal and fruit, or pancakes and fruit, etc... breakfast food. Then lunch at 11:30. Nap right after, so like.. 12-2:30. There was usually only a few kids that slept until 2:30, and rarely any who slept after... but we always woke them at 3 anyway. Snack was at 3. So they never got too hungry. I think that daycare center is pushing it for Toddlers... they need to eat!

I agree, they're pushing it. Most kids are actually asleep/laying down when I pick Mc up around 4. But she sleeps 1:30-2:30, and then they either try to have her lay down at least, or put her in the infant room to play while the toddlers sleep. Since you were a toddler teacher, is it a hassle to ask them to feed her a snack when she wakes up?? Is that realistic? Will I be "that mom"?

Nope, not at all. Like I said, our nap time was 11:45/12-2:30, which snack 'scheduled' at 2:30. But MOST of the toddlers were up at 1:30 at least. If the majority of the toddlers were awake early, we tried to push it a little, to give the other few a chance to wake up.. so maybe like 2 we'd do snack. But if just 1 or 2 were awake way early, we'd let them sit at the table with some crackers or whatever (we usually had plain saltines on hand in our cupboards for these occasions). And sometimes they would be loud, so we would send them to the infant room, but always with a snack of some sort as we didn't want them to be a hassle for the infant teacher because they were hungry. Then we would do the actual snack that was brought once everyone was awake and ready.

Toddlers don't know how to wait, they don't get the 'schedule' of when snacks and meals are supposed to be, like the older kids do. You can't tell a toddler they need to wait until 4 or whenever, because THATS when snack is. No, they are hungry, and they need to eat something.

Now, I dont know your center and how accommodating it is, but if I were you, I would definitely ask. Just tell them you know she gets really hungry right when she wakes up, and if she's up earlier than the other kids, could she at least get a little snack to tide her over? It really shouldnt be a big deal. And if for some reason they're being weird about it, you could even offer to bring a pack of crackers or whatever for times like that.

[Deleted]

Aug 30, 2013 17:48:16 GMT -5 TrudyCampbell said:

I didn't know daycares woke up the children at a certain time. Why don't they just let them sleep? Not trying to be snarky or anything, I genuinely don't understand it!

For us, it mostly depended on what the parents wanted. We had kids that would sleep all day long, and the parents didn't want that or else they wouldnt sleep at night. So we had to wake them once the nap 'time' ended. There were other parents that wanted them to sleep, so we'd let them sleep...to an extent. It gets kind of hard, because you DO have to keep a schedule when you are taking care of so many kids at once. You can't really let 1 kid sleep 1-1.5 hours past and skip out on snack. And it might be hard to keep some snack for that kid because you might have scheduled outside time after snack and you aren't allowed to let them eat outside, KWIM? (Thats how it worked for us, at least). So sometimes you could let the kid sleep like 45 mins past, but not much more or you'd be making that child skip things that shouldnt be skipped, or pushing back 7 other kids 'schedules' (ie, like pushing back outside time, and then some of THOSE parents come in and complain that they're child never go to go outside in the afternoon). Its just sometimes how it has to be done in a center to keep everyone happy

[devotchka]

That seems weird to me. I don't understand why the breakfast and snack would roll into one - unless it's so early so parents don't feed their kids before they bring them, and since they don't want kids to feel left out they tell you to do the same? They should be better about the feeding schedule IMHO.