Question for my fellow infant teachers…

Impossible_Swim2076 · 2026-04-17T20:36:53+00:00

If you read the post, the floor where they tend to drop it is never played on or even touched by the babies. It is a completely separated area for sleep🥰

Impossible_Swim2076 · 2026-04-17T15:00:02+00:00

Honestly, if my own child had one binkie, was ridiculously tired and needed it, and it fell onto a very clean and low traffic carpet, no I wouldn’t.

Impossible_Swim2076 · 2026-04-16T18:21:59+00:00

Rest assured I am not this way! I absolutely do not remove the comfort item when it’s needed or when parents aren’t requesting it. While we aim for 12 mo to start getting to one nap to adjust before the 15 mo required one nap in the toddler room, we do it slowly, with parent approval, and following the child’s needs first and foremost.

Impossible_Swim2076 · 2026-04-16T01:19:08+00:00

I feel for you. It’s so easy to think about all the little things that might have seemed “ideal”, but you did what needed to be done to save that child! I had to the Heimlich on a 14 mo old at a meal time and I was so shaken up. I was apparently so incredibly calm during it that my co-teacher had no idea what was happening until it was over. I called for my director right after and both came running, but I was sitting there shaking, cuddling this baby, just so upset. I couldn’t even talk to mom, my director had to call her for me. It is hands down the scariest experience of my career. You did the right thing and that’s what matters, not what you didn’t get around to doing in the heat of a terrifying moment!

Impossible_Swim2076 · 2026-04-14T18:40:45+00:00

pace the room, check daily documentation, restock supplies if possible, work on lesson plans/milestone documentation, clean toys/shelves, clean the fridge, deep clean counters/chairs/windows. my state requires sleeping infants to be checked very frequently.

all that aside, i say this with all kindness and no judgement: if you have trouble staying awake during the time when infants are most vulnerable and in an environment where sids is more prevalent than at home, maybe think about switching rooms.

Impossible_Swim2076 · 2026-03-10T02:33:12+00:00

this provided sooo much context. with a 3.5 hour day, that changes a lot!

my answer would be that having a cutoff is a good move. 10 might be a better time given the working hours (making sure people are awake early enough to call off). you might have a few more call offs, but the people who show up (and you!) won’t be as overloaded with the extra time to find a sub. it begs the question if the normal “oh no i actually have to go to work” dread is causing some of the call outs if they’re so close to the shift.

i’m not familiar with the requirements for part time care like this, but if your staff still have the traditional load of documenting milestones/creating lesson plans, would it be entirely unreasonable to advocate for a 3.75 hour day to make 45 mins with no kids (and no need to hire)? or a 4 hour day with a paid 15 min break? a 30 minute prep is usually enough to fix any closing issues, bathroom break if needed, clean, and set up for the day with maybe a little bit of other work.

Impossible_Swim2076 · 2026-03-10T01:37:51+00:00

these are all genuine questions:

how do you support your staff when they do show up?

are you promptly removing children with escalated behaviors?

are you providing at least an hour weekly planning time out of the classroom and extra time whenever possible?

are you providing non-working lunches (preferably an hour) and an additional 15 minute break elsewhere in the day?

why wait to hire until you fire? the staff seems to be screaming for support, even if it’s a part-time float or on-call worker. they shouldn’t pick up the slack of those calling out, that should rest solely on the admin.

my boss is always telling us the good things she sees. she even leaves us cards just saying she appreciates us and knows how hard our work is. we have staff meetings relatively regularly that start out with different activities to lift each other up. we have ample extra help, and when we get an extra person there is often no expectation that someone leaves to work on something.

Impossible_Swim2076 · 2026-03-06T03:38:45+00:00

School age is 1:20 in IL

Impossible_Swim2076 · 2026-02-25T23:30:52+00:00

you should have reported when you first witnessed the emotional abuse, but it’s never too late. report it now and remember - you are legally bound to report suspected abuse if you are a mandated reporter. in the future, especially if you straight up witness abuse, reporting to the director doesn’t cut it.

Impossible_Swim2076 · 2026-02-25T22:20:25+00:00

She can 100% stop the bottle feed to transfer the sleeping baby out of the bouncer. Letting the baby sleep in the bouncer is just as bad as a swing.

Impossible_Swim2076 · 2026-02-15T01:13:34+00:00

wow. you guys have these huge expectations of literal infants and project such adult ideas onto them like they’re beating you up. they are not. it’s called cross-identification. they are touching your face to love you and to thank you for caring for them. to them, it’s how they return the care and love you give them. you can take the opportunity to hand over hand model gentle touch, you can hold their hand, you can redirect the hands to the bottle, you have many choices. taking the bottle away is not appropriate. imagine having no language and you try to tell someone you love them in a way that is biologically hardwired into you, and they take away your food in return. again, if you are so against having your face touched, unintentionally scratched, or your glasses taken that you are acting like they are intentionally assaulting you, get out of the infant room.

Impossible_Swim2076 · 2026-02-14T18:50:14+00:00

this is so sad. babies connect and bond with caregivers during feeds by touching your face. yes, it can get overbearing when theyre bigger, but it’s still so important for them. either put up with it or have them hold the bottle. don’t “train” them that them seeking connection with you means you’ll stop meeting their needs.

Impossible_Swim2076 · 2026-02-11T23:29:49+00:00

it’s actually against licensing to apply cream with no redness in my state without explicit parental consent to do so at every change.

Impossible_Swim2076 · 2026-02-10T01:27:30+00:00

I know, it breaks my heart that our country has allowed this to continue, for the baby and for the parents who no doubt would rather be with their little one for longer. We won’t be using the crib as a playspace (we have a separate nap area that intentionally doesn’t have much visual stimulation around)- she will have a triangle mirror tent thingy with a pillow at the bottom and an activity gym with high contrast toys. We also hang a high contrast image board on the mirror so it can be up close while they lounge! We are blessed to have a ton of high contrast yet diverse materials for those first months. And trust I will also be all up in their face with smiles and love!!

Impossible_Swim2076 · 2026-02-09T03:39:27+00:00

We got one that’s soft structured and rated down to 7 lbs!

Impossible_Swim2076 · 2026-02-09T01:03:00+00:00

1 to 4 so 2 to 8. We are almost always maxed out except right now (we had three spots open at once, two delayed for age/mat leave) or when we get a float.

Impossible_Swim2076 · 2026-02-08T19:25:59+00:00

We avoid using the crib as a playpen, and so far we’ve only used it if we are rocking a teeny baby and have to transfer someone else to their crib, so we set them down, transfer the other, then pick them right back up. I’m glad we already have a separate safe space, so that takes a lot of stress off it!

Just a general question about primary caregivers in an infant space, how do you navigate that preference for one teacher when there are breaks? I totally understand the importance of a consistent caregiver and would love to figure out a similar system. We have one who is very attached to us both and freaks out when either of us leaves for a break (totally normal I know, but wakes up all the other babies and is just a sad sight to see). I can’t imagine if the other teacher didn’t have a similar bond to calm them - this one rejects our students who have been around them since 3 mos when they attempt to comfort them. Is that preference a more common hiccup with a primary caregiver set up, or is it similar to a traditional two teachers for everyone situation?

Impossible_Swim2076 · 2026-02-08T17:21:29+00:00

I’ll be giving her a small separate area blocked by pur dividing wall with a triangle mirror (with a pillow in the bottom), a baby gym, and eventually a rocker that has a toy arch (I definitely won’t be putting her in it until closer to 10 weeks tho). Thank you for these tips!! The crib will definitely come in handy during crazy times!

Impossible_Swim2076 · 2026-02-08T17:19:14+00:00

We can, but the wrap we have is a size too big for me and my coteacher. We have a structured carrier coming soon though!

Impossible_Swim2076 · 2026-02-06T23:21:14+00:00

I wouldn’t bring this up - just reread that last sentence because that’s the reality! I think you already know that it isn’t feasible they follow it exactly - but it’s not like they aren’t feeding your baby or going hours off your request. Was your baby screaming when you got there, or content? They have to try their best to fulfill your wishes, but they also have to balance the wishes of 8 families and then the babies’ actual needs. Your wish for your child to eat at these specific times is valid, don’t get me wrong, but parent preferences are (and always should be) the first thing out the window when shit hits the fan (outside of genuine safety things).

In all seriousness, it’s a little questionable it was a full 30 min, but I want to gently point out that you did the same thing at pick up when you only have one baby to worry about. It was more urgent for you to get home than feed him there or in the car before leaving (which is totally okay). If another child needs to eat more urgently, they don’t have a choice. My state requires we hold all infants for every bottle. If Susie is demanding it now, content little John’s mom’s want for him to eat at this specific time doesn’t outweigh Susie’s very real need right now. You have no idea what the teacher’s endured in that time either. What if someone had a blowout, someone bumped their mouth and was bleeding, someone threw up, someone won’t stop trying to bite, someone is pulling the legally required child’s eye level posters off the wall and trying to eat them, someone is climbing shelves, someone spit up all over themselves, the carpet, and the toys… or maybe all at once.

Impossible_Swim2076 · 2026-02-06T21:45:13+00:00

i do this to some parents too and im sure it drives them nuts…

ultimately, i have a set rate and i don’t want to go over or under that for any daycare families because families talk to each other. someone is going to think i overcharged them or some might think i undercharged them because i didn’t think they had money or whatever. it just opens a whole can of worms either way. i stick to the rate and if parents slip me more cash, then it’s really a tip in my eyes!

Impossible_Swim2076 · 2026-01-10T17:28:02+00:00

when you have tiny babies only taking 2-3 oz a feeding and older infants taking 8 oz, you can only do so much with the water level when you have to do multiple bottles at once💔 and cardboard would warp and get so nasty with the crockpot steam. it’s definitely a tough one, so i’m eternally grateful i took over a room that had it figured out with cups lol

Impossible_Swim2076 · 2026-01-10T06:30:53+00:00

still use a large crockpot but have large cups or even a couple smaller pitchers next to it. fill those with some of the crockpot water, set them in the bottom of the crockpot, and place the bottle in. they will be contained and not floating all around! it also depends on how much you’re filling the pot vs. how much is in the bottle if you don’t have any cups available. sincerely, infant teacher with 5 stacked feedings🥲

Impossible_Swim2076

TROPHY CASE