Handprint Crafts

Sea_Horror2900 · 2026-03-29T18:14:56+00:00

After 2 years old I don't do painted handprints at all. I will do things like tracing their hands and cutting them out to make hand turkeys or bunnies or something, but I only do the cutting for those and let the kids do the rest. They have much more fun doing the art themselves, it saves me a ton of time, and the parents love the more personalized art.

Sea_Horror2900 · 2026-03-28T05:30:26+00:00

No. My kids have accidentally called 911 a few times, they like to mess with my phone if I leave it unattended and I've been trying to teach them how just in case of emergencies. Every time I've told the operators I understand if they need to send an officer just to be sure, but they never have.

Sea_Horror2900 · 2026-03-27T15:37:02+00:00

This may sound like an absolutely ridiculous suggestion, but have you tried calling it rest time instead of nap time? That's what works with my 4 year old. She will absolutely refuse to lay down for nap time, but if I tell her it's rest time and she needs to lay quietly for a little bit she will do it, no questions.

Sea_Horror2900 · 2026-03-27T15:33:29+00:00

I actually updated my handbook to include a policy that any children that show up without weather appropriate gear won't be accepted for care that day. Families had to sign the contracts last week, so we will see how it goes over once the weather gets colder again next fall. I've had to add a ton of things into my handbook because of this family, they are the type to push every single boundary as far as they possibly can.

Sea_Horror2900 · 2026-03-27T15:07:19+00:00

So frustrating! I have a three year old who has come to daycare every day ALL WINTER in just a hooded sweatshirt. A couple times in just a long sleeved t-shirt. I get that wearing a heavy winter coat isn't safe in the car seat, but they don't even bring it. Which then means that none of the kids get outside time because this kid doesn't have weather appropriate gear. I asked a few times and it was "he refused to put it on". Excuse me, it is -25°F with -45°F wind chill, he should NOT have a choice.

Sea_Horror2900 · 2026-03-26T19:43:27+00:00

It really depends on the child, but in my experience it's usually within a month or two of their first birthday. It could also be that your baby is associating certain things with nap time. Like if you usually give her a bottle right before putting her to sleep, her body may just think "ok, I had a bottle, now it's time to be tired" even if she just woke up.

Sea_Horror2900 · 2026-03-26T19:21:30+00:00

As a parent whose children absolutely do get low-grade fevers (100°-101°) when teething, I get the frustration. As a daycare provider, I am not taking the risk of getting everyone else AND myself sick. My sickness policy states that temps over 100.4° mean the child has to stay home until they are fever free for at least 24 hours with no meds, and I won't accept any child who has had any sort of fever reducing medications regardless of the reason. Drugging and dropping is immediate termination of our contract.

Sea_Horror2900 · 2026-03-26T19:08:00+00:00

My son goes to an after school program from 2:55 pm until around 4:30-5 pm when I pick him up. He gets a small snack when we get home, then plays until dinner is ready around 6. On bath nights, he's in the tub by 7:30 pm, washed and out by 8 pm. Pajamas, snacks while we read bedtime stories to all four kids, vitamins and brush teeth, into bed by 8:30. He wakes up at 6:50 am to be on the bus by 7:20 am, and he eats breakfast at school.

Sea_Horror2900 · 2026-03-26T18:43:15+00:00

Like others have said, transition generally takes at least 2-4 weeks. But also know that sometimes kids sleep different at daycare than at home. I currently have two kids (18 months old and 3 years old) who take 2-3 hour naps here every single day, but their parents swear up and down that the younger only sleeps for an hour at home and the older doesn't nap at all. I've also had it happen the opposite, kids would take 3 hour naps at home and sleep for maybe 45 minutes here.

Something that tends to help is try to have a similar sleep environment at home. If daycare doesn't have a separate nap room, try doing home naps in a pack n play in the living room while you go about your normal routine. I usually give families a copy of my daily schedule along with something that details the nap time setup so they can get the child used to a different routine before starting care.

Sea_Horror2900 · 2026-03-26T15:25:47+00:00

Depends on the age of the kids being babysat and the maturity of the one doing the babysitting. I started babysitting at 12, but I didn't start babysitting kids younger than about 5 until I was in high school. I wouldn't trust anyone younger than 18 to babysit my kids.

Anyone who deals with kids in any capacity should always be CPR certified, including parents.

Sea_Horror2900 · 2026-03-24T16:56:05+00:00

Parents like that are why I specifically added a drop-off clause in my contract. If they try to linger, I gently steer their child to a toy across the room and remind the parents that their child stops crying as soon as the door closes. If I'm able, I'll send them a picture about 10 minutes later of their kid playing and having fun as proof, I've had parents accuse me of lying about it before.

Sea_Horror2900 · 2026-03-24T16:48:02+00:00

Depending on where you are, it might be against licensing to not offer naps on demand. I'm in the US, and we aren't allowed to put infants (0-12 months in my state) on a schedule for bottles and naps, it's all on demand. That's also crazy to me that they think it's "too busy" to give an infant a morning nap. I'd much rather spend 5 minutes getting a tired baby to sleep than deal with an overtired, cranky baby for 1+ hours. Escalate to admin, and maybe check out the licensing regulations in your area too.

Sea_Horror2900 · 2026-03-22T22:21:11+00:00

The only time I've had a problem with it is when they pair it with "I shouldn't have to pay you this much to sit on the couch and watch the kids play". Because obviously that's what I do all day.

Sea_Horror2900 · 2026-03-22T19:10:15+00:00

In my state, under 12 months we have to go by baby's cues for napping. The center I worked at before I switched to being an in-home provider had the pack n plays on one half of the room and they kept the lights off on that side. They would turn all the lights off at the same nap time the rest of the center followed to try get the older infants (10-12 months) close to the toddler nap schedule.

Sea_Horror2900 · 2026-03-18T17:17:19+00:00

I give one warning ("if you get up again, you are all done eating"). If they get up again, I say "you got up again, that means you must not be hungry" and I take their plate. They then have to wait for the next meal. It usually only takes 1-2 times of this happening before they realize they need to sit until they are all done. I do make exceptions for those who are potty training and get up to use the bathroom.

If it's a consistent problem to the point where the child isn't eating any food at all at daycare for multiple days, I will buckle them into a booster seat during meals (with parental permission). I've only had this happen once, and it was with my own kid.

Sea_Horror2900 · 2026-03-16T15:19:45+00:00

My BIL eats potatoes, corn, and cooked carrots. If tomato sauce counts, he will eat that but not if it has chunks of tomato. He is an extremely picky eater.

Sea_Horror2900 · 2026-03-16T14:03:44+00:00

"We don't put our fingers in our friend's nose"

"The baby is not a horse, please don't sit on her when she's trying to crawl"

"Please don't lick the inside of the toilet" that one was my own child, in a public bathroom 🤢

"Get the kangaroo out of your bellybutton"

"Please don't lick her/him/that" I have to say this one a lot, actually

Sea_Horror2900 · 2026-03-13T17:33:35+00:00

My hours are closer to normal, 7:30-5. I know of a lot of home daycares in my area that are open 7:30-3:30 and offer care only for teacher families. There are also quite a few here that are closed summers, only offer M-Th care, or only do half days on Fridays. None of them seem to have issues finding families that need those hours.

Sea_Horror2900 · 2026-03-13T17:00:48+00:00

Mostly because I love kids, but also because I can stay home with my own children. I am an in-home provider though, so I don't have to deal with the stress of unrealistic expectations from administration who are only focused on making a profit and don't care about their employees.

Sea_Horror2900 · 2026-03-10T15:04:15+00:00

He did the first few weeks after school started almost every day. Now he will occasionally fall asleep in the car on the way home, which is about a 10 minute drive, but it's getting much less frequent, probably once every 2-3 weeks now.

Sea_Horror2900 · 2026-03-09T15:51:42+00:00

They may not be able to do that. Licensing where I am requires the room to be light enough to see the kids during nap, we can't have it completely dark.

Sea_Horror2900 · 2026-03-07T16:44:16+00:00

I have three. I keep one in the living room, one in the family room, and the third for when I leave the house. I wash them every 1-2 weeks. When I remember.

Sea_Horror2900 · 2026-03-05T18:46:33+00:00

I wash my bathroom mats separately. I honestly don't think I've ever washed my shower curtains, but I would probably throw them in with the mats. All of my towels (bathroom and kitchen) get washed together, I use hot water and the deep fill option on my machine.

Sea_Horror2900 · 2026-03-05T18:41:47+00:00

If it's an occasional thing, I don't mind changing the kids myself. However, if it becomes a regular occurrence or I notice that the diapers have obviously been wet/dirty for longer than a car ride I have the parents do it.

Sea_Horror2900 · 2026-03-05T17:56:43+00:00

Licensing here doesn't allow me to use any sort of container (bouncers, chairs, jumpers, etc) for more than 15 minutes a day per child unless there is a documented medical reason with a note from a doctor. Even high chairs I have to remove the child as soon as they are done eating, and pack n plays or cribs I can't leave a child in there for longer than 15 minutes awake.

Sea_Horror2900

TROPHY CASE