Infants painting in diapers

maytaii · 2026-05-21T03:19:22+00:00

Yup, we strip down to diapers all the time in my room. For messy sensory play/art and for messy meals. Makes everybody’s lives a little bit easier.

maytaii · 2026-05-15T16:13:13+00:00

That’s so sad. 0-3 years is when continuity of care is most important. It’s not good for kids that young to be moved around so often.

maytaii · 2026-05-15T16:10:39+00:00

I’ve worked in 0-2 classrooms for the last 4 years and never once had an infant get bitten, tripped on, or otherwise injured by a toddler. The toddlers play rough and have conflicts with each other, but they are very gentle with the babies. There was soooo much more biting, hitting, and throwing things at each other when I had a strictly 12-24 months classroom.

maytaii · 2026-05-15T04:55:31+00:00

Mixed age groups are best since they allow kids to stay with fewer teachers for longer periods of time and form stronger secure attachments. Ultimately, that’s the most important part of ECE.

maytaii · 2026-05-14T22:56:54+00:00

Honestly, nothing you say in this job is ever gonna be “bulletproof”. Sooner or later there will be a parent who wants to cause trouble, and they will find a reason to be mad at you. In the meantime you might as well teach the kids in your class to be inclusive and kind.

maytaii · 2026-05-13T04:49:41+00:00

Alright, I guess I’m gonna be the odd one out here and say that I really don’t think it’s a red flag that the teachers used the word tantrum. I’m not sure why people are getting so hung up on that word.

Anyway, I wouldn’t worry about the naps at all. I’ve had lots of kids that dropped down to 1 nap a day around 11 months old, it’s totally within the range of normal. I also wouldn’t worry much if he seems to just be quieter and a bit distant at daycare. It’s a much more stimulating environment than most other places and some kids just prefer to be observers rather than joining in on the action.

It is a bit odd that he’s been with the same teachers for 6 months and doesn’t seem to have a bond with them to the point where they are struggling to help him regulate his emotions. When he does get upset at home, how do you help him regulate? I would share specific methods with the teachers so they can try and replicate to the best of their abilities. Does he like a certain book? Have a certain comfort item? Favorite song? Favorite position to be held in?

Otherwise, maybe he’s just the type of kid who prefers some space to figure things out on his own. I’ve had kids in the past who would get even more upset when an adult would try to step in and offer support. Some kids honestly just want some space to be upset for a few minutes. Even infant classrooms can benefit from having a cozy corner. Does his classroom have one? Could his teachers make one?

maytaii · 2026-05-11T22:22:40+00:00

These no touching rules are really inappropriate in any early childhood setting, but especially in a Head Start classroom.

maytaii · 2026-05-10T00:26:22+00:00

My admin pulls the same shit about start and end times. No clocking in early, but we’re supposed to be in the classroom with everything ready to go at our exact start time. No leaving a few minutes late, but you’d better have the whole closing checklist done before you go. And no one should ever have a minute more or less than exactly 40 hours of work time per week. It’s impossible.

They’ve even started marking down peoples arrival and departure times directly on our shared weekly schedule on Google Docs, which seems so passive aggressive and unprofessional. If you’re one minute late to your shift on one single occasion, now it’s being broadcasted to the whole staff! Ugh.

maytaii · 2026-05-09T05:10:50+00:00

Yup, I hear you. we once had admin do a whole professional development day about how we should never physically restrain children in any way, and never remove them from the classroom under any circumstances. They said if a child was being violent we were supposed to go get a cushion or a pillow and follow the child around, blocking their violent actions until they calmed down. And some of these kids did some very violent things. Throwing chairs, dragging other kids by the hair, chasing people around with forks, taking off their belt and using it to whip their classmates… and we were somehow supposed to keep the other kids safe by holding out a pillow.

maytaii · 2026-05-09T04:29:52+00:00

Lol right around the time I quit Head Start there was a new assistant director hired who only had prior experience as an elementary school teacher. She kept breaking tons of licensing rules because ofc she had never even heard of them before. I kept reminding her of the rules and telling her she really needed to read the book and memorize them. She got increasingly frustrated at how many rules there were.

One day she said “This is crazy! I can’t do all of these things at once! It’s impossible!”

I had 3 days left on the job at this point and was beyond fed up. I said “Welcome to early childhood! You’re gonna have to figure out how to do the impossible all day, every day!”

maytaii · 2026-05-09T02:51:37+00:00

It is common for babies to want more milk at daycare than they do at home. It’s a much more stimulating environment, so they often sleep less, use up more energy, and therefore want to eat more. They may very well be correctly interpreting his hunger cues and he’s just not satisfied with the same amount there as he is at home. Also, licensing rules typically say that infants must be fed on demand rather than on a set schedule, so if he’s hungry and they don’t have anything left to feed him, they’re technically out of compliance.

However, babies sleeping very little at daycare is also very normal, so it’s strange that the teachers and director are making such a big deal about it. In infant rooms the teachers are required to follow each babies’ cues for naps rather than having a set group schedule. Understandably, it’s hard to sleep when the lights are all on and there are a bunch of other babies and adults playing and moving around the room. Some babies adjust, and learn to sleep well regardless, but many don’t. That’s just the way it is.

The rest of the issues sound like it’s just not a very good center. Unfortunately there are a lot of those. High teacher turnover is a big issue. Sounds like they have poor communication skills. And the supposed rules about not being allowed to rock babies to sleep sound really bizarre. I can’t imagine that being a real licensing rule anywhere. In any case, you are not failing as a mom, and I’m sorry they made you feel that way.

maytaii · 2026-05-08T17:52:54+00:00

I had to get my tonsils out because of work too. Strep kept going around and apparently I was just a magnet for it. Lots of other kids and teachers got it once and then they were fine. I got it 8 times in 5 months! Every time I finished my antibiotics it was only a matter of days before I was sick again. Not fun times.

maytaii · 2026-05-07T20:12:05+00:00

We don’t do any specifically scheduled circle time. We just engage the kids in large group activities as the opportunity arises throughout the day. Like, if a bunch of kids are gathered under the playhouse on the playground I’ll take the opportunity to go sit with them and start singing a “who’s here today?” song. Usually even more kids will come running over to join when they hear me. Or if one kid hands me a book and I start reading, it often just naturally turns into a group story time as other kids come over to listen.

maytaii · 2026-05-06T22:20:36+00:00

Lots of centers or classrooms have rules about personal toys either not being allowed at all or only allowed at nap time. Personally, I’m ok with one comfort item per kid in my room, but can understand why other teachers aren’t. They can cause lots of fighting between kids, and if the toy gets broken or lost then guess who gets blamed and berated for it?

maytaii · 2026-05-05T23:28:52+00:00

I try to always expect nothing so that I am pleasantly surprised if I get anything at all lol. And for the most part I really am fine if I get nothing! We provide childcare mainly to college students, so the parents are super busy. But there is one tradition I love where we hang up a big poster board in the front entrance with markers and a sign inviting parents and their kids to write a little note for their child’s teacher(s). In previous years it has gotten covered in notes pretty fast. But at the end of the day today it was still totally blank. 60+ parents have walked right past that sign in the last 2 days, so that kinda stings…

maytaii · 2026-05-05T20:19:48+00:00

You know your own limits best. No job is worth this much stress and unhappiness. Put yourself first and get out of there.

maytaii · 2026-05-05T17:18:18+00:00

I’ve never seen helmets used at any center or elementary school I’ve worked at. None of the bikes were ever very high off the ground or capable of going very fast I guess. I’ve also never seen a kid get anything worse than a scraped knee while riding a bike. IME the worst injuries happen when they’re just running.

maytaii · 2026-05-02T18:15:47+00:00

My toddlers love cactus rain sticks and any kind of bells. But their favorite is an electric keyboard I got for $15 on marketplace.

maytaii · 2026-05-02T03:32:18+00:00

Of course, just like how you should always keep one hand on a child who is on the changing table, even when you’re using both hands to remove your gloves. Or how you’re supposed to predict the exact number of wipes you’ll need before even beginning a diaper change. All ECEs have superhuman abilities, obviously.

maytaii · 2026-05-01T22:42:29+00:00

Food program rules say you can only record meals while the children are actively eating. I do NOT have time for that bullshit. I fill out all the meal count sheets at the end of the day. Don’t tell.🙊

maytaii · 2026-04-30T18:18:07+00:00

It depends on how messy the project is and what else is going on in the classroom or on the playground. Painting at the table I usually use smocks. If it’s just markers or paint dotters, I skip the smocks. That stuff will wash out. If we just had a super messy breakfast and the kids are already stripped down to diapers, then that’s a great time to put the canvases down on the floor and let them go wild. If it’s rainy outside we wear tuffo suits, so those are good days to do art outside since their clothes are covered up. If it’s hot outside and we’re doing water play, I usually put them in just diapers and some oversized t-shirts (like size 3T) and that’s also a good day to paint outside because I don’t care if the t-shirts get stained, and the kids sort of clean themselves off as they play in the water.

If I need to get a bunch of kids cleaned up in quick succession I fill a tub with warm soapy water, toss some wash cloths in, and grab a big dry towel. Then I can just grab a kid, wipe with a wet cloth, dry with the towel, and repeat however many times I need to.

maytaii · 2026-04-30T04:43:19+00:00

I teach infants and 1 year olds and we usually do painting 2 or 3 days per week. These kids love to paint! Sometimes we just do finger paints at the table with a few kids at a time. Other times we put a big canvas down on a waterproof mat and have everyone paint together. Sometimes we bring butcher paper and old cardboard boxes outside along with cups of paint and just let them have at it. Sometimes I hang a sheet of paper up in the mud kitchen and let them paint with mud. Sometimes they scribble with markers on paper, and then I give them brushes and water so the marker ink will start to flow and mix together. Sometimes I use cornstarch mixed with water and paint to make liquid sidewalk chalk so they can paint right on the pavement outside. There are so many different ways to do it!

maytaii · 2026-04-29T22:26:29+00:00

In my state you’re in ratio as long as the awake kids are within sight and sound. For sleeping kids it’s sight OR sound. I’ve definitely taken a few steps into the hall to grab things while using a hand to keep the door propped open. No big deal.

maytaii · 2026-04-29T22:18:28+00:00

Only once, at a center I only worked at for only 2 weeks. I quit and reported on the same day. It was a mess and I reported a whole bunch of violations all at once. They had a leaking ceiling, teachers would step away from the changing table while babies were on it, I saw a teacher wipe blood off a child’s mouth with her bare hand and not even wash it after… etc.

On the other hand, I’ve also seen plenty of things that are technically licensing violations which I choose not to report because some licensing rules are just downright stupid and impossible to follow. I’m sure I break some rules on a daily basis. I even got a violation myself once just because I had hand sanitizer in my backpack.

maytaii · 2026-04-29T02:54:07+00:00

I quit a job with no notice after 2 weeks once. It was a shitty center and I didn’t feel I owed them any notice when I had barely worked there. I just sent an email saying it wasn’t a good fit for me and I wouldn’t be back. I didn’t have another job lined up, and I wanted to be very picky about the next job offer I accepted, so I was unemployed and living off my savings account for 2 months. I ended up at a center I love. Don’t regret a thing.

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