The parents are polite, on time, and pay on time, too. The child shows up clean and with everything and only the things I want her to bring. Since both families I've terminated so far failed on all those counts, I feel cautious about terminating this one; I don't like the idea of ending an unpleasant situation and replacing it with another hellish one. They're friends of a friend, so this is awkward, but I guess in this business that happens all the time. Today, I caved and strapped this gigantic 10mo to my back in an Ergo, in the hopes this would satisfy her need for constant contact and maybe get her to sleep long enough to improve her mood. What I'm actually getting is the same nonstop top-of-the-lungs EEEE. EEEE. EEEE. EEEE. but six inches behind my ears, and now she can claw at me, too. The mother came by and put her down for a nap once; she covered her with a blanket after rocking her to sleep, and propped a heavy pillow against the crib mesh to create a more cave-like situation. I told the mother beforehand it was okay to come and put her down, but I can't allow unsafe napping in my day care so I don't see this being a solution unless she can get her to sleep without basically enshrouding her. How many of you have a parent come in to put a child this old to sleep?
Dear parents,
Pumpkin started care with me in mid-February. Unfortunately, Pumpkin is not settling in comfortably here. She struggles with falling asleep and staying asleep, and spends most of the day groggy and cranky. She feels the need for physical contact from me beyond what I can offer her while also caring for other children; setting her down or stepping away from her leads to long stretches of inconsolable crying. She particularly dislikes going outside and we often have to cut outdoor play short due to this, which isn't fair to the other kids. Since she has a healthy set of lungs, the other children also have difficulty napping and playing, and their mood is negatively affected.
Since she also has frequent runny green bowel movements, I wonder if a food sensitivity may be part of the problem. It's probably worth it to talk to a doctor about it.
Regardless, at this point I'm not anticipating that Pumpkin is going to adjust to my program. It may be that she'll be more comfortable with another care provider--maybe group care, where there's an assistant who could give her more individual attention.
You are paid through the end of the month and have a two-week deposit, so I'm happy to care for Pumpkin through XdateX. If she does start sleeping comfortably and seems calm and content by that time, we can re-evaluate keeping her in the program.
Dear parents,
Pumpkin started care with me in mid-February. Unfortunately, Pumpkin is not settling in comfortably here. She struggles with falling asleep and staying asleep, and spends most of the day groggy and cranky. She feels the need for physical contact from me beyond what I can offer her while also caring for other children; setting her down or stepping away from her leads to long stretches of inconsolable crying. She particularly dislikes going outside and we often have to cut outdoor play short due to this, which isn't fair to the other kids. Since she has a healthy set of lungs, the other children also have difficulty napping and playing, and their mood is negatively affected.
Since she also has frequent runny green bowel movements, I wonder if a food sensitivity may be part of the problem. It's probably worth it to talk to a doctor about it.
Regardless, at this point I'm not anticipating that Pumpkin is going to adjust to my program. It may be that she'll be more comfortable with another care provider--maybe group care, where there's an assistant who could give her more individual attention.
You are paid through the end of the month and have a two-week deposit, so I'm happy to care for Pumpkin through XdateX. If she does start sleeping comfortably and seems calm and content by that time, we can re-evaluate keeping her in the program.
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