A Battle I Chose To Fight...Even If You Don't

[MsMe]

I do not allow outside toys into the daycare. We have plenty of toys here and all they do is cause fights, get lost, and are sometime toys (like power rangers) that I do not allow.

It used to be parents would bring them in and say 'Well this is the only way I could get little Johnny out of the house today. You have to pick your battles! haha" I would say " So true!! This is one I chose to fight so the toy will have to stay in the bag." Little Johnny would fuss a little the first few days but once he knew I was serious and I was NOT going to let him bring that cool Black Power Ranger in he cooled off.

I now have a 'take home' basket that sits by the front door. Toys from home go in the basket and get taken home at the end of the night. I now have at least two boys everyday who being in a small toy (action figure, hotwheels, ect.) with out a word deposit the toy in the basket and go on with their day.

Things get left over night if I don't remind the parent or kids to take them home (hey! I am thinking about 10-14 kids you only have 1 to worry about!) or I have one little boy that will take the basket down and pull everything out even if he doesnt have a toy in it that day. All while the mother stands there watching me telling him 'no' and watch me while I help him clean it up!

It hasnt annoyed me to the point of getting rid of the basket, it is just one of the annoyances of 'lazy parenting' I want to say "I promise you your day would start much smother if you did not have to search the house for the perfect toy to take to daycare that is going to sit is an basket all day." Yes the parents know they toys are not allowed and are not played with.

[cheerfuldom]

That does sound very annoying. I have a similar problem with loveys out the wazoo! Everything stays in their bags or diaper bags until the end of the day because I am not about to let almost 2 year olds and older drag around and fight about blankets and stuffed animals all day.

[AmandasFCC]

Personally, I wouldn't bother with the basket. I would have the child hand the toy to Mom to take him immediately, rather than in the basket. That's what I do currently, or used to do, because I also don't allow toys from home. My families are aware of this and are very respectful of that policy.

[Childminder]

It's right in my policy; no toys, sippies, bottles from home. If they are brought through my door I will consider them a donation to my daycare.

[TBird]

It's in my policy so I don't say a word. More toys for the daycare!!!

[missnikki]

I just tell them 'Thank you so much for the toy donation! The kids really love it!" in a singsong voice.

[Unregistered]

I hand it back to the parent that dropped off. They know no toys at daycare. Now they tuck them into their carseat before they get out and leave them until daycare is over.

I did have one boy continually sneak in a small (chokable, chewed on, foam) batman toy and finally one day when we were about to go on a walk and he pulled it out to tease other kids with it I threw it away. He was super mad when mom picked up- she didnt know it was bc of batman being in the garbage can. I never mentioned it to mom (I had repeatedly told her not to allow him to bring toys in his pockets) and he never brought another toy to daycare again. Probably mean but effective.

[MarinaVanessa]

I don't have a "do not bring toys" policy anymore because the success of that rule was equal to that of the hands free cell phone driving law or like the war on drugs. It was just not going to happen.

I simply changed it to a "if you bring it, I'm not responsible for it" and "if you bring it and johny doesn't want to share it goes into his cubby" policy. I don't even bother to remind the parents about the toys and if the cubby gets full I stick everything into a plastic grocery bag and once a month or so I send everything home. If johny wails because his ever so precious limited edition glow in the dark talking 1st edition robotron has been left at my daycare for a month and he can't play with it when he gets home (or better yet returns home in 47 pieces) oh well, lesson learned. Keep your toys at YOUR house.

I do however enjoy the occasional "where's little johny's {enter name of most awesomest toy ever here}? He brought it this morning" to which I enjoy responding with "oh yes, that thing. Well it could be in any of the 7 toy bins that I have in here, or it could be in the dramatic play area somewhere under all of that stuff, and I did find it behind the couch once today so you may want to check there too ... oh I really hope he didn't leave it outside. I've already let the dogs out in the yard today for their excercise and gunner does seem to like finding and demolishing my forgotten daycare toys. You're more than welcome to look out there too.". You brought it, you find it.

[Kaddidle Care]

This is "the rules don't apply to me" generation and they are teaching it to their children. We're all doomed.

[nannyde]

I have the no toys rule and have one hundred percent compliance on it every day.

They battle it out in the driveway and I'm none the wiser

What happens at home stays at home (and so do your toys)

[MsMe]

I don't have a "do not bring toys" policy anymore because the success of that rule was equal to that of the hands free cell phone driving law or like the war on drugs. It was just not going to happen.

I simply changed it to a "if you bring it, I'm not responsible for it" and "if you bring it and johny doesn't want to share it goes into his cubby" policy. I don't even bother to remind the parents about the toys and if the cubby gets full I stick everything into a plastic grocery bag and once a month or so I send everything home. If johny wails because his ever so precious limited edition glow in the dark talking 1st edition robotron has been left at my daycare for a month and he can't play with it when he gets home (or better yet returns home in 47 pieces) oh well, lesson learned. Keep your toys at YOUR house.

I do however enjoy the occasional "where's little johny's {enter name of most awesomest toy ever here}? He brought it this morning" to which I enjoy responding with "oh yes, that thing. Well it could be in any of the 7 toy bins that I have in here, or it could be in the dramatic play area somewhere under all of that stuff, and I did find it behind the couch once today so you may want to check there too ... oh I really hope he didn't leave it outside. I've already let the dogs out in the yard today for their excercise and gunner does seem to like finding and demolishing my forgotten daycare toys. You're more than welcome to look out there too.". You brought it, you find it.

this is sorta how it has become here too. I do not go looking for toys a 5:15 and the parents know this. They tell their children that they should have kept track of it and that they will have to look the next day......then they go making a fuss all the way to the car. This is perfect example of how the parents chould have a better day. if they had made the kid leave it in the car in the first place the child may be -dare I say-*excited* about going to the car?

[Meyou]

I let them bring their toys but I don't have a large group with 15 kids. They have to put them away if they don't share and I don't look for anything either. Lots of toys go into the playroom buckets and never go home. The parents are pretty good about not making a fuss about lost or broken toys.

[MaryPoppins]

I let them bring their toys but I don't have a large group with 15 kids. They have to put them away if they don't share and I don't look for anything either. Lots of toys go into the playroom buckets and never go home. The parents are pretty good about not making a fuss about lost or broken toys.

That's how they get rid of the toys they don't care for....take it to daycare and who cares if it doesn't come home!::

[Evansmom]

I have a no toy from home policy too. Sometimes they bring them anyway and I just put them up, no explainations.

One teacher I knew had a strict no toys from home policy. IF toys did get through her door she put them in the "MAY box". And she said, "MAYbe you'll get them back in May when school is out and MAYbe you won't". ::

[nannyde]

I have a no toy from home policy too. Sometimes they bring them anyway and I just put them up, no explainations.

One teacher I knew had a strict no toys from home policy. IF toys did get through her door she put them in the "MAY box". And she said, "MAYbe you'll get them back in May when school is out and MAYbe you won't". ::

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