Baby Daze… A few Things Every Working Parent Should Know About Child Care

After coming to the realization that our angelic baby girl had that lovely four-hour-a-day screaming condition knows as Colic, we decided it would be wise not to put her in day care. Though we loved her with all our hearts, we knew for certain that we had the kind of baby that other people kill. We’ve all heard about these types of cases on the news, and the story almost always consists of some over-worked childcare worker and a baby with colic. We were not going to take any chances.

This left us with the question of how we would make ends meet if I were staying at home. After a few months of consideration, it became clear that if I could keep my sanity while my own inconsolable child shrieked for hours on end, I could do anything! There was also an obvious need in our area for trustworthy, quality child care. The only actual day care center in our town had a name that emulated a child’s speech impediment. It may sound “cute” to some, but it does not exactly inspire confidence in the type of academics available at such a place.

And that’s how I became Ms. Leigh.

I started by hanging flyers in all the local establishments every day. Though that may sound odd, evidently the other home child care providers in my town are highly competitive, jealous thieves with plenty of time on their sticky little hands. No matter where I hung fliers, they were always gone within twenty-four hours. These providers must have believed me to be the sharing type, for they thought nothing of stealing my fliers, plagiarizing them and hanging their copied versions up in a public place where I would be certain to see them.

At any rate, a few people who needed child care did actually see my fliers in those few hours and called me. I built up my business to my own specifications rather than those of the state of Texas. In Texas, you see, a home child care provider may care for up to twelve children by him or herself. This begs the question: what loving parent would leave their child in a home with a provider who never urinated, and if the provider did urinate on occasion, what were the twelve children doing? I know few people who could maintain sanity with twelve children between the ages of six weeks and five years running about the house. One two-year-old in the same room with a child of any other age is enough to drive most folks out of their minds.

I decided to set the limit of three pre-school age children and three more school age children. I took a risk and took extended hours clients, such as the children of airline attendants and nurses. This meant that there were days I kept children for over twenty-four hours straight, but they only came two or three days a week. It actually worked out quite nicely because I rarely had more than three "borrowed" kids at any one time, and they were asleep for half of their stay!

Now I must say that I have learned quite a lot working on the business end of child care. I know what it is like to be a working parent as well as a single parent. I know what it is like to try to save money, yet to want the best for my child. Here are some good examples of I’ve learned from my experiences as a childcare provider.

Sub-Standard Wipes
Don’t you love those chepo, generic wipes? Though most of us prefer to use the hearty, thick ones at home, sometimes it’s easier to find the most dollar-friendly wipes to send to our care provider. So here’s a visual…

Your child care provider is changing your precious bundle of poo-poo. She has little Chris up on the changing table and to keep Chris safe, she always has one hand firmly holding that squirming body so that it does not go bungee jumping off the table sans the bungee cord. With the other hand your provider unfastens the diaper, moves it out from under Chris’s bum, grabs a sub-standard wipe and… Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh, gets half the poop on the sub-standard wipe and the other half on the hand holding the sub-standard wipe. Then your provider will reach that poop-covered hand back over to grab another ten substandard wipes to try to remove the remaining poop from Chris’ bum as well as from her hand. Now there is poop on your container of wipes, on no-less than eleven wipes now stacked precariously atop the afore mentioned soiled diaper, on your provider’s hand, on the changing table…

Now your provider must remove Chris from the table before she can wash the poop from her hands. This task takes two hands… yummy!

Business Hours

What would happen if you were suddenly and magically transported out of your house and into your place of business twenty minutes before you were ready to leave home? You might suddenly find yourself behind your desk with your bathrobe on and a half-eaten bagel in your hand. Wouldn’t that be fun? When we show up to drop off our kids twenty minutes early at our child care provider’s house, we shouldn’t be surprised if she meets us at the door with a bathrobe on, a half-eaten bagel in her hand and a surprised look on her face.

Sub-Standard Bottles

Just like the wipes, we are often inclined to keep the “good ones” for our own house. There is a reason that we don’t like or use the cheap bottles. It’s because there are only two kind of cheap bottles, the ones that drip everywhere and the ones that don’t drip at all. When stuck with one of the ones that drip everywhere, your child care provider will have to refill the bottle a few times before your baby is no longer hungry and then change your baby’s wet clothing. With one of the of the bottles that doesn’t drip at all, your provider will have to give her undivided attention to your baby for the next three hours while he attempts to suck the contents from the unyielding source. His suction will have to be broken every ten seconds to allow the bottle to vent so that more liquid may or may not come out. He will cry in frustration when his hunger is not being satisfied, and after the bottle has finally been drained, it will be time for another bottle.

Being On Time

In the past I have may have considered calling my own son’s provider ten minutes before I was supposed to pick my child up to ask “Do you mind if I just run to the grocery store before picking Jacob up? It’s so much easier that way!”

I then had this done too me when I became a provider. I now know that my child care provider has a life after my children. No one likes it when the boss shows up at your desk just as you’re about to shut down your computer and informs you that she will need you to stay an extra hour. Your child care provider probably has plans of dragging her own three kids to the grocery store that same evening and she’d like to get going so she can get home before midnight.

Parental Expectations

In my ongoing attempt to be the best parent I can be, I want the best for my children. I know I put plenty of time and research into finding just the right child care provider for my little ones. My provider must be gentle, loving, willing to provide a safe environment and healthy food. She must be willing to leave the television off and supply educational activities to help my little one learn basic concepts like colors, numbers, letters, and all the different animals. She must change diapers regularly, sing silly songs, tickle tummies and read the same “favorite books” over and over and over. And above all else, she must be the cheapest provider I can find after calling around for days on end.

I am no longer taking care of other people’s children, but I will certainly carry all the lessons I learned from the experience with me. I count myself very lucky to have found just the right people to watch over my little ones in the past. My salute to those still working in one of the hardest professions there is. I won't be rejoining your ranks any time soon.