# Childcare safety issues - am I the only one bothered by this?



## betony707 (Feb 20, 2010)

I hope this is the right place for this - wanted a mix of people to answer.

I am *hopefully* going back to work part-time soon (interviewing tomorrow) and so am looking into childcare for my 14 mnth old. For peace of mind I am not considering home-based childcares (not to say good ones don't exist but the ones in my area are AWFUL - filth, CPS calls, etc.) and don't have relatives who are available 5 days a week at this time. We went to visit the only infant care center in town and one of my concerns was resolved - DS jumped right in with the other kids and LOVED it - but a new and more serious problem arose.
In the yard for playtime, there are a lot of small rocks that a child could easliy pull from the dirt and they are around marble size, the perfect choking size. Also the ground cover in the playground was wood chips - and my son immediately shoved a handful in his mouth while we were there. He is relentless about putting things in his mouth and very quick about it - sometimes it is hard even for me to get him in time.

I did some research and apparently wood chips are a typical ground cover even in infant/toddler environments ( I teach preschool so I knew they were popular with older children). I am baffled by this!! Most home childproofing guides list wood chips as a commonly-overlooked choking hazard. Childcare should be FREE of all preventables hazards by my way of thinking!! The last thing I need at work is to worry if my son will survive the day








And the rocks worry me a lot more - I suspect he will stop pretty quickly with those since they are sharp and unpleasant to chew.
Everyone I have spoken to about this who works in the field just says "Don't worry they will watch him". Sorry but my experience with preschoolers tells me that no matter HOW dedicated you are you are outnumbered by kids and there is no possible way to watch all of them all the time!

Anyway, I am not going to put my child in care where I don't feel comfortable, but I am at my wits end - there are only 2 more centers that accept his age and they are 20 or more minutes away. I am making myself crazy with this, and I just wondered, does anyone else share my feelings about this issue? Or do you just think I am overprotective?


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## Drummer's Wife (Jun 5, 2005)

I think (usually) when toddlers are walking and climbing well enough to be on play structures, they are past the stage of putting everything in there mouth. Generally. That's notto say there aren't 2 yr olds who still mouth many things throughout the day. I mean, do they take crawling babies out there and let them free on the rocks and dirt chips? That wouldn't be very safe, IMO. But 18 mos and up? I can see (on a smaller play structure).

I think part of is that falls from playgrounds can be dangerous, and even deadly. So, there aren't very many options to soften the blow. Rubber matting (or rubber chips) can be nice, but I imagine they are more expensive and still have the ability to cause choking - even the rubber matting can break apart.

I can see why you'd be concerned with a young-fairly-new-to-walking LO who still puts things in his mouth. Most infant rooms I am familiar with take the babies on walks or to play on blankets in the grass until they switch to toddler rooms. Would your little guy be with infants or older toddlers?


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## Latte Mama (Aug 25, 2009)

I think you should ask a lot of questions and see if their answers make you feel comfortable. Ask if your child will be in that play area and that he put wood chips in his mouth, how will they prevent that type of thing with a lot of kids to watch.


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## betony707 (Feb 20, 2010)

Yep it is a center for 0-18 months.At 18 months they switch to a facility on a completely separate property.The littlest ones are kept separate from the older children. This would be the playard my son would be in, and only a couple of the children were walking. Another thing I remembered this evening is that when I worked at preschools in the past we were told to avoid wearing sandals to work because several employess had gotten infections from getting wood chips in their shoes - something to do with whatever they are treated with I believe. Surely this can't be good for babies to be crawling around in!

Quote:

Most infant rooms I am familiar with take the babies on walks or to play on blankets in the grass until they switch to toddler rooms
This is what I would have expected - once he is closer to 18 months I think I will be a lot more comfortable with this issue - its easier to catch a fully-walking child bending down to pick something up, and I also hope he will be outgrowing this habit, and able to comprehend enough to be encouraged to stop. I need to move somewhere where I have more childcare options in driving distance!!


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## DahliaRW (Apr 16, 2005)

I've worked with infants in a daycare setting before. Trust me, the teachers watch the kids and figure out which ones are the type to put things in their mouth. And those kids are kept a closer eye on in situations where things that are potentially dangerous could go in the mouth.

Did you express your concerns to the director?


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## betony707 (Feb 20, 2010)

I haven't had the opportunity to speak to the director, although I haven't put much effort into it since I have pretty much decided against this center. While my son felt comfortable with the staff which was a big plus since he is typically quite cautious about strangers, I felt they were a bit lacking in their supervision - in fact one of the crawlers made it around the side of the building (out of site) with no one noticing. Coupled with my safety concerns I am not comfortable with that. Also they had zero reaction when my son stuffed his mouth with wood chips and I jumped up and cleared out his mouth.

But yeah, the other center I am planning to visit (which would add a chunk of time to my daily commute) also has wood chips but hopefully people who are a little more on top of things with the little guys. Not pleased, though - I just want to avoid choking hazards all together. With so many regulations on toys and equipment and everything I guess I just don't understand why there has to be ANY preventable hazards!


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## sapphire_chan (May 2, 2005)

That is ridiculous for a center that's only for 0-18 month olds. Did they use to take older kids too or something?


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## Ellien C (Aug 19, 2004)

I dunno - I'm a continuum-concept-ish kinda gal and I figured humans lived in the woods with rocks for thousands of years and most survived. I don't know that baby monkeys are out there dying of choking hazards. It's not the sort of thing that bothers me at all, but you should go with your gut.


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