Daycare & driving baby « Hellobee Boards

Daycare & driving baby

By littlejoy Feb 10, 2015

We are interviewing at a new daycare this Friday. It's an in-home daycare, which we are really excited about. The mom who runs it attends a LLL meeting each week, and wants to take A with her.

It took me some time to get over the fear of our nanny taking A on walks around the neighborhood -- yes, crazy mom! Can you guys talk me down? Give me some advice on how to release the reigns a bit? My mind jumps to the "what-ifs" immediately. I know this is an issue we will have to face at some point. I would buy a car seat for the daycare, and ensure she knows how to install it properly (that's basically the only peace of mind I can find right now).

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16 comments

Anagram
eggplant / 11716 posts

Feb 10, 2015

@littlejoy: it's a full daycare, in home? How many kids is she taking to this LLL meeting? Who will be supervising the kids during the meeting?

If it's just that mom, her baby, and your baby I wouldn't have a problem with it, but I have a hard time imagining someone attending a meeting with a gaggle of kids in tow.
littlejoy
pomegranate / 3375 posts

Feb 10, 2015

@Anagram: It's a daycare per state requirements. She cares for kids up to age 4, and she can only have 2 kids under 24 months at a time. On this particular day, she will only have her son and my daughter.

I haven't talked with her about the logistics of the meeting yet, so I'm unsure of those details. Right now, we are just considering if we would be comfortable with someone else driving A around town.

I also know this isn't indefinite. Her son will wean at some point, and she won't be going anymore.

But, this would also open the door to them driving to parks and other kid-friendly places in town, which is both awesome and scary.
2PeasinaPod
pomelo / 5524 posts

Feb 10, 2015

Maybe it's because I have a 2.5 year old, but I would be 100% fine with this. My BFF watched my son from 3 months until he was a year old, and I was fine with her taking him places. Gets him out of the house and some fresh air and a different atmosphere. As long as it didn't interrupt or throw off nap times, I kind of see it as a bonus.

Think about all of the possibilities - she could take the kids to the library for story time, to the park for fresh air, or even get your daughter a little more socialized if she went where other children were. I'd be all for this.
Mrs. Lion
blogger / grapefruit / 4836 posts

Feb 10, 2015

@littlejoy: I think if you can trust her enough to care for her all day long in a home setting, there's really no reason not to trust her to drive her. I would have her install the seat herself and then check behind her to make sure she installed it correctly. If you trust her otherwise and she is already driving her own child, you can be sure that she will drive just as safely as possible.
T.H.O.U.
wonderful clementine / 24134 posts

Feb 10, 2015

I think I have more concerns over how she would be handling/supervising kids out of the home (running into the street, packing food, etc) than dealing with the actual driving.

That said, I would only be comfortable with short in town non highway trips.
littlejoy
pomegranate / 3375 posts

Feb 10, 2015

@Mrs. Lion: Thank you! That's such a great way to look at it.

@2PeasinaPod: You're right! One reason we are doing a daycare now is that we want A to be around other kids. Portland has so many amazing places for kids, and getting out and about is appealing.
Torchwood
pomelo / 5607 posts

Feb 10, 2015

Maybe I don't get the worrying perspective since I don't have a baby yet, but as a nanny I always drove the kids places. It would seem much stranger to expect them to never leave the house. Granted this is a daycare, not a nanny, but if there are days there are only the 2 kids, I would want them to go out and do things.
littlejoy
pomegranate / 3375 posts

Feb 10, 2015

@Torchwood: Our current nanny isn't a mom, had no prior experience, and has a track record of weird quirks (nothing to do with LO), so we wouldn't allow driving.

There will be 4 kids on the other days, and you make a good point about the two kids. Those days, it's managable for her to get out, and it's probably refreshing for everyone.
Mrs. Lion
blogger / grapefruit / 4836 posts

Feb 10, 2015

@littlejoy: I think you could also request a copy of her driving record, if that might ease your mind a bit
T.H.O.U.
wonderful clementine / 24134 posts

Feb 10, 2015

@Mrs. Lion: @littlejoy: Yes, there is a driving record report you can ask for (I think 7 year history). They get it from the DMV. My husband had to submit one for a prior job. It was easy to get.
littlejoy
pomegranate / 3375 posts

Feb 10, 2015

@T.H.O.U.: Does the daycare provider have to give permission?
T.H.O.U.
wonderful clementine / 24134 posts

Feb 10, 2015

@littlejoy: I believe you are the only one that can request it. So my husband had to go get a copy of his own and bring it to the employer. So you would have to ask them to provide you with the one from the DMV.

http://www.dmvflorida.org/driving-records.shtml
Madison43
persimmon / 1483 posts

Feb 10, 2015

Our nanny doesn't drive LO anywhere, but we live in a walkable area, so they stroll to all of LO's activities and play dates. If we didn't, I'd be stressed about the driving, but would ultimately be ok with it. That said, am the only one that thinks it's weird she wants to take her charges on a weekly personal outing? I'm not familiar with home day cares work, but I wouldn't be comfortable with my nanny taking LO on regular personal excursion just because that's not what I'm paying her for.
LuLu Mom
GOLD / wonderful olive / 19030 posts

Feb 10, 2015

I agree with @Mrs. Lion, if you trust her with your child all day I would hope you could trust her behind the wheel with your child. She has a child, I'm sure she knows how to properly install a seat and if her child is in the car too, obviously she's going to be careful. I have no issue with this, my daughter rides with our in home provider all the time, she's her second family, I have to trust her when she spends just as many hours a day with her as she does with me.
littlejoy
pomegranate / 3375 posts

Feb 10, 2015

@LuLu Mom: I'm not sure I trust that she knows how to install every seat. Many people install seats improperly. I'm training to be a tech, and this is a big issue. But, I would be happy to be sure we both understand the seat in her car.

Otherwise, I agree. It's just hard. I can't even imagine baby being out of the house several times per week (because she's always here), but DH and I agree that we think daycare is an awesome choice for her development.
littlejoy
pomegranate / 3375 posts

Feb 11, 2015

We've decided that we are going to do a 1/2 day when she goes to her meetings. It's only once per month, so not a big deal at all. She admitted that hauling the kids around would be pretty intense, and if she couldn't promise a high standard of attention and care during the meeting, she would rather just do a 1/2 day. I really appreciated her honesty. Meeting is this Friday.

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