Hellobee Boards

@T.H.O.U.: I see your point. I also remember one daycare I toured where it seemed they used the bouncers as baby-sitters and the kids were in them for way too long each day. I think it could be a good thing.

That being said, it was nice to walk in some days and see my daughter in a lap and another child being bounced by the same teacher (or v/v).

I'd ask if they were planning on getting new ones (maybe they are re-doing the place and want new, fresh items? Maybe you could even offer to donate one if they are planning on getting some "at some point".

No idea but my kids go to a co-op and I have to volunteer with my baby and there is also only the crib to put him down. It is annoying because he needs to be upright after eating. I would definitely complain if this were his regular daycare.

Our older was in a daycare that really used "seats" for kiddos. Our current daycare prefers not to. They have one exersaucer and two bouncy seats in the two infant rooms (total). Our second daughter walked three months earlier and crawled earlier too. I think it's more than coincidental.

I think we have state laws where I live against bouncers in daycares because there's a risk of just keeping a kid in there all day long or leaving a child unattended. My old daycare didn't even use high chairs or seats and fed children sitting on the floor! Not having these things is supposed to make the caretakers more engaged and the ratios should be low enough where they can do that.

I think I'd be thrilled assuming they actually help the teachers learn new ways to keep the babies happy. We used them sparingly but some days with a crabby baby it was a lifesaver.

Our infant room is just carpeting and mats- no bouncers, swings, boppys etc. It's really to help them be independent and play on their own.

I can understand why the daycare would want to have rules against overuse. We didn't make much use of baby holders at home (except for a sparsely used RNP) but we used the Boppy and tummy time mat loads, so they should definitely have more than 1 of those! I will say that my son loved boogying in the Jumperoo at daycare and I'd be a little bummed for him if they didn't have something like that for a little playtime.

Both my kids have gone through the same infant room and they've never had bouncers or swings or high chairs. For the floor, they have a large playmat, a crib mattress, some blankets to lay out, and lots of boppies. I've been able to nurse my daughter this year in her classroom, so I've been lucky to see how the room works and I think it's great. The teachers are always on the floor. They're incredible! They can cradle a small baby to feed him, have another young one in a boppy next to them, another sitting supported against their legs, and still engage with the mobile babies crawling around. I think the change helps teachers engage more with the kids (and, wow! I had no idea how many uses there were for a boppy!)

@T.H.O.U.: so it sounds like it doesn't look like a comfortable room anymore. I'd definitely suggest more mats if the carpet is yucky.

I'm pretty sure our daycare isn't even allowed swings and bouncers. Having said that, im in Canada so the licensing rules are probably different and generally babies are closer to 1 year when they go to daycare. But even with younger babies you're not allowed those things. I don't think it would bother me but I've never been in that position.

I specifically looked for infant rooms without all that stuff. We follow a more RIE method where baby gets lots of freedom of movement, which means floor time. I also think swings and baby containers can get overused a lot!

Neither daycare my LO has gone to had any kind of baby "container." This was important to me. They had soft rugs and little mats as well as Boppy loungers for babies to lie on. If they fell asleep, they were instantly put in the crib. I think this is much safer and allows babe to explore the environment more.