Day 1 childcare

[whitewriter]

So as I'm going to do early shifts and start at 07:30. So at 6am instead of patting her back to sleep after the breastfeed (her night time sleep quota is 12 hours so if we start sleeping at 8pm she won't wake up to start her day until 8am).

At 6:30 am I got up, and did some things (hung out the laundry) By 7:30 we were out the door and arrived there around 07:45

When I get there, someone helps me get in (thats fine) and I find a childcare worker sitting with about 6 kids eating brekky.

There are about 5 of which are independent with spoons and self feeding (and looking mighty adorable) and 1 (the NUM who left my mothers group FYI) who was crying so the worker was holding them.

When I arrive she wasn't expecting me, (well they don't tell you what time to come each day, or even asked me when they thought I'd be coming) and I have to hand over to her.
1. sleep
2. milk

She's stuck with all these kids and the 1 crying kid was ok to be put down, so she then took hold of Wendy - who let her be held btw - she's not great with strangers- but this lady was small an asian so I think she reminded Wendy of my mother -

and so she's there supervising all these kids and taking in this info. I'm trying to show her the expressed breastmilk in a bag and she's explaining where to store it.

Apparently she doesn't usually work with this group, but rather upstairs with the older kids.

Another worker comes in for shift and I ask them " is this where the expressed milk goes" and she said she didn't know (??) . But clarified and apparently thats the right fridge. I store the milk there and her water bottle in the water bottle trolley.

I explain Wendy doesn't drink milk from a bottle with a plastic teat but she drinks from a straw bottle, which I've labeled MILK and a second bottle i labeled WATER. She says to put the MILK straw bottle with the EBM (makes sense).

Anyways.

There isn't anywhere marked for Wendy to have her bag put. To be fair she's only there 2 days a week. Other children have photos next to their boxes. I wonder if Wendy will get one of those.

So I have to explain to the worker which bag is hers. At the last moment i got a sharpie and wrote her name on the front of the bag (el cheapo name label).

The worker lady (the Asian who is usually in another room) says okay bai! and I'm thinking oh. I budgeted a whole hour for this bai... but ok... I guess...

she had told me to call to check on Wendy in 2 hours. So I'm like Ok, I can do that. At 1030 (after Meggie drops me off from the gym) i phone and they say she's asleep. She fell asleep in the carers arms (lolol. Yeah cause I woke her up 2 hours early) and didn't have milk pre sleep. Was she meant to have milk?

I explain she usually has milk before sleeping but after is fine too.

at 11:00 I get a phone call from reception wanting to know if its okay if they give her soy formula. And I say, it is, and she has a bag with soy formula in it that I've provided (and earlier explained it to the initial worker - who unfortunately would have likely been in her actual room, and no longer with Wendy, I explain there's expressed breastmilk in the fridge and she usually has it before her nap. The receptionist explains that she will pass this message on.

I get there in at 14:30 because thats when I decided to pick her up,
and I find the EBM is still in the bag with the little tub of formula I provided (and I see the center has dairy free formula on hand actually on the bench)- but the main part is, the one in her bag I've tested she does drink it, and secondly, she has a straw bottle in the bag that clearly wasn't used for milk. Her water bottle is also, full.

So she drank nothing for the 6 hours i left her there? I'm sure they gave her food but its like... aren't you thirsty kid?

And she's not gonna drink from a nipple bottle guys.. I thought I explained that ...

One worker told me "she did alright today"

and another told me "she had a hard day".

Well everyone's first day is always going to be hard.

But I don't know how I could have handled this differently.


I modified her board. Took back the EBM. I'm planning to spend more effort on handing over tomorrow and ensure the board is correct before I leave.

I've been warned by the MIL and also Dea that Wendy may have some push back tomorrow when I try to drop her off.

I won't be surprised, especially if they tried giving her milk in a nipple bottle.

Like why do I bother giving EBM in a freezer bag if they won't make it up? (or the Chinese whispers of handed over messages doesn't make it to the worker)?

I have standards -- I work in healthcare, i know what team nursing is like (ok we don't team nurse in ICU but I have worked in a ward before).

I'm starting to wish I had put more effort into finding a childcare. There's another nearer the hospital that I know is used by other staff - but it doesn't open until 0730. The wait list fee is only $15
I wish I had thought to just put her on that wait list last year.

I had 3 staff members ask me how old Wendy is.

I find that odd. Don't they get briefed on the children?

I don't know about this place.