Poop!

[Momboss]

Ok what is with mushy/diarrhea type poop in toddlers? Shouldnt poop be firm? Im having to change clothes every day for a couple kids because their poop is so mushy it leaks out of the diaper. The parents blame too much fruit or teething. How can I politely tell parents that Im going to start being firm on my illness policy and any diarrhea will be a call home and 24hr exclusion- so to keep that in mind when choosing to feed their child certain things *eye roll*

[Pestle]

If it’s in your policy, then you don’t need to give a general warning. You just need to contact each family as the situation arises. If they protest that you haven’t done this before, just reiterate that it is in the handbook. Don’t make any arguments for enforcing your policy now or excuse for not enforcing it in the past.

If you didn’t have this policy written down somewhere that your clients should have already seen it, then just send out an email blast with everybody BCCed on it to let them know that you are clarifying your diarrhea policy.

[Pestle]

Also, check those diapers for fit. If the diaper is too small or if the kids are old enough that they should be potty trained, what they are producing may also be more than what the diapers can handle. I’ve had issues with parents trying to keep the kids in diapers too small for them in order to save money, so now I just include the cost of diapers, which I provide, in the tuition.

It’s not up to you to police what the parents are feeding the kids at home. It is up to you to police your own policies. We deal with symptoms, not root problems. You don’t need to speculate on what is causing the diarrhea, and if the parents try to brush you off by saying that it’s just the fruit, tell them that your policy is fixed and if it’s just the fruit, the kids are welcome to stay at home for as long as the fruit is giving them diarrhea.

[Sparkles]

If it's in your policies, then they really can't argue with you about it. They should look at it as you were being very generous allowing their child to stay in the past.

If you want to give a reason, I'd say something like: "Going forward, the diarrhea policy will be strictly enforced. It is unsanitary in a group setting and will not be allowed at daycare. Thank you for understanding."

[Blackcat31]

So many of these kiddos seem to have a sippy cup with milk or juice with them 24/7
The parents scramble to keep them continuously filled and either use them as a way to distract/comfort their child or they strangely believe the child absolutely NEEDS it.
Ive seen kids as old as 6/7 with sippy cups. (Not sports bottles or water bottles)

I think that contributes heavily to the entire toilet trying issue as well as poo consistency etc

[Jo123abc]

I agree!!!! Wholeheartedly! I was just about to make a poop post and still plan on it 😆 a parent in my care think their kid is constipated when they have firm poo because "that's not normal for her". It is normal for a nearly 2 year old to have firmer poo. Y'all just forget to feed her at home and pass her the cup every time she fusses 🙄 both of my dck (toddlers) come here Mon morning with "milk poo". Then throughout the week they firm up and I don't restrict anything. They eat tons of fruit and veggies. We don't do juice. We do milk 2-3xs per day and water between as needed. I only allow sips prior to nap though to avoid bed wetting.