Today marked my 16-month-old’s first day at daycare, and although everything seemed promising, my experience was far from satisfactory. When I went to pick him up, I witnessed a heart-wrenching scene of my child being dismissed by one of the teachers while another toddler received warm attention. I managed to capture this on video as evidence.
As I entered the room, I immediately noticed that my little one was covered in food, from his face and hands to his hair and clothes. It was disappointing to see that they hadn’t bothered to change his outfit or clean him up properly. I had sent extra clothes for this exact reason, but it seemed they hadn’t taken it into consideration. Furthermore, I learned that my child had not consumed any milk throughout the day, and when I inquired about offering him water, they admitted they had not done so.
To my surprise, all of his sippy cups were still in his bag, while the other children had theirs stored in the fridge or on their designated high chairs. It was evident that he was thirsty, as he eagerly drank 10 ounces of water on our way home, despite not being particularly fond of it.
Upon reaching the car, I discovered that he had leaked through his diaper, something that rarely happens at home. We are diligent about changing him four times a day, unless he has a bowel movement, and he has never experienced leakage before. His diaper was noticeably full, which raised concerns about how long it had been since he had been changed.
I promptly changed his diaper, but to my dismay, I realized that they hadn’t applied any diaper cream as prescribed. We have a specific cream with instructions to use it after every diaper change, yet they neglected to do so, resulting in a diaper rash—a problem he rarely encounters at home.
I voiced my concerns to the assistant director, who assured me that she would investigate the matter and take measures to prevent a recurrence. She offered profuse apologies for the inconvenience caused.
Am I overreacting? Many of my friends have their children enrolled in this daycare and haven’t encountered similar issues. However, the absence of my child’s main teacher upon my arrival raises questions. I am left contemplating this experience and seeking input from others.