View Full Version : Advice please
I have just had a conversation with a parent who does not want their child to sit on the floor whilst eating snack. Whilst I completely agree with this, she has previously said that she finds it difficult to get her to sit in a highchair, and infact when I do it she screams the house down which is very upsetting for the other children.
Do you have any advice on how this problem can be overcome?
Also in one breath she was complaining and then asked me to have the child for longer hours - mixed signals or what.
To top it off, she has still to pay me for caring for her child, and was also early dropping off and late collecting. Somedays I just feel like packing it all in.
Rant over, thanks for listening
ps she also showed no interest in the activity we had done this morning, making cakes, and commented that she wouldnt eat them as she had made them - what signals is that sending out to her little girl?
Banana
06-02-2008, 01:40 PM
How old is the child?
I have small plastic tables and chair which the children sit at at snack and meal times... would something like this work?
If she has not paid you and this is an ongoing thing then you need to be firm. Explain you have financial commitments and no payment = no childcare]
x
Twinkles
06-02-2008, 01:41 PM
How old is the child? Could you sit her at a child sized table and chairs ? Or a low chair with a tray?
Spangles
06-02-2008, 01:42 PM
I sit them on the sofa and make them sit still! Ha ha! Soon after I get the mini-vack out! He he!
Twinkles
06-02-2008, 01:42 PM
How old is the child?
I have small plastic tables and chair which the children sit at at snack and meal times... would something like this work?
If she has not paid you and this is an ongoing thing then you need to be firm. Explain you have financial commitments and no payment = no childcare]
x
OOps posted at same time
Banana
06-02-2008, 01:45 PM
snap lol
x
this child is 16 months and has never had sitting down enforced so its me having to deal with it, and the parent complaining!
bestmum2have
06-02-2008, 01:50 PM
This child should be made to eat at some form of table. We have house rules otherwise our houses would be a total mess. And the mindees start to run the show.
Be firm stand your ground, children need to sit down to eat for their digestion, they soon learn and so do parents.
deeb66
06-02-2008, 01:53 PM
Yes I also agree they should be sitting too!
Have you tried Twinkles and Lana's idea of small table and chairs?
Yes I also agree they should be sitting too!
Have you tried Twinkles and Lana's idea of small table and chairs?
Not yet but I will try this idea and also attempt to persevere with the high chair. I also thought of writing progress reports in the girls book so the parents can add comments as well - what do you think of that idea?
bestmum2have
06-02-2008, 02:05 PM
Strapping them down in a high chair does not always work.
They have to learn to sit down for food. Even at 16 months they should be old enough to understand this.
Sit them down, if they get up take the food off them.
Sit them down again, and again until it goes in.
It will work
deeb66
06-02-2008, 02:10 PM
Not yet but I will try this idea and also attempt to persevere with the high chair. I also thought of writing progress reports in the girls book so the parents can add comments as well - what do you think of that idea?
Yes...because you and the parents do need to take a consistent approach....they need to know what you are doing and vise versa.....if you all work together you should be able to get it sorted!
manjay
06-02-2008, 02:13 PM
Do you have other children that sit at the table? If so maybe a booster chair would encourage the child to feel more involved.
One of my house rules is we sit at the table for all meals and snacks so I would stand my ground on this one
amanda xx
Mollymop
06-02-2008, 02:21 PM
The parent said she wouldn't eat the cakes as her little girl had made them?
What sort of parent would do that to her child?!
The parent said she wouldn't eat the cakes as her little girl had made them?
What sort of parent would do that to her child?!
I know I was really upset about that, I'm sure at 16 months the child has an understanding of things said.
She wasn't even joking - unfortunately!:(
Rubybubbles
06-02-2008, 02:43 PM
oh dear, how the heck has she been feeding her then:confused: , even at 9 months, the baby I look after knows to go to the booster chair when we are eating, its a big social thing too!
sad about the parents not eating the cakes:( , i Dec when my dd came out of school with all her work, another mum went great loads to fill the recycling bin with, how mean and horrid can you be:mad:
as for non payment as lana said, no payment no childcare;)
Cheeky Chops
06-02-2008, 03:27 PM
I have a 2 yr old mindee who I have sit at a mini table, she used to be really difficult at first and kept leaving, so I persevered and now she sits no probs and asks to get down and wash her hands!! (aw!) I also ask her to sit down to have her drinks, as she often randomly leaves her cup lying face down everywhere! her mum requests she drink milk all the time, so as you can imagine milk all over my couches really stinks! She knows now to sit when she is having a drink and she sits wherever she is and only gets up when she has finished having a drink. I also had another mindee fall with a drink cup in her mouth and she hurt her gums, so now sitting down is a def in my house!!!
I agree with the above posts, these are our houses and we are allowed reasonable rules, is it that the parent doesnt think your floor is clean?! perhaps talking to the parent and asking why it is a problem for the parent that she sits on the floor if you really cant get the 16mnth to sit for you. Have you tried playing a "seat game"?? like being silly and saying we sit on our chairs when we eat in a bubbly tone and maybe making a song out of it? also stickers for sitting on chairs etc etc...! If there is anything I find challenging I make a song out of it, recently I struggled cos my mindee refused to tidy up and got a million and one things out, so now we sing the tidy up song whilst tidying, it doesnt work everytime, but more times than not she will join in and try sing it too!! so it does work!! xx
fionamal
06-02-2008, 03:49 PM
I make all mine sit at their own little table. Even the 12 month old that I had sat there as well. They have to learn but should really come from the parents and not be left upto us to force it.
Any child in my house has to sit at the table for drinks and food. If they dont then they dont get.
littlestar
06-02-2008, 04:18 PM
im just catching up on this one was just thinking to myself what does she do when thry eat out or go to someones for food? im confused:eek:
just to add, apparantly she could never get her daughter to sleep, so she would take her out for a drive, wait for her to drop off and then leave her to sleep when she was in the car!:(