Kids bringing things to daycare...

[busydaycarelady]

Mom drops off 3 year old girl as ususl. Just before mom leaves she hands kid this pail with Disney characters on it and says 'here's your special box. Have a good day'. I ask what her special box is and mom tells me 'oh, just something she got for Christmas and likes to play with'. Okay. Mom leaves and I go to the living room where kid is and the box was filled with lipgloss, lipSTICK, nail polish. Kid has smeared these things all over her face and floor. Really? You HAD to do that to me? Not impressed.

[apples and bananas]

Oh man, I'm sorry, but the image in my head is a little funny. I'm sure not funny when you found it all out.

I have kids that bring "special things" to daycare too. But, I wait until mom leaves that then the special things stay in their cubby. They can have them when mom comes back... then it becomes mom's problem.

If I were you I would hand it all to mom tonight and let her know that outside toys are no longer aloud as they become a big problem.

Some parents are so thoughtless!

[mimi]

Bringing toys and blankies is the parents crutch. They give in handing these items the kids have wined for before leaving and they relent to keep them quiet. Once they bring their haul into daycare and parents leave feeling satisfied they have made their child happy, we get to be the bad guy by holding out our hands for them to hand over their toy/blankie.
I have had a few parents like this. I have asked repeatedly for this to stop, but get told child throws a fit at home or they can not be without this toy. So why when I tell the child we will put it in their back pack for safe keeping they comply?
Seriously though bdcldy, this Mom really showed poor judgement. A stuffed toy or blankie is one thing, a bag full messy cosmetics........rea lly? Have a chat with her. Will she bring this stuff when her child starts school?

[sunnydays]

I have it right in my contract that I don't allow kids to bring toys from home. It leads to fighting as the kids almost never want to share what they have brought and then there are issues of safety (choking hazards, etc) and you have to keep track of it and worry about it getting lost or broken. I provide enough toys for them here...their own toys stay at home. Zero problems this way. My own kids know that whatever they bring into the daycare must be shared and if something isn't safe, I don't let them bring it. The daycare kids don't even know which toys are actually my kids' toys and which ones I bought for the daycare because we treat them all the same way. Most parents have not instilled this kind of sharing in their kids and I don't want to have to deal with the fights.

[daycarewhisperer]

I don't allow anything to come from home. Too dangerous, too much conflict, and takes too much staff time to supervise and return. Things from home escalate the child and add more work for me.

[playfelt]

I would take all of the stuff put it in a zip bag and up on your shelf telling child sorry you didn't play with it properly just as any other toy would do. Put pail with coat to go home. When mom comes send child home with pail only. If mom protests tell her sorry she was painting stuff she shouldn't have and I took the messy things away.

What is mom going to do besides demand them back. Mom needs to learn a lesson too. Giving the stuff back lets mom think she got away with it too. If child goes home sad and protests well mom will have learned a lesson and it will be up to her to replace the items. If child protests at daycare tell her that that mom will have to buy you new stuff to use at home. We don't play with those kinds of things at daycare. Next time - and doubt there will be a next time - mom takes item back to the car at drop off - not even leaves it in the cubby as in are not responsible in any way for it or for telling the child they can't have it.

[Lou]

I don't mind as long as the child is sharing...as soon as he/she gets possessive or it causes the slightest argument it goes away.
When kids bring small things, I tell them straight away that this needs to stay in your backpack so it doesn't get lost....and this is exactly what I would have done with this box...stuff like that wouldn't have made it past the foyer! However, a barbie, or book doesn't bother me.

When Mom comes to pick her up tell her that it needs to stay home as it caused mess and arguments and isn't really appropriate for this setting. Good luck!

[Inspired by Reggio]

Oh ya NOT COOL!

Here children are allowed to bring 'security items' for quiet time to daycare and I have regular show and share days where they can bring stuff from home to SHARE and if they cannot share it it goes in a bin in cubbie area. Parents have a list of 'absolutely no go things' and a declaration in my handbook that I cannot be responsible for anything lost, damaged or broken that is sent into program for show and share day so do not choose to send anything 'of value or sentiment' to the program.

Lipbalm falls under my 'medications and creams from home' in my handbook and must be LABELLED with the child's name, handed over to me at drop off and kept stored in the kitchen medication box until needed for use on a child and at pick up time I pass it back to them!

I agree with the others I would likely TOSS the stuff and explain to the parent sorry you were not clear in the contents of the pail and unfortunately between the time you dropped her off and I got into the livingroom she had already quickly spilled the contexts all over the floor and so I had to throw it all out because there was nail polish all over everything and unfortunately I do not have time with so many children to deal with meticulously cleaning something like that so the trash was the only alternative as it was quickest and safest to allow us to continue on with our busy day!

[littlebugsdaycare]

I have a strict no outside toys in daycare rule, the only exception is their snuggly for sleep which goes right to their beds and then back in cubby until they go home. No exceptions and my parents know this.

What that mom did was flat our rude

[Mamma_Mia]

I don't mind as long as the child is sharing...as soon as he/she gets possessive or it causes the slightest argument it goes away.

I do the same thing. If you're not willing to play nicely and share then it gets put away until the end of the day....no 2nd chances.

[gramma]

what women in their right mind would send lipgloss, lipstick and nailpolish to daycare. isnt a 3 year old too young to be using those things on her own anyway??? i had a mom years ago let their child bring chapstick in his pocket. i didnt even know he had, he must have been using it sneakily because he knew i would take it. i threw it out. at the door dcb said mom i need my chapstick and I replied, oh, was that yours? I found it on the floor and threw it out. sorry, but you shouldnt be bringing those things to daycare. im pretty sure he was eating it LOL

[Momof4]

Oh holy crap! From now on I hope you are handing things back to the Mom and announcing that it's going back in the car. That's what I do.

[Mamma_Mia]

what women in their right mind would send lipgloss, lipstick and nailpolish to daycare. isnt a 3 year old too young to be using those things on her own anyway???

My daughter is 3yrs and loves to use all the above BUT I would NOT let her touch any of it alone (only I touch it) nevermind give her a bucket full of it off to daycare!!

[Serendipity]

I have a strict no outside toys in daycare rule, the only exception is their snuggly for sleep which goes right to their beds and then back in cubby until they go home. No exceptions and my parents know this.

What that mom did was flat our rude

I do this same thing. NO toys from home. The only difference is I don't send the toys back or put it in their baskets. I consider anything brought from home a donation to daycare. It usually stops them from ever doing it.

[monkeymama]

I allow TOYS from home as I all my kids are great sharers and Ive never had a problem. They all know the rules and if they dont want to share, dont bring it or it goes away. The items that mom sent were not toys and shouldnt be shared with anyone so I wouldnt allow them. I would also have told mom at pu how inappropriate the items were for daycare setting...some parents eh?