Rainy day play

Do you take kids outside to play when it's raining? What if they don't have a rain coat?

It's raining here today, and probably will be for the next 2 days, and already this morning the kids are driving me nuts. One of them showed up today in a hoodie, mom says they don't know if they'll get a jacket before the end of the week. I'm not looking forward to being exclusively indoors for the rest of the week.

I'm going to search through my kids stuff to see if they have anything that would work, but I feel like I won't find anything.

If it were you, would you bring them out anyway?

I guess it depends on how hard it is raining. If it's just a teeny bit then it might be ok, but even with just a little rain I still think that his hoodie will get wet and then he will get cold...I would try reinforcing your dress code to prevent situations like this. I know it's annoying to have to remind parents etc. but when it starts to affect your day and your ability to take the kids out, something needs to be said and if that doesn't work, maybe even not allow the child to attend daycare until they show up with what they need.

The main reason we don't play when it's raining is because the yard just gets too muddy. A typically stick to walks when the weather is like this.

I don't normally go out if even just one child isn't dressed appropriately. I'm sure I have on occasion but I try not too. It totally sucks but I don't feel that punishing the child who would get wet/cold etc is fair. I immediately ask for appropriate clothing though and it's often a reminder in my monthly newsletters. It's not fair to the other children either but one day inside every now and then won't harm them as much as the child who would suffer from the rain, snow,cold.

It's a gloomy day here today. They have been playing for over an hour in the dark with the tents and glow sticks. It's my go to activity when it's darker outside! I have 2 out 4 who didn't bring splash pants today....

Yeah the mud doesn't bother me at all, they all have rain boots and I supply splash pants. Part of my annoyance is from that - i supply a portion of the clothes they need, I feel like they should be able to do the rest.

I'm going to run to the second hand store tonight to see if I can find a cheap waterproof jacket to have in these cases.

If we go out I'll keep it short to avoid him getting totally soaked. And have extra clothes ready for him when we get in.

If you provide the clothes then what's the incentive for the parent to make sure the child is dressed appropriately? That's just license for the parent not to buy the jacket. What you do is say " we are going outside tomorrow even if its raining please make sure she has appropriate outdoor wear or I'm sorry but I won't be able to accept her into care" and when the parent calls your bluff and walks in tomorrow without a rain jacket then turn her away .

If they won't have a rain coat by the weekend tell mom to send extra sweaters to change him out of the wet ones. Does he not have a spring jacket of any sort? Most should be less absorbent than a hoodie! If it isn't too cold then I'd have no problem taking them out, even for 101-5minutes in the rain with one child not dressed properly. Just make sure they can be in dry clothes once you get inside. If it is still near freezing, obviously I wouldn't subject the child to the rain until he is properly dressed.

We go out all the time, in all weather. I stress this in interviews and in my contract and policies. It is the parents responsibility to ensure that their child is dressed appropriately.

If a child arrives without proper gear, I will call them and it needs to be dropped off or child needs to be picked up. Yes, I've done this. Multiple times to one set of parents. No one has termed or complained (to my face, lol). They signed on knowing that the outdoors is a BIG part of my program.

If going outside is important to you, make sure your parents understand that and are willing to put the effort into clothing their kids properly.

I don't mind having extras of certain things. The parents are well aware that we go outside every day, especially in the summer. If spending $10 will allow me to do that without sending the kid back home at drop off, I'm willing to do it. Plus it's be nice to have extras for the other kids of they forget or one if my kid's jackets get muddy.

However, if it were to become habitual or I felt like they were relying on it, it would be time to start sending them away at the door.

Thanks for the advice!

Why don't they have raincoats? My daycare parents are told from day one that children should always arrive at daycare ready to play outside. Winter coats & boots, raincoats & boots, sunhats & sunglasses in the summer, their splashpants stay here year round on their pegs, so the only thing that keeps us indoors is lightning or extreme hot/cold.

Your guess is as good as mine momof4. This family has weird ideas on dressing for the weather. For example, they dress him head to toe in the winter even when he's just going from house to car, but last fall I had to tell them when it got cold that two hoodies wasn't sufficient.