Picky parent keeps picking

I have a infant parent, who on numerous occasions has pointed out small items on my floor during drop off. I understand the concern, I really do; however, once was during breakfast as my 3 children ate breakfast, a piece of apple fell on the floor, once was a toy my child was playing with and once was a half fingernail size paper crayon wrapper.
The latest concern is rocks in my driveway and whether or not the child puts them in the mouth. While I understand the choking hazard, I allow children to explore the outside for hours a day.
Does anyone have any suggestions on what to say or do for the parent to stop with the constant critiquing of what the child could mouth? I don't want to come off rudely but this is becoming constant and irritating.

Hi, I do understand. Many parents obviously fear for what can happen specially chocking hazards. And reasure them that their concern is valid and reasonable but at certain point they and you will have to let child grow and explore (all in a supervised environment) oh I forgot ask, how old is their child?

Quote:

---

my 3 children ate breakfast, a piece of apple fell on the floor, once was a toy my child was playing with and once was a half fingernail size paper crayon wrapper.
The latest concern is rocks in my driveway and whether or not the child puts them in the mouth.*

---

All these are reasonable concerns if their child is very young I. E. A crawler.

Food for example, the child would recognize it an eat (even if it was mouthed before)

Crayons also hard to digest but also a big chocking hazard, doesn't matter the size. (Specially if the baby or child doesn't have a complete set of theet)

Rocks on drive way, it depends but if he is a crawler he will definitely taste some before his brain recognizes that it is not food. But, the reasurance to those parents should be that , you are there 100% supervising all those explorations.

I have kids in my group with different allergies so, I keep absolutely clear and sanitized the eating areas. Art tools slso all in one spot the older kids also know how the place should look. Basically floors clear. Usually they're very good cleaning the areas but I always double check. We do a lot nature explorations I focus on all of them but extra eyes on the littlest ones, they learn very quick.

I have trained the other ones on how to avoid food, even if it looks really good (severe allergies i carry epipens).

The only problem I find is on how unsensitive some people is (I'm sad to say this but I have seen slso caregivers doing it). They visit playgroups or public areas and they do not clear their left overs or food left on the floors. I keep constantly calling their sttention that children might either chock or it can slso cause an allergic reaction.

I think they are reasonable concerns especially if in areas where the client's infant child can access.

I think there is a responsibility around the specific items she's raised with you although of course there will always be something that poses a choking risk.

In terms of the food, I clean up dropped food before children leave the table. From a hygiene point of view, there's always one child who will pick up dropped food and eat it when it's fallen from the mouth of someone else. So spills are cleaned up, under table swept, surface wiped along with hands and faces before the children get down and transfer food through the house on their feet.

The crayons - Did you not have craft supplies away from regular toys?

Rocks on drive - Why would an infant be playing on the driveway even with supervision? It's a high risk location if a driver decides to use your drive to turn around and they are unlikely to spot an infant crawling around on the drive.

I do think parents should be able to expect due diligence and there's a responsibility on use to ensure our environments are suitable for all the ages of children we accept.

Thank you for your response. Yes these are all understandable.

Suzie_Homemaker - thanks for your response.
1, Literally children were eating at the table at this happened.
2, I mentioned crayon wrappers not crayons.
3, Never once said the child was playing on the driveway.
Thanks for your unnecessary assumptions.

Dear Jars,

It seems you've taken our suggestions in an offensive way. And I apologize for that.

Unfortunately, when we deal with the public in a daily basis due to their concerns and observations, it
makes us want to step up in our services and validate those concerns and improve and grow our business in a positive manner.

Due to all unfortunate incidents that happened in the past today we live in a world that we need to take extra steps and caution measures to avoid any of those incidents reocurring. Specially when we are caring for other people's children.

My personal solutions for your original problem would be.

1. Reasure the parents that their child is in a capable hands
2. The child is 100% supervised. If your own children still in an stage of messy eating then probably place a table cloth under their chairs so it gets picked up right away or sweped. Place a high chair so the parent has the reasurance that his child won't be walking or crawling while your own children eat. You can also create a space or room that is just for your own children's use. Ex. A table in a corner in their rooms or somewhere else (where the daycare children don't have access) that way all gets controlled (small toys, foods, crayons wrappers etc)

3. I think there is a huge miss understanding when we refer to "homedaycare" many of us fall under the misconception that it meas bringing and caring children in a home as it is or as it normally functions a "family setting", unfortunately my experience is different. My family and I had to transform and compromise and create a "safe environment and child proof the whole house".

If a small concern was raised it was taken care right away and I would find the best solutions to tackle that. I became extra cautios I would probably say even more so than when I was raising my own child.

I'm sorry you have to deal with the concerts of these parent but, take it in a positive way specially when it is for the safety of the children.

And I would obviously say no one with a common sense would allow a child to play on the driveway but, I had children picking up little rocks and keeping them in their pockets (so, I always check their pockets before they go for their nap). Children at any age have attraction for collecting and exploring rocks. It doesn't matter where they get them but they do love to keep them.

I would say maybe that's the parent assumption. That children can easy mouth it or keep it etc.

Anyway, those parents are fortunate to have you there to keep their child safe while they work.