A Stinky Lovey-Blankie

[bright sparks]

The fact that dcm noticed it stank when she handed it to you tells you that she does not respect your home/daycare or other children.

When I first started out my first daycare family had a little girl enrolled in my care. She has a blankie that was made for a single bed. So it was large. And she constantly peed on it thru the night. Mom would bring it anyway. It stunk. I always bagged it and put it away until pick up despite dcg screaming and crying for a good 10 min or so. The next time it happened I just handed it back to mom and told her it stunk, it's unsanitary and I don't want it in my house. She looked at me like I had horns. But she never did it again. Then she started a new thing. washing it first thing in the morning and bringing it to me wet. Asked if I could throw it in my dryer. Yeah, like I'm going to waste electricity on 1 blanket.

So I stepped it up and told her she was welcome to go into my yard and hang it on the clothesline. Should be dry by naptime. She never brought it to me stinky or wet again.

Be firm!

Honestly if there was an accident at night which meant the parent had time to wash but not dry an item, I would have absolutely no problem throwing it in my dryer. If this is an occasional thing then for goodness sake have a heart. If it was a regular thing, maybe confronting the problem after one or two incidents would have cut this short. Sometimes a simple conversation deals with these things amicably rather than going around the houses because a provider is annoyed. I like to be straight and upfront. This mother the OP is talking about should have done this but what is done is done.

Moving forward it should be cut in half or a daycare only blanket should be given to the child, or god forbid just wean him off it. Pick your battles, I have way bigger things that concern me with daycare parents without blowing something like this way out of proportion. I'd really like to know how Kingstonmom got on with this situation.

[mom-in-alberta]

"Lovies" are welcome at my house, but only at naptime. And honestly, a twin size comforter being dragged from home to home seems silly to me?
But in this case, I would likely have either bagged it up and said "too bad, so sad" or (if I was in a particularly charitable mood) washed and dried it. ONE TIME. If it happened more than that, we would be having a chat about the reasonable-ness of me doing their laundry.

[nschildcare]

I agree with above except I wouldn't even wash it once. And no comforters. Blankets need to fit in their pnp or their cot.

I have a heart but I am not a maid. Parents can do their own laundry. If your child is that attached to something, doubles are a necessity.

[Dreamalittledream]

"not actually a 'blankie' but a twin sized bedspread"....wow, really??!! Dragging around a huge blanket like that everywhere??? Ewwww; can only imagine the stuff on it. *shivers*. I too am having a similar situation (normal size blankie, though); finally got this little guy not to be dragging it everywhere (only allowed at naptime); he's sick for 2 days and it's back to blankie...nooooo

[kassiemom]

I am different , I would absolutely wash it. It is the child's comfort and if it were MY child I would hope for the same from a provider if it was a one off. I wouldn't be cool with it happening all the time but once, not a big deal. I often throw the kids soiled clothes in with my laundry.