This kid is going to be the death of me...

[Momof4]

I see several things in your post that I would like to mention but I don't want to upset you, just trying to help, ok?

A 13 month old should be on solid food and able to feed themselves. Cut the food really small and every month a little bigger. Even children this age with NO teeth can eat solid food. But they do need practice.

I don't pick up children when they cry for no reason, although I will bend down and pat their back and head and talk to them about not crying unless they are hurt. I soothe them but tell them I will pick them up and hug them AFTER they STOP crying.

If a child takes a toy that is in the hands of another child I always make them give the toy back.

If parents don't work WITH me I will not continue. I believe the child will learn and thrive and be happier and healthier if things are consistent at home and at daycare. When an issue arises I always ask the parents 'This is what I'm seeing at daycare, how do you handle it at home?" I make it clear to the parents that I want to follow their lead but we MUST be doing the same thing or it won't work.

I don't let the children walk around with their sippie cups either. Food and drink are at the table. In the hot weather I take their juice or water every where we go so they can have some on demand but inside they have to be in the dining room.

I always ask for a supply of wipes to be replenished when they are only about half gone so that I get them before I run out. It's ridiculous that they aren't sending you a new package! I pay for the wipes that we use at the table and outside (tax deduction), but there's no way I'm paying for all the wipes necessary for diaper changes. That is a part of diaper supplies that the parents must bring.

If my little ones aren't in bed by 12:30 we have a meltdown situation, but our routine is no morning naps and afternoon naps run from 12:30-2:30ish.

Can you ask your own child to keep hands off for a while until this daycare child adjusts to whatever he is going through? As Reggio said, it may be a teething phase. That can throw children off in all kinds of ways because they can't figure out why they feel so rotten.

Don't cave on any of your rules or routines. For me, routine is key and the children's bodies know how our day transitions and are ready for it breakfast, outside or inside playing/learning, lunch, circle time, nap, snack, playtime. Again, it's my opinion that children NEED routines.

[Littledragon]

I see several things in your post that I would like to mention but I don't want to upset you, just trying to help,

Oh my god, none of that made me upset. I totally agree with everything you said. I should have mentioned that I don't allow the boys to take toys away from each other. Usually, the little boy would either take it back immediately or walk away, but I would intervene and say, please share the toys. But before I can even get there, the little boy is crying. Like, my son touches him and he's crying. But then other points in the day, they hold hands and share toys. A lot of the time, I allow them to sort it out themselves. I watch the situation closely to make sure nothing is getting out of hand, but I think it's important that they learn to sort things out for themselves without always intervening.

As for what Reggio said, he IS teething. He's getting two molars, but they've been coming in for over a month now, they've popped through already. This seems excessive. Even his mom noticed today when she picked him up. He just seems genuinely unhappy. Like, he didn't even get excited when she picked him up.

Usually I don't pick them up when they're crying. Even my son - especially my son. But my son doesn't cry - he has this new fall where he basically does a summer sault, and he doesn't cry. So I think that's why I have such a hard time handling this constant crying. But the little boy comes over and he tugs like he's absolutely desperate. I let him go today, I said "that's enough. There's is no reason to be crying. Be a big boy okay?" and he just kept crying, walking around the room balling his eyes out. I ended up putting him in the lazy boy alone and he stopped crying and just watched tv for twenty minutes before nap. Mom picks him up and coddles him, and I think he's expecting the same thing from me. I thought we were past that but I guess now

[Littledragon]

Oh, and as for the food - he was eating chucks of food. LIke I would give him a half a piece of bread and he would bite pieces off. Now, he's just plain refusing to feed himself. It's so strange. Is this normal?