Day Care questions???

[Anonymous]

Hello all.

I’m hoping somebody here can help my sister who’s DD (4wks) appears to have reflux. She is going through all the things I did with my DD, with one big difference; I was able to be a SAHM… she cannot and is going to have to return to work soon. She is very anxious about how a day care provider will be able to handle her DD. She is breast feeding and is in that “nursing constantly” loop with her, DD is fussy all day, naps little and wants to be held all the time. She is certainly a high need little one, and my sis is sick at heart over this. Does anyone have experience with day care? What are some of the things she needs to consider? If anyone has specific recommendations for places in the Detroit metro area (Royal Oak, Ferndale, etc), please feel free to PM me.

It’s been a year since I’ve posted here. DD is now 2.5 and is reflux free!!! Off the meds since she was 1.5. I should have kept posting to support others, and feel bad about not doing so. But my older DD has been going through some horrible behavioral and emotional difficulties and my time has been so very stretched.

Thank you all for your time.

[Anonymous]

We went through this exact same dilemma with my DD. I didn’t think anyone would want to put up with her or go through all the major ordeals that we did to get her to sleep. (She had to be tightly swaddled and bounced on an exercise ball). Thankfully we came across this site and were able to get her properly medicated before we started daycare. Hopefully your sister can find the right treatment for your niece. I think it will make all the difference! Has she seen a doctor about treatment options or meds? Has she tried the total elimination diet to see if there are any milk/soy protein intolerances?

I am so glad to hear that things have improved in your household and I hope your sister’s little girl finds relief soon!

[hellbennt]

I emailed an ‘internet’ friend in detroit area & I’ll let you know if I find out anything- in the meantime: YEAH THAT to what amy wrote

[Anonymous]

I agree that the proper dose of meds and making sure intolerances are addressed (if any) would be a HUGE help!!

We are a really bad example so I hate to share our experience but I will anyway. Landen’s reflux was so bad that the daycare called every other day b/c they couldn’t handle his screaming or his screaming was disturbing other babies and he never slept and nobody could understand why. I ended up losing my job (not just any job- a job I had for 10 years). I am a sahm now and I feel like God took my job from me for a reason as I am also having some problems with my older son now that landen is better.

I hope she gets a good recommendation. I think it would have helped us maybe to be in a different daycare. There were a lot of inexperienced people handling landen, so please, take our story with a grain of salt.

1 thing that REALLY helped everyone was that we made a profile of Landen on the computer with his picture and stuff below the pic that told ALL about him. meds, eating, sleeping, likes & dislikes, etc and we printed it up and asked if we could post it on the wall of their nursery room. Many of the workers said that helped them a lot to know how to handle him, and I knew it would always be posted up on the wall where anyone could see it, so if there was a staff change, etc. they could learn about him.

HTH!

[Anonymous]

I didnt read everyone elses response.. so i am not sure if i am repeating anything..

but.. i am a daycare/preschool teacher.. and recently EVERY baby i have recieved has been a reflux baby! They all take 30 min naps.. that drive me nuts.. 😉 but it is what it is! One of them is 8 months and is now starting to nap longer.. we found out the baby sleeps best in their carseat attatched to the stroller.. so we shake the stroller when they start to wake up. So.. just letting you know we are pretty flexible with the infant age. And for meds.. we give the meds when they need them… thats not a big deal. And for feeding.. we have a bunch of moms that nurse.. but will pump and we feed them pumped breastmilk every 2.5 – 3 hours. If they only want a little.. we save it..and give it an hour later or so. A lot of moms also will send some formula.. if the breastmilk runs out. So.. i HOPE the daycare is flexible with your sister’s little one.. it shouldnt be too much of a problem.. and hopefully the baby will get on a better feeding/napping schedule from being at daycare!

[Anonymous]

I just sent my LO that is 15 weeks to daycare. She has severe protein allergies (is on Elecare) and acid reflux (is on Previcid). I agree to get her on the right track before sending her LO to daycare. I suggest she sees a Pediatriac GI Specialist ASAP to get to the bottom of the problem and get the right solution.

I looked at about 15 daycares. I chose the one I chose because it is smaller and more quaint, there arent alot of babies (only 5 including my LO) and their are 2 teachers (which is great for 5 babies), they have cameras and you can look online ANYTIME to see what is going on, they listen to what I had to say and were OK with her issues. My LO loves it there and they just adore her.

However, she did get sick the first week because I think her immune system is still weak. So, expect your LO to get sick a few times untill the build up their immune system. I almost pulled her out because of this, then I did research and it is totally normal.

Good luck.

[Anonymous]

Thank you all for replying. As far as getting the reflux under control, my sister is still trying to determine if it’s reflux, MSPI, allergy, lactose intolerance, foremilk/hindmilk imbalance, etc. She has indeed been on the elimination diet now for 2 weeks, and having accidently eaten cheese followed by an horrible day for her dd, she is beginning to suspect a milk protein intolerance, or milk allergy.

She has a doctorate in a health related field, and works with a practice of ENT’s. Since it is a small group, she has basically written her own maternity leave policy. She doesn’t get paid, but can wait up to 6 months (or so) to return, at which point she will be working only 3 days a week. Our mother will be able to watch her my niece one of those days, so day care will only be required 2 days a week.

I will pass along your common recommendation that she figure out what is going on and begin treatment of it before she goes back to work. Her main concern with nursing is the frequency and duration (and comfort) that her dd desires. But I experienced this with my dd1, who didn’t have reflux, so I’ve told her that’s common in many healthy babies. She has a good pump, and has begun pumping and introducing the bottle to her dd.

Honestly, I think what she is experiencing is what any mother would worry over when having to place their LO in daycare; one just doesn’t want to give up the most precious thing in one’s life over to someone one doesn’t know well. On top of this natural emotion of apprehension, she has the understandable concern that her fussing dd would not be comforted by someone relatively unknown to her.

Hellbent- thank you for your recommendations. Believe me, I have been teaching her how to wear her dd. I’ve given her a Moby, a MT, a pouch and RS from my own stash and have shown her how to use them. She’s a bit reluctant, as she has expressed her concern about getting dd used to being worn, then having her in daycare where she wouldn’t be.

Anyway, thanks for all your support!

[hellbennt]

these babies are smart! they ‘know’ that each person does things differently! daddy gets them to sleep one way, the babysitter another, grandma another way still, etc…so, WEAR THAT BABY

also: http://www.kellymom.com is an excellent breastfeeding resource- there’s even a milk calculator to figure out how much expressed milk to give

http://www.kellymom.com/bf/pumping/milkcalc.html#calculator

also:

great resources for moms breastfeeding allergy babies on the LLLI website:
http://forums.llli.org/forumdisplay.php?f=37

breastfeeding a reflux baby: post w/ link to shelby’s breastfeeding blurb & Paula’s breastfeeding 2 MSPI refluxers: https://www.infantreflux.org/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=10173&PID=87204#87204

[Anonymous]

Oh, Laura is so right! It is so funny. This is my first (and last probably) baby and I was saying to my husband how weird it was how she likes him to hold her one way (and he gets her to sleep WAyyyyyyyy faster then me for some reason), me another, my Aunt another, etc…

My LO seriously hates all the carriers I have tried and I have tried like 5 different ones. She likes your arms and isnt havin anything else. I don’t know the whole you can’t spoil an infant thing, I think my baby is definitely spoiled. Everyone keeps telling me she is – but I don’t care, cause what if she is sick and screaming because of that? Imagine being sick and someone just not minding to you and leaving you there crying in pain? Plus, I really believe all this love and hard work will pay off.

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