I will justify the 1 star for the fact that I believe Sabrina and Michelle are genuinely nice people who do like children. They REALLY need to have fewer children, no infants, and refresh themselves on the current research on child development. For brevity's sake I'll just mention the biggest issues:
They do not have the ability to devote the time and attention required for an infant, period. My child came home with *caked* spit up and milk on her face/clothes, and cheeks scratched from crying fits. Which means that she was being fed without being burped, and/or laid down too soon after feeding, as well as being left to cry. My daughter would be exhausted from crying, hungry and usually wet when she came home. My child rarely cries at home, but after her first day, I received texts daily that my child was crying and needed to be left to "cry it out" at home because she was crying an abnormal amount and was, according to Sabrina, manipulating her caretakers into holding her.
I'm not from the "cry it out" generation, and I'm also pretty up to date on current child development research, another reason why it blows my mind that someone would think it appropriate to leave a 1.5 month old to cry. So I was bit offended at her suggesting my child was manipulative/spoiled. I also felt it was unprofessional that, when I went to pick her up, Sabrina jokingly suggested my child could "learn a thing or two" from another infant in her care who required less attention. But as a FTM, I checked myself and spoke to other moms, childcare workers, and even a friend w/a psychology background, which confirmed that it was inappropriate to employ CIO method with such a young infant. Newborns don't have the memory or cognitive capacity to consciously recognize that crying = being held, nor can they remember that the last time they cried, they were held. They simply feel a need, instinctively cry, and once that need is met, they stop. And one of their needs is touch/comfort. Some babies need it more than others, especially when they are exposed to unfamiliar people, routines and environments. I know that day care workers and even parents cannot hold their children all the time--but the narrative that an infant is just being a glutton for attention, verses perceiving a legitimate need, is just about as outdated as you can get, and less than I would expect from someone who schedules no less than 4 days off a year for "professional development."
Speaking of days off, she schedules about 4 weeks off total a year, 2 of which are full straight weeks that don't fall on actual holidays. This is not including her sick days or potential bad weather days. On top of everything, she basically charges per hour--she advertises a price that only covers 8 hours. So if you work f/t, you will pay more than the price advertised.
I feel bad that my daughter even spent a week there. I still remember the look in her eyes the last day I dropped her off there, it makes me sad, still. I pay only $20 more at a new daycare and receive infinitely superior care. The staff were surprised to learn she was considered "fussy" at another daycare. My baby comes home clean, happy and with a full tummy. I also receive a daily log, which provides a level of comfort and assurance sorely missing during my home day care experience at Kiddie Shack. read more
