Oh, a day in daycare.
These are a few of the things I have learned from working in a daycare for over a year.
1. You may become "mother hen" without even having children of your own.
Some call it "momma bear," but when you work at a daycare you adopt this motherly trait early on. You know you have the mother hen trait when a baby rolls over for the first time and you act like Ellen just gave you a car; or when a toddler goes potty in the potty and you get so excited that everyone in the room has to know.
2. Changing diapers becomes muscle memory.
Some see diaper changing as revolting. However, when working at a daycare this task has been memorized by your muscles. Open the diaper and wipes before hand, clean the baby, replace with diaper cream and a new diaper, and then clean baby.
3. The feeling you get when a parent loves you.
This feeling makes your job worthwhile. These parents trust you with their most prized possession, so when they make it known that they appreciate you. That makes you feel great.
4. Helicopter parents are scary.
They seem scary at first because they are so particular about the care of their children, but in reality, these parents have good reason to feel this way. They make it so much better when they appreciate you.
5. Working at a daycare does NOT mean you sit around.
You do anything but sit around all day. You are changing diapers and pull-ups and cleaning EVERYTHING. Then, you are going to be chasing 2-year-olds around the room, making sure they don't get on top of the tables, of course. You WILL NOT be sitting around all day. Sometimes you sit during nap time but it is usually on the floor while patting a toddler to sleep.
6. The cleaning.
Oh, the cleaning. Sometimes I joke in saying that we who work at daycares clean more than they take care of babies. During the winter this is true, cleaning is what is protecting these infants and children from becoming sick because when you're that small becoming sick is a disaster.
7. The things you never dreamed of are now normal.
Burping babies, checking temperatures, making sure everyone is breathing during nap time, making sure bottles aren't too hot. This and so much more are everyday things.
8. Somethings about babies are almost a science.
Changing diapers and not getting peed on. Giving a baby gas drops, without them spitting it back out.
9. Daycare work is not for everyone.
Nap time turns into screaming time, low wages, blowouts, and projectile vomit. Those are just a few of the things that come with working in a daycare and that's why the job is not for everyone. It takes a special heart.
10. Knowing good baby supplies from bad.
At only 18 I know that Huggies diapers leak and a good diaper cream is necessary. Working with these kids and all the different products you quickly figure out what you are going to use for you kids one day.
Despite everything that I go through working at daycare, I would not replace it with anything.
I love my job.
