Hmmm... What to do... What to do...
Friday, May 05, 2006
Here's my latest delema. I have Lilly all day, which I absolutely love, however I'm going a bit stir-crazy. I would really like to join a fitness center so that I can swim or take a class for an hour or so each day. It would be "my time" and would help me keep my sanity. There just happens to be a fantastic family-oriented fitness center up the road. They have everything you can imagine (three pools, climbing wall, tons of classes and equipment). They even have free childcare for two hours a day (1.5 for infants).
Hubby and I went for a tour a couple of days ago. Our main concern was the daycare. Here's what we learned:
* They take babies from 3 months and up.
* They do background checks on all their childcare workers
* The infant section is closed off and other children are not allowed inside (it's visable though)
* There is one worker for four infants and two if there are between 5 and 8.
* They won't change diapers.
* You can leave a note about what your baby likes.
* They will try to comfort your child if he/she cries.
* They will page you if he or she is still crying after 10 minutes of trying to console them.
Sounds pretty good, right? I feel okay about it but it seems like I should be nervious about leaving her. I don't want to put my feelings/needs before hers and wonder if my judgement is compromised because I really really want to give her to someone else for an hour and a half so I can take some time for myself. She's just very wiggly and by the late afternoon my eyes glaze over. I asked a woman whom I really trust in child-care matters and she said she wouldn't leave Lilly there for a hour.
What do you all think? Does anyone belong to a fitness center and leave their child at the child care center?
posted by Avorie @ 1:58 PM,
7 Comments:
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At 6:35 PM,
ezri.blue said...
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They won't change a diaper?! What the hell?
I'm with you though, I want to start working out again but rather than spend so much money for a gym membership, we're just going for a home gym where I can workout while my little one's sleeping.
What does Lilly think of her baby-gym, by the way? My daughter is swiftly getting tired of it (I have the same one you do, by the looks of it) even though she loves the dangly toys. -
At 7:30 PM,
Kristin said...
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Having worked in a gym with child care, I would be careful. I would get to know the employees very well before I would leave my baby in there for an hour and half (& I would never let them change a diaper, ever. I'm just that way though).
In the gyms that I trained at, there were people in there that I totaly loved & would trust them with Logan outside of the gym in our house. Then there were people in there that you could tell just needed a paycheck.
Use your Mommy instincts. If it doesn't feel right, then don't do it. I wouldn't worry about the feeling of needing your own time though, that's different. Happy mom means happy baby.
If it feels ok & you're comfortable with the people watching after Lily, I would ease her in by starting with 30 minutes of cardio for a week or so & see how she does & see how the care takers are. If everything is great, then start increasing your workout time & the both of you will be having fun. -
At 8:46 PM,
Amy said...
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I actually work in the daycare room in my local gym. Our gym differs because is very small though. All of us that work in there, get a free membership in exchange for working 2 hours a week, so its safe to say, at least for us, that we all like kids. But, what I wanted to add is that we all lavish attention on the babies. They're never left crying, and if there's a problem we can get the parent. We also don't change diapers. I would suggest possibly stopping in, maybe on a quieter morning, or finding out when the quieter mornings are, and visit in there with Lilly. I'm assuming the gym would allow that, and you could observe, plus that would give Lilly time to get used to the surroundings.
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At 1:10 PM,
Corinne said...
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I drop my son off at the church nursery for an hour on Sunday mornings. It's hard, but I know the people care for him, love him, and he's safe. I try not to worry too much about getting sick... because my sanity would simply be gone if I didn't have SOME time to myself without the little one... It sounds like this place is awesome... you just need to trust your instincts... good luck with working out... I'm just starting out too...
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At 10:50 AM,
said...
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I agree with the "trust your Mommy instincts" advice.
That includes recognizing your need to take care of yourself, though. If your instincts say "not here" about this gym, however good it looks on paper, keep looking. A lot of YMCAs have child care for X hours/day or week.
The no diaper changing policy is probably to help prevent the threat of lawsuits from people claiming that their child was molested by someone on the gym staff. (And in fact, to prevent the opportunity for predators. More applicable to older kids, but blanket rules are easier to enforce.) -
At 9:09 PM,
Isabel said...
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I can see why would be nervous. I can't imagine leaving my baby with someone else. (I need to get over this SOON, since he will be in daycare before I know it).
Is there a way you can leave her with a sitter at home? Because I feel like you really do need some time to yourself.
Notice how I didn't really give any advice? Sorry about that.
But...good luck! -
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