Can a creche do this??

[Siobhan]

I just got a call from the creche to say my son bit an older child and they don't know what room to place him in as they are afraid he will bite other kids so they are keeping him in his buggy all day and not allowing him outside to play.. Can a creche do this????

(his dad is going to collect him cause I think it is a disgrace)

[Perdita]

Seems a little OTT if they did not give you any further information. Has he bitten another child before? Do they know what might have caused him to bite? Did the other child do anything to him to provoke him? This must happen on a daily basis in creches in all countries, surely they just keep the two warring kids apart and tell the offender it is wrong to bite somebody else and then let them play but keep an eye on them. I agree with you that it is wrong to keep him in his buggy all day and not let him play, he does not understand why they do that. Hope you get it sorted.

[Siobhan]

he had a biting problem last year which I worked really really hard to stop and it started again yesterday. he bit a kid in his group so they put him in an older group.. he bit the kid today for no reason and they said they dont' know where to put him now if he is biting kids. I gave instruction from a health nurse on what has to be done with Ben but I don't think it is been followed.. I am just really annoyed that I put so much hard work into Ben behaviour and they don't help me

[sindydoll]

if a child is biting then they have the right to have that child removed! but im not sure about the buggy bit! i wouldnt be happy if my child was strapped in a buggy!

[Jojo]

Is this the first instance since last year Shiv??

The creche should be working with you - they say it was for no reason, but were the staff actively watching Ben's every move - I doubt it as no one, not even us parents can watch our children every minute of every day.

They certainly shouldn't be strapping him into the buggy all day! If they were using it as punishment for a few minutes, like what happened last year, then ok, its not so bad, but to say they were going to leave him in there all day, is downright wrong! I don't know about the legalities of it, but as a parent, if we left our child strapped into a buggy all day, what would the consequences be for us?

If Ben was persistently biting again, then I would think they would be allowed to ask for him to be removed, but I think after one incident, this is taking things very much too far.

Is there anyone you could contact to ask? Like a CAB or childcare officiate who might know?

[Siobhan]

yes.. this is the first time in a year.. he hasn't bitten anyone since we did all the work with him last year. The creche said a few weeks ago that they didn't like his behaviour (he has tantrum and kicks) so could I take him to see the health nurse. After speaking with her, she made a number of suggestions, one was the rewarding of good behaviour and to only put Ben on time out for 3 mins (supernanny tech).. they failed the first day and use the buggy whenever and for however long they think.

I have rang another creche (further away and hard to get to) to see if I could move him. Explain to them about Ben's behaviour and they are meeting with me next week to have a key worker with him for a few months. This worker will be sitting with me next week to find out what worked and what hasn't and we are getting a plan together.. I am much happier now.

[Trinity]

It seems awful to effectively use the buggy as a punishment.

This could quite easily give him a fear of buggys and cause more problems in the future.

It seems that the creche are under staffed, because surely trhis sort of thing comes up a lot? They should have a sensible strategy for dealing with it that doesn't involve restraining a toddler in a buggy for hours on end.

I wonder what the Health Service Executive (HSE) would make of this?

Behaviour management
Anyone providing a pre-school childcare service should ensure that no corporal punishment is inflicted on any child attending the service. There should be written policies and procedures are to deal with and to manage a child’s challenging behaviour and to assist the child to manage his or her behaviour

I would be asking to see their written policy...
http://www.citizensinformation.ie/ca...dcare_services

And also asking for assurance that the minimum staffing level laid out in the attached document is adhered to.

[sindydoll]

go and kick off with them big time girl

[Abigail]

I'm not sure about the legalities of it but it's morally wrong to keep a child strapped in a pushchair all day. I know biting can be serious but they should have better punishments in place than that.

Is there a reason why he has started biting again?

[Debs]

Im disgusted that theu would use the buggy as punishment and to say they would put him in it all day is wrong! I used to be a nursery nurse and if id put a chikd in their buggy even as punishment id have got a right old bollocking! But to say all day no way, id put in a complaint hun!

They should have ways of dealing with him, ways that have ben discussed with you.

Good luck with the meeting next week, hope they provide a bit more help and support for ben

xxx