Babysitter with odd demand

[ForeverDance]

We switched babysitters about a month ago. So this is the first summer that DD will be going to this one. My DD says to me yesterday that she needs a new swimsuit. I ask why and she tells me "___ says that she doesn't want kids forgetting their swimsuits so we have to leave our suit at her house. She says if we want one for at home we need to buy a new one"

I just can't understand this. I figure if DD forgets her suit then she will just have to sit out (DD is 10 and should be responsible enough to remember a bathing suit). Plus, DD just got a brand new suit and will likely need a new one by the end of summer (she grows faster than any other kid I know) So now we would have to buy 3 over the summer!

Has anyone ever heard of this before?

 

[Mono~rail]

I don't think it is that odd, and it would be easiest for everyone involved if your dd had one to leave at the sitter's house. Swimsuits aren't that expensive. We have a pool in our backyard, and all 3 of my dd's have about 6 swimsuits each.

 

[AC7179]

I would go to Walmart and just get a cheap, cheap tank suit. You can also get them at Target for about 8 dollars or so. I wouldn't do anything fancy, especially if she wasn't going to a public pool and just swimming with the other kids at the babysitter's house. Keep her nice suit for at home.

 

[dzorn]

I probably would have done this for convience even before the sitter mentioned it.

Denise in MI

 

[mvazul]

I don't find it odd, either. Most sitters/daycares ask for an extra change of clothes be left for the child in case of accidents. I can totally understand asking to have a suit left, too - especially if they are going to be swimming alot. I think it makes it easier for all involved.

Just my 2 cents - for what it's worth!

 

[guelde96]

I worked at a preschool/daycare for about 8 years. We asked parents to leave a swimsuit. On really hot days you may swim spontaneously. I do not think this is an odd request at all. She justs wants to make sure everyone is prepared.

 

[adoptionmomma4]

I also agree it is not a strange request. As a former in home day care provider, I always had parents leave an extra change of clothes and swim suit in the summer. I know it is so hard to remember everything in the morning so this has seemed to work well for us. I would hate to see the kids have to sit out, because I forgot to bring something. You could always grab an extra suit on clearance or even at once upon a child. Sounds like your daughter will have a fun summer with her sitter

 

[jessica52877]

As a former home care provider I don't find it odd either. My pet peeve was parents not leaving an extra outfit, suit in summer time. I would put my son's on them and never see the outfit again! Or atleast for a LONG time.

Even though she is old enough to be responsible for herself and if she forgets it to be her problem, it really is stressful on the caregiver. She has to listen to the kids and also worry about overheating, it gets hot here in GA and not ideal for one kid to sit out while others are swimming, she would be super sweaty super fast and possibly worst.

 

[ForeverDance]

Thanks for all the responses. I just haven't run into this before and DD has always gone to a sitter/daycare during the summer since she was 1 year old I have always made sure she took a bathing suit, towel, extra clothes, extra sunscreen, etc. every day, but I have never been asked to buy one to leave at the sitters.

The suit we just bought her was a "cheap" suit at about $18. I don't know if it's because we are in Canada or because she is so tall (4'11") and needs a larger suit but that is the cheapest we could find. Obviously the extra $30-$40 over the summer isn't going to kill us, I just wasn't expecting it.

Oh well, in the end, if it's going to make life easier for everyone, then that's all that really matters

 

[blessedby3]

Try WalMart. They always have cheap suits. I was in there the other day and noticed in the girls dept that they had them for $8.98, $10.98 and $15.98. My DD has probably 6 or 7 suits. I decided to keep walking since DD doesnt really need another one, but I never pay much for a suit.

 

[jakoky]

I do in home daycare and at the beginning of summer, i get bathing suits and towels for the kids...i send them home once a week to be washed...it has worked really well as i have no sad kids without suits on those hot summer days.....
sharon

 

[*KeepMovingForward*]

I don't find it odd, but then I keep a swimsuit at both grandma's and the ex-husband's. You can always pick up a cheapo suit at Walmart for a few bucks. Of course we always keep the kids nicest suits here at home, but I don't want them to be left out of anything in case they or myself forgets to pack it for them one day.

 

[Darcy03231]

I don't find it odd either. When my kids were in daycare we were asked to leave a change of clothes and in the summer a swimsuit and in the winter, snowpants.

 

[zoemurr]

I have always made sure she took a bathing suit, towel, extra clothes, extra sunscreen, etc. every day, but I have never been asked to buy one to leave at the sitters.

This is great.. but you have to realize that you are the exception. I taught preschool for a long time and kids were very often unprepared. And while your DD is old enough, it is not fair to punish a young child because their mom forgot their suit. We often scrambled to find clothes when someone had an accident, or didn't bring mittens because the parents forgot. (and it was always funny.. we would write "daycare" in HUGE letters across the front of the shirt, and still never get it back. What the heck were they doing with it??

 

[daisyduck123]

I don't think it's odd.

My DD & DS each have about six suits, & we even keep some at Grandma's.

We also keep a suit for each in the back of our van, along with beach towels.
They are sitting in a plastic bag...just for emergencies in case we ever need their suits.

 

[NU2WDW]

The only thing "odd" is that you learned of this thru your daughter and not from the babysitter. That would kind of irk me, esp. as it comes across as some kind of commandment (Thou Shalt Leave a Swimsuit Here At All Times). I'd ask the sitter directly and be sure your daughter had the message correct -- sometimes kids translate things differently than adults!

JMHO

 

[connie1042]

I am a daycare provider. I have a huge tote that we keep their swimsuits in. We dry them everyday and I wash them all every week. It sure beats a crying kids who forgot their suits.

 

[ThreeMusketeers]

I agree that the only thing that is weird is that you heard it from your dd, the sitter should have told you. I would have been weird about that too. I agree that keeping a suit there sounds like a good idea, but I would have been much more understanding of it had I been told by the sitter herself..
She could have said something like " If you don't mind, I think what we are going to do is have each kid leave a suit here, so we don't have any one sad that they can not swim if they forget their suit at home, would that be okay with you? We can just leave it here in______cubby and I will launder it and everything for you"

 

[meandtheguys2]

If a child forget their suit, it is really the sitter who is penalized as much as the unhappy child. KWIM. Not unusual here, either.

 

[ForeverDance]

The only thing "odd" is that you learned of this thru your daughter and not from the babysitter. That would kind of irk me, esp. as it comes across as some kind of commandment (Thou Shalt Leave a Swimsuit Here At All Times).

I have to admit that this is probably what got my back up in the first place. But my sitter is kind of a weird person (for lack of a better word). She is amazing with the kids; always kind and understanding, but pretty strict about her rules (which is fabulous for a child like DD). But I don't think she knows how to talk to adults. She often comes across as if she is talking to you like a child so I don't doubt it would have sounded like a commandment coming from her to me anyway. I really don't think she realizes what she is doing and the way it comes across.

ETA: I should probably mention that I called the sitter about 2 weeks ago to go over what DD would need at her house during the summer (like does she need to bring a lunch, snacks, etc.) since this is our first summer with her. At that time she told me she wanted DD to bring a swimsuit, towel, and change of clothes every day. At no point did she mention that I need to purchase a separate suit for her house.