My 2yo's daycare leaves small objects around to teach them a 'lesson'

"They said it's so the kids learn not to put choking hazards in their mouths," the Sydney mum explained.

Eleanor Katelaris

3 min read

July 10, 2023 - 3:26PM

Parenting

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It’s an undeniable fact that babies and toddlers put EVERYTHING in their mouths.

From LEGO pieces, rocks and even yes, dog sh*t, their curiosity knows no bounds. Anything they can get their hands on, goes in their mouth.

That’s why as parents, we do our best to make sure that any choking hazards are out of reach of our little ones.

That’s why one mum was left furious after she discovered her daughter’s daycare was deliberately leaving small objects around the room.

According to them, it was to “teach them not to put small things in their mouths.”

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"They do it on purpose"

Posting to the Sydney Mums Facebook Group, the anonymous mum said: “My little one is less than two-and-a-half years old and today I found that in her room (two-three-and-a-half years), they had small objects (less than a coin size). The objects were left there on purpose.”

She continued, “I told my little one to show an object to the educator and her educator said that it was okay. So, I asked the educator if that object wasn’t too small for this age and the educator said: ‘Yes, but we are teaching them to not put small things in their mouth.’”

The mum said that she appreciates that the daycare is teaching the kids that, but she doesn’t feel comfortable or safe with their methods. She then asked fellow group members if they knew of any regulations that show that small objects are not safe around kids under three, so that she can show it to the daycare.

“My little one’s childcare is very good at trying to deny negligence, so I need to write to them with documentation and support if I want something to be done.”

Image: IStock

"This is disturbing"

Fellow parents were outraged in the comments, with many agreeing that this was totally unacceptable, perhaps even illegal.

“Please change centres. That is so young and they will not just ‘learn’ how to stop putting things in their mouth. I worked in childcare and this is not a thing and never has been in any centre I have ever heard of, it sounds like she is covering up for the fact that she knows very well how dangerous they could have been and potentially FATAL for a child,” said one comment.

They added: “I would be going straight to the Department of Education and reporting that Centre to everyone and anyone you can and I would not be sending my child back there.”

A second said: “Scary stuff honestly, something bad is going to happen to a poor child there, it always does with negligent staff.”

And a third wrote: “There’s no way they can watch all the kids at all times. This is disturbing.”

"They are trained professionals"

But some had different opinions.

“If you don't like their practices withdraw your child. Not all children should miss out because you don't agree,” said one.

The mum replied, “I don’t think any child is missing out on choking risks. They can learn not to put things in their mouth with non-risky things.”

Another said: “No childcare educator wants to see a child choke, so ask to see their program. This resource should be mentioned in the program under ‘risk play’ or ‘guiding children'. If it’s listed in their program and outlined that they are specifically using this resource to encourage safe choices and appropriate play then they are doing the right thing.”

Another concluded: “While I appreciate your concern for your child, my opinion is the educators are trained professionals who are teaching all the children as part of their standard curriculum.”

“I understand your concern but my three-year-old was not putting small objects in their mouth. This learning task is fit for development,” assessed a fourth.