I have 6 1 inch vinyl floor mats. I have two new girls whose parents want to provide their own cots http://www.walmart.com/ip/Regalo-My-...-Pink/17477071

A) they don't look wipe able, but obviously they would be single user. B) definitely not space saving, I live in a 1100 sq. ft house and my nap mats are stored somewhere these cots would not fit.

What say you? Would you give in? How would you say these won't work for you? Or am I just being ridiculous.

Thanks!

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I have nap mats, too. I would kindly thank them for being thoughtful then say all children need to be treated equal therefore all on mats, cots don't fit in the space. Not to mention if they wet the cot urine leaks to the carpet as opposed to ease of disinfecting mat & laudary cover.

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No way.

I would be afraid of entrapment if anyone got up and under that thing. I also wouldn't want it to take up space. It would fail quickly too with set up, take down, and bouncing up and down.

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I think the parents are being ridiculous.

I supply nap mats like yours. I also supply a PNP for they little ones.

I would not allow a parent to supply anything I am required to have.

If they didn't like the choice of equipment I chose to use, then I am not the right fit for them.

I would NOT be okay with a parent bringing a nap cot specifically for their child.

To me that screams "my child is special and this won't be the last request we have for you to accommodate"

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How did I forget about the trampoline effect? Cray cray

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That is exactly why I am bristling at the request. These parents have already proved to be hard to work with (would not give me holding fee for the two weeks). I think I will send her a nicely worded letter and hold my ground.

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I have two major concerns with these. One is that the cot is not water proof, so if there is an accident it will soak through to the floor which is a lot harder to clean than with sanitizer and a towel. The other thing is yes, they collapse but how well do they hold up to being set up and taken down everyday? I would worry about it giving out while the child is on it. For liability issues I'm afraid it will not work for me.



How does that sound?

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I would take out the part about two major concerns. It makes it sound like you could be persuaded otherwise since concerns can usually be addressed. I would just say: I am sorry but I do not allow things like this to be brought from home. Due to liability and sanitation issues children in my care only use the mats that I provide for naps.

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I would just say that you provide the equipment due to licensing and liability. Thank them for their understanding. No room for argument there.

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I am obviously too nice for this job lol.

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I have 2 of those types of cots. They are durable which is nice, great for camping! My policy on gear is I can supply gear or parents can provide it but it needs to stay here. But my group is small enough and my space big enough where I could pretty easily accommodate these. If they had an accident on it it would get sent home for cleaning. Really it's easier for them if they just let me provide everything
However your policies say you provide everything, stick to that! Especially if they are already giving you a hard time on other policies.

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Since I barely have enough space for the daycare stuff I have I would be honest and tell her that I don't have the space to store them, plus if there was a mess it wouldn't be able to be sprayed with the bleach water and air dried to disinfect. Here licensing requires a 2" mat and I provide them and stack them on a wire shelf to be able to have room to store them.
Yeah, like the others said, I would be afraid to give into this request for fear that they'd continue to ask for special requests.

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I actually switched to using these types of cots after using 2" mats for over 10 years and am very happy with them! I have had no problems cleaning them after the occasional accident, its never been to the point that it leaked thru to the floor - they'd have to pee a gallon for that to happen, LOL!

BUT I would not allow the parents to dictate what I use and like others said, this would just snowball into all the other differences they want for their children.

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Nope. Not unless they want to supply one for everyone.

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I also do not have room to store those. Even though they fold they still take up space and I imagine they do not stack well

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I wouldn't want the parent to provide this. IF you were going to do cots, it should be for everyone and YOU should get to pick what cots you want to use.

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I recently switched to those cots and love them. But I chose them, not the parents. And first I gave thought to the cleaning and storage issues. That's also why I provide linens--I don't want big huge sleeping bags covered in commercial characters taking over my home. If someone wanted to bring one, I'd say no. The parents of the first infant I taught brought his bed for me to use. I preferred it to the pack-and-plays I had, so I said yes. A storage nightmare, but it was worth it to me, because he slept so easily. Again--my decision. Sounds like you've given your reasons for your choices good thought. Stick with your policies.

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I have these cots and love them! Accidents have never gone through and I have been able to wash sheets and scrub cot with carpet cleaner.

But as others have said I wouldn't ever allow parents to bring in equipment. Huge liability. I think you will need to tell these parents NO a lot for a while before they are properly trained

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Hold up, they refused to give you a required holding fee?

Why are you still taking them on?

If I require something per my contract and a parent refuses, that's when I say "it's clear that my child care is not able to meet your needs. Good luck in your search"

We wouldn't even be having a cot discussion. They'd be gone.

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Their argument was that they were going to sign up earlier, but the spots filled so quickly (I got a part timer and a full timer (that was a no show)) that they couldn't when they needed to (only a few days later). So they made other plans. It is was a two week holding fee, so 100 each.

I took their deposits immediately though, so that balanced it out. Two weeks isn't that long to me, but if it were like a month or two I would definitely have turned them away.

ETA: I did tell them the cot wouldn't work and she said "No problem, thanks for considering it". So it went over smoothly.

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I would have to tell them that those cots don't meet the safety and sanitation requirements. I have never had a parent ask to provide cots/pnp. I have mats to, they get folded and stowed on top on my shelf in dc area. They work great for my limited space. I would love to know what happens when you tell them you can't use those. Good luck.
Deb

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I think it's fine for you to tell them it won't work for you. Just wanted to say I have three of these cots and we've used them for years with no trouble at all. I love them. Having said that, I agree that all the kids need to have the same which in your case is nap mats.

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