What are your shoe policies regarding flipflops or open-toed shoes??

I'm getting to the point where I am thinking about outlawing flipflop sandals. My dcm contantly brings all 3 of her kids in flipflops; even now when the mornings are sometimes in the 40's and 50's. First of all, their feet get FILTHY when we go outside to play, especially if we've been to the park or playground. So this means in addition to having them wash their face and hands, I'm lining them up in the bathtub to wash their feet every day. Second, they are constantly getting scrapes and scratches on their feet, and one of my dcb's got a cut on his toe that kept opening up and eventually turned almost black. It has finally healed after about two months. I haven't said anything to dcm about it b/c it's been outrageously hot this past summer, and then I thought she'd start bringing them in shoes now that the weather is nicer and cold in the mornings. Nope.

Anyone else have this problem? Or do you all have a No FlipFlop policy?

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I don't have any restriction as I haven't had any issues here...but the center I used to take my kids to had a sneaker only policy...I guess I long time ago she had a girl have a bad accident with her foot and ever since then she said no sandals at her daycare.

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I don't have a no flip-flop policy, but every center that I ever worked in did have that policy. I haven't had a problem yet, but I just started in Sept. I think it's perfectly acceptable to talk to this mom, tell her her children's feet are cold and they get too dirty for flip flops.

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The dress code section of my contracy says this about shoes:

"Shoes should be comfortable and provide adequate protection for the feet during outdoor play. Flip-flops, slip-on shoes, and open-toed sandals are prohibited as they present a safety hazard."

I have a no flip-flop policy but have never enforced it. I only had one parent who would send their child in flip-flops. The kid could barely keep them on and would trip all the time. Whenever the mom would send him in flip-flops I would just limit the activities that he could participate in while outdoors.

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I dont have a shoe policy however I strongly urge parents in every monthly newsletter to wear appropriate shoes during the summer as we go to the park and every single one of them trips when wearing flip flops. If you dont want your kid coming home with skinned knees then send them in closed toed shoes !

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I have a written no flip-flop and no open toed shoes policy. Children cannot run, jump and play comfortably OR safely in those types of shoes.

I started this several years ago when a little boy in my care injured his toes almost daily. I didn't want the responsibility for children getting hurt, so I put an end to the flip flops and sandals.

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I don't have one, but am thinking about adding now! I never thought about it before.

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I had a similar issue with dress shoes on my one dcg. She has these dainty little sparkle dress shoes that she apparently "insists" on wearing every morning. Mom asked one day if we had "enjoyed the nice weather" and I said no because so and so couldn't play with the shoes she had today. She never wore them again...

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I don't have a no flip flop rule, but I inform the parents that kids need to be in shoes that they can play in and don't fall off. I had a dcg that wore the same shoes as ddanny13's and we had the same problem. When I was working in a school district, the kids would wear flip flops to summer school. We had 3 kids in one week with toe nail injuries because they would open the door over their foot. It was so gross. I didn't have my own kids at that time, but because of that, I will never let my kids wear flip flops and I always look for closed toe sandals.

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Thanks for your input everyone! I think in January I will be raising my rates slightly so a new contract will be necessary anyway. I'll just include a policy about appropriate outdoor play shoes (no flipflops, slipons, dress shoes, or open toed shoes). I think I'll explain it's due to safety hazards, especially since the playgrounds and park we go to all have wood chips.

I don't think dcm will like it one bit. I think for her, it's just easier to have them put on flipflops since she has 3 kids under the age of 5 to get ready every morning. The kids all walk pretty well in them, but they do trip often. And when they do they are scraping their toes, and even their toe knuckles! And I really should've said something when I noticed the cut on my dcb's toe turning black. I think it was just getting super dirty, she's lucky it didn't turn into a serious infection. And I am so tired of washing feet!! LOL

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Honestly, I wouldn't wait til January to make the flip flop rule change. I'd send out a short memo now stating that due to safety reasons children need to wear appropriate shoes as of Monday and detail what appropriate means. There is no reason why mom can't put better shoes on the kids. Besides, they should be able to at least partially be able to put on their shoes to help mom in the morning.

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I require shoes that secure to feet. If the parent forgets and they wear flips or slide in sandles,.. they arent allowed to be on any climbing structure, bike, car, slide or the roller coaster. They can bounce a ball , play basket ball , do sit and spin. And you can bet that AS SOON AS MOM GETS HERE,.. THEY TELL ON ME... I stick to the rules,.. shoes must secure to feet to play on the fun toys. The next day they have the right shoes! lol

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I am sooooo writing this into my handbook for next summer.

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I allow sandals but I don't allow flip flops. I don't care so much about dirty feet, I have to clean anyway lol, but what I DO care about is a child constantly tripping and falling over their flip flops because they don't stay on properly. Last summer I had a 4 year old coming every day in flip flops where the part that goes between their toes kept coming out of the sole, so I was constantly having to fix it. It drove me BATTY! Plus, he'd be running and the sole would flip under itself so he'd trip ... It was just a bad scene. I couldn't believe it when this summer someone gave my 2 year old daughter a pair of flip flops for her birthday. Like, WTF? I hid them instantly. They are so unsafe.

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We (my family and I) all wear flip-flops year-round, maybe it's a CA thing?? (wearing some as we speak ... errr type) but then again I live in CA and the weather here in my area isn't ever really cold enough not to wear them HOWEVER for my DC I have a policy that just states how footware should be appropriate for the weather, temperature, safety etc. Nothing particular or anything so that if one child can walk in flip-flops she'd be okay but if another wears them and constantly trips then no way, or if it's raining or something. My daughter got her first pair before she could even walk and she can do back-flips and cart-wheels without loosing them or having them fly off . Dunno how she does it (she's 5) but she does.

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We also have a no flip-flops policy, but this summer it wasn't enforced. I'm not in the position to enforce the policies. Anyway, at my previous daycare I worked at we had a closed toe shoe policy, but one little girl always came with flip flops and the director never said anything to dcm about it. Well, one time we walked to the near by playground and while she was climbing the ladder to the slide, the front of her flip flop got bent under the step , with her foot still on the step, and she would have fallen off (at least a 6 foot drop) if I hadn't happened to be standing beside the ladder at that exact moment. Plus of course there was the constant trips and falls. So after that scary near-accident it bothers me really bad when children come in flip flops or slip on shoes. Besides that, when they're outside it so easy for them to just slip their flip flops off and play without anything to protect their feet (it's easier to run barefooted than with flip flops). So you have to constantly be on top of them the WHOLE time to "keep your shoes on!" You can remind them til you're blue in the face about bumble bees and other hazards, but...
SOO, an enforced NO flip flop policy is a very good idea in my opinion.

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i dunno - i wear flip flops all the time and so do my kids (until it starts getting cold) and i HATED when their old daycare made a no flip-flop policy. it's stupid. okay, i get it. you're worried their toes will get scraped. so, if their toes get scraped and i don't care - does it still matter?

when i went to open house a couple months ago at my son's new preschool, i saw some of the kids wearing flip flops and i asked the teacher if that bothered her, and she looked down at her feet - she was wearing them. she knows i'm a teacher and we were talking about it. i don't care, she doesn't care, but some people do.

it's just like clothes. some teachers get in a tizzy if a kid wears white or wears name brand clothes. why do the teachers care if the parents don't?

i say let them wear what they want to put on their child and if you're worried about their safety then send out a memo- your job is done.

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For me, QualiTcare, it doesn't matter if the parent doesn't care. It's not just about scraped toes. The boy I had was always getting his toes caught in doors.....the last time it tore part of his toenail off and bled like crazy. He was always tripping on them, which regualarly happened as he stepped up over a door threshold, AND he fell and hit his head one time tripping on his flip-flops...so hard Mom took him to the doctor and wanted me to pay the copay (which I did not, she had been told no flip-flops)

It is a liability issue.....if they are hurt in my care, it is my responsibility, and the parent, even if they said it was okay to wear flip-flops, can STILL decide to sue, or complain to licensing, etc.

I wear flip-flops. I get that they are comfortable...BUT, we are not constantly running, climbing, jumping, etc. Children need comfortable, SAFE footwear. If they want shoes off, they can come inside, take em' off and play, but outside, it's shoes.

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Yup, I see both sides to this. I'm originally from SoCal, flipflops are the norm almost year round! And my dcm is from Florida, so I'm sure that's why they always wear them.

I never did dress my own in them b/c they could not wear them right (it looked like they were scooting their feet on the ground) and they were always tripping. But I understand why parents put their own children in them if they can walk well. My own dck's walk well most of the time, but they do trip on occasion.

This doesn't bother so much... it's after they get their cuts and scrapes that bothers me. The feet are not protected, and when you scrape your toes, most of the time it's in an awkward position for a bandaid. Then it gets black with the dirt, and then infected. Like my dcb. It was black for two months despite constant cleaning!! Not to mention the accidents on the playground equipment from the soles bending backwards or coming off and causing them to slip while climbing. Hasn't happened yet, but I don't want to be responsible for such an injury!

And now it's kind of bothering me b/c it's starting to get cold. Her kids are not complaining, but their feet are like little ice cubes in the morning!

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I agree with this.

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I love to wear flip flops myself...rain or shine...I haven't ever had a parent send this kids in flip flops. I close for the summer. In the spring and fall I tell parents that shoes need to be "runnable" and with no little holes for bark chips and pebbles to get in. To be honest I really prefer sneakers. The children seem to walk better and have less debris in their shoes when they are wearing good fitting shoes....not a big fan of "crocs" on little ones either.

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I love flip flops, and it's only because of the two inches of snow on the ground that I've stopped wearing them . I have no problem with the kids wearing them either, but then, I've never had kids tripping or scraping their toes. But I do get how having kids come to daycare wearing them can be a liability issue. For things like this, would it work to get the parents to sign a waiver? As in, since I'm sending my kids in flip flops, I waive my right to sue or to any compensation if my kid gets hurt as a result of wearing them? Would that hold any legal weight if it came right down to it?

The only other thing I would suggest by way of compromise, is to get the parents to bring more appropriate footwear that can be left in the child's cubby. That way they can come and go in flip flops, but still have safe footwear for playing outside.

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In my summer letter to the parents I let them know that IF their child wants to ride scooters or bicycles they will need closed toed shoes. IF they wear open toed they will not be allowed to play on those things, it seems to help because everyone will bring both pairs for me so that they can at least have the flip flops if they play in the sprinkler. I do know how the dirty feet thing goes though, I don't have a problem as much as I used to when my daycare kids were much older thank goodness

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This is a great idea! I ask all my parents to leave a pair of sneakers in their cubbies. I don't care what they arrive in, but they have to have sneakers for playground safety. Personally, my beef is with crocs. I HATE CROCS! Those are the worst invention ever....they are so ugly and so unsafe for little ones! They are learning to perfect their balance and their coordination and when you add flip flops or sandals or crocs to the mix?!?! I get that they are easy, but safety should be more important. Wear them everywhere but playing. I remember being in elementary school and being required to have gym shoes that were not the same shoes we wore regularly. Imagine if we had showed up for gym class in crocs!?!?

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I put reminders in the summers notes. But, parents don't always abide by it. If a child comes in flip flops, they are not allowed on the climber or slides. I don't want to be liable for a child to get their foot/shoe caught on the climber and get hurt due to parent's choice. I hate those stupid crocs too. Those are just as bad as flip flops. What ever happened to a simple pair of tie shoes that actually fit the young child and stayed on their feet.

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crystal, what if they signed a waiver? i had a huge issue with this with my own kids and would have gladly signed one.

while i've seen kids trip on flip flops and scrape their toes/knees, etc., i've also seen kids do the same or worse damage wearing tennis shoes. i've seen kids scrape their knees when wearing shorts when if they'd been wearing jeans it may not have happened. why not ban shorts? i know the issue or hairclips has come up before. i think it's insane to ban hairclips bc a child MIGHT take it out of their hair or it might fall out and someone could choke on it.

when does it end?

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Qualti can I ask you something?

Have you ever done home day care? Have you ever had multiple children from different families within the ages of birth to five coming to your home and caring for them full time Monday thru Friday?

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A waiver would not make on bit of difference to licensing. Any time there is an "unusual incident" here in Ca., if a child is injured in care and has to see a doctor, I have to report it. That goes in my permanent file.

I also think a skinned knee is WAY different than broken toes, shredded flesh, etc. I look at it this way. My job is to make sure that I provide an environment that is "as safe as possible". I cannot prevent skinned knees, which is a normal part of childhood. I can prevent smashed, broken toes, which is not a normal part of childhood.

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Agreed Crystal. There's an enormous difference between a couple skinned knees and bruises and a major injury that could have been prevented by wearing proper footwear.

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What she said.

My State doesnt require us to report injuries... I don't think. I've never had an injury other than a superficial skin scrape so I don't know if the Dr's office would report or not.

The bottom line is that parents can't give permission for us to do the wrong thing. If we know the child's footwear increases the risk of injury (as Crystal outlined... not just superficial toe scrapings but the injuries that can come from the tripping such as head injury or a broken bone) than we either provide appropriate and safe footwear or we simply can't take them out.

If we have children arrive in outdoor gear that's not weather appropriate we can't say that THIS is what the parents brought so we must use it. We can't allow the parents to simply write a note and say this jacket is okay in thirty degree weather. If we KNOW it's not warm enough we chave to either provide appropriate gear or keep the kid in. We HAVE to protect the child regardless of what the parent has okayed.

I solve this by having a full stock of footwear here so no matter what the childs age or size.. I have good sturdy shoes here for them to use. I don't want to keep all the kids in and I don't want to take the risk of having a kid fall so I make sure "I" have what they need no matter what.

I don't use clogs, sandals, crocks, or floppy shoes. I only allow sturdy full feet covered shoes that fit properly. The flip flops are just ONE of the problems with footwear.... we also come across a lot of situations where the shoes are too big, too small, or too worn. I've given up trying to make sure eight kids come in the right stuff. I just have enough in my stock to make sure everything is safe every day.

The DHS doesn't care WHO provided the shoes when a child is injured because of tripping. The care about WHO allowed the child to be out and playing in those shoes at the time of the incident. If the shoes are unsafe it doesn't matter to the DHS if that's all the parent brought for them or not. Better to keep everyone in than have a skull fracture or a busted arm.

Safe, fitted, sturdy shoes are an essential element in outdoor safety. If you can't get the parents to provide that every day for every child then you have to provide it for them, refuse to allow them in if they don't have it, or keep the child from the outdoor play. Having them play in unsafe footwear isn't an option the parents can give permission to do.

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nannyde, yes, i have - along with every other setting you can imagine.

crystal, i understand what you're saying. i just think it's highly, highly unlikely that a child is going to get a broken toe from wearing flip flops. i've never seen or heard of it personally - i'm sure there are people who have, but there are also people who know of someone who got strangled by a hoodie string or choked on a button from a shirt. anything is possible, but not likely.

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a parent thinking it's okay (as MANY people do - including teachers) for kids to wear flip flops is not the WRONG thing just because YOU don't allow it.

you're stretching things just a bit. wearing flip flops which is a common thing is not the same as wearing a bikini in the snow.

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We're not saying it's the WRONG thing, we're just saying we don't allow it under our care.

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amanda, i was replying to nannyde's statement:

"The bottom line is that parents can't give permission for us to do the wrong thing."

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I'm not stretching it at all. It's one and the same.

If I believe something is dangerous for children I can't allow it. I can't allow parents to make decisions for their child in MY care that I believe are dangerous and put not only the child at risk but my business and my ability to raise MY child.

It doesn't matter if it is frost bite or hypothermia from wearing inapropriate outerwear during outdoor play in cold weather or wearing flip flops during outdoor play in warm weather... they are both dangerous and I can't allow it.

I can't allow parents to give me permission to do the WRONG thing. "I" decide what the right and wrong thing to do in my care. I don't allow parents to make decisions like this. I make them ALL.

The original poster stated:
Second, they are constantly getting scrapes and scratches on their feet, and one of my dcb's got a cut on his toe that kept opening up and eventually turned almost black. It has finally healed after about two months.

This is a perfect explanation of the risk of wearing flip flops. The risk for having cuts and scrapes and getting INFECTION in the scrapes because of the consistent exposure to dirt and sand after the cuts and scrapes. You also have a real risk of tripping because the foot is not supported with the small prong that connects the bottom of the shoe to the top. A full covering over the foot is what gives stability to the foot and allows the child the greatest chance of controlling their steps.

It's not WRONG for parents to use flip flops for kids in THEIR care. That's on them and THEY get to decide. When the child is in MY care I get to decide. It's another example in my care where I don't allow parents to make a wrong decision for the child in my care.

If a provider feels it increases the liklihood of injury and infection then she needs to make provisions for what she believes should happen with the child in her care. She may decide to allow the parents to decide. That's a decision and it's on her to take the consequences of that decision should a child be injured in her care.

This is an interesting study about the affects that children's clothing has on outdoor play in child care. As you will see both flip flops AND inappropriate winter weather gear are prominent in this study. They are one and the same... not stretching it a bit...

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2780978/

Flip flops, dress clothes, and no coat: clothing barriers to children's physical activity in child-care centers identified from a qualitative study

Two major themes about clothing were: 1) children's clothing was a barrier to children's physical activity in child-care, and 2) clothing choices were a significant source of conflict between parents and child-care providers. Inappropriate clothing items included: no coat/hat/gloves in the wintertime, flip flops or sandals, dress/expensive clothes, jewelry, and clothes that were either too loose or too tight.

Flip flops & inappropriate footwear
The next most commonly mentioned problem clothing item was inappropriate footwear, including flip flops and sandals and shoes with slippery soles. Teachers explained that these shoes did not provide adequate support for running and climbing activities. Additionally, teachers found that flip flops could come off easily when running or walking briskly.¶8 "We like them to wear gym shoes because of the activity level, you know, playing and stuff. Even in the summer, we ask them, 'Don't wear sandals and flip flops and stuff cuz they come off their feet and they're just not very safe'."9¶"When they're running, the flip flop either comes off or that foot ends up going over the top and scraping the ground."¶10 "Field trips, you know ... They don't say nothing for a while and you look back and they're crying, (we ask) 'Why are you crying?' [The child says] 'My shoe (is) way back there'."Participants also explained that flip flops did not provide adequate protection against common playground surfaces such as mulch and gravel.¶11 "They wear them in the rocks and every 2 seconds you're taking the shoes off... It hurts. It really is detrimental to the children because they can't play like they should be playing."¶12 " [Parents will] bring them in flip-flops and we have a mulch playground too and they're--the children are constantly, 'I have mulch in my shoes.' So, they're always taking their shoes off and dumping the mulch out. Five minutes later it is back in their shoes."Despite the commonly-understood problems that flip flops presented to children's physical activity, only a few teachers reported center policies restricting the use of flip flops, and usually these policies only applied to days with field trips. Many wished their centers prohibited flip flops at all times.

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umm, since you think wearing flip flops and wearing a bikini in the snow are one in the same - i really see no reason to devote much time to a response.

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Not to hijack the thread or anything but I am reminded of a little boy who was 3 years old and a BEAST. I may have talked about him...the one with the pocket knife.

Anyway he always wore cowboy boots. We had one of the Rainbow Play systems with the ladders on the sides. We nicely told mom that maybe gym shoes would be better because "Larry" seems to be always sliding his feet on the ladder.

About a week later Larry was constantly kicking all the kids. He was pretty much in time out all week. Mom had stopped asking me how his day was because she already knew the answer haha. This day she did ask and I told her that he is constantly kicking his friends with the boots since they had the pointy tip. Mom got furious at me. I was like WTH? You asked...I told you. She said quite loudly...you will NOT tell me how to dress my child! I quite firmly told her..I am NOT telling you how to dress your child. I am telling you about his day. You asked, I answered. She stormed off.

Of course the witch sent him in the cowboy boots the next day. However we had a pair of pink sandals that fit him. I made him wear them until we settled in for a movie (mom was an early drop off, late pick up parent). Larry would get mad at me but it only took a few times and he did stop kicking because he wanted to wear his boots.

Again I don't mean to hijack the thread...I just wanted to share the story

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No you said "you're stretching things just a bit. wearing flip flops which is a common thing is not the same as wearing a bikini in the snow."

I said " If we have children arrive in outdoor gear that's not weather appropriate we can't say that THIS is what the parents brought so we must use it. We can't allow the parents to simply write a note and say this jacket is okay in thirty degree weather.

I didn't make a compairson on wearing a bikini swimsuit in the snow... I said a JACKET in thirty degree weather.

BIG difference because mine could and DOES happen in real life care of children. Yours doesn't ever happen. You made up a silly compairson and then attributed to me. I never suggested that going nearly naked in the snow was the same as wearing flip flops outside. Of course having only a few ounces of clothing on a small part of your body in the snow could harm the child immediately and seriously. Flip flops are also dangerous because the child can injure toes and even trip and injure their head or bones. The chances though of a child being injured immediately and EVERY time they were put out into the snow with most of their skin uncovered is one hundred percent.

Flip flops have a lower percentage but... and here's the money shot... a REAL and concerning risk to the child and the providers business. That's why many providers deem them unsafe and do not allow children to do outdoor play in them. Just as you saw in the recent study I posted.. it is a universal concern of people who care for young children. It's enough of a concern to actually research and publish the data collected from it.

You won't see "bikini's in the snow" research cuz you just made that up.

My friend owns two large Centers with total capacity over 500 kids. She had to supply to her insurance company her clothing policies which had to include and address children's shoes. The insurance company KNOWS the risk of improper shoes for play. One of the outcomes: NO flip flops. The insurance company doesn't want to pay for the accidents on the playground and climbing equipment that they KNOW comes with flip flops.

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