The parents of a baby I watch refuse to supply enough food for the baby. He is starving halfway through his next scheduled feeding. I've told his parents this a few times and they just fuss with me and demand me to keep the feeding schedule they gave me. But he cries for about 1 1/2 in between every feeding no matter what I do with him.

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Unless they are doing this for the child's medical reasons, I would feed the child more and keep it on the down low, I would probably even buy additional food (I am guessing formula or baby food), so they wouldn't notice you going through what they are providing quicker. My husband would shoot that plan to hell, but that would be my first instinct. Or you could offer the child table food at meals too if they are old enough and not say anything.

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I would not be OK with this. I personally provide formula (and infant food when they are ready). But, if the parents are providing it, I would not accept the child in the morning unless they have provided enough for the child.

There is no reason for the baby to suffer through this. And, in group care, you cannot expect the children and the DC provider to have to listen to a hungry baby cry for extended periods. Not a good situation from any point of view.

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I've told both mom and dad a few times that they need to provide me more food/formula. They won't tell me what type of formula he is on, so I can't buy more formula. He won't drink plain water. I shouldn't have to spend my money (my rates are VERY low and I don't make much money as it is) on buying their child food when they are supposed to supply it. They have plenty of money, I just don't understand why they won't supply enough food. And I don't understand why they claim that the schedule they have him on works for him when, here, it clearly does not.

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The parents claim it's enough food for him and don't understand why I claim it's not. I just don't understand why the feeding schedule they claim they have him on doesn't work for him here.

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I fully believe in feeding a baby on demand as well. Which is why I have told the parents a few times that he needs more food here. They simply refuse to provide it. I guess I will have to buy him some containers of food myself. They won't tell me what formula he's on. But I do know what type of food they buy him and which foods he's already tried. So I could buy him more baby food. The thing is that I shouldn't have to. I have demanded that they bring me more food. The parents get really irritated when I tell them they need to bring more food. I am actually at the point of being afraid of pushing it any more because I'm afraid I will lose the child simply because I want them to provide more food.

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He is probably more active and up more at daycare, it is a more stimulating environment. But it doesn't matter if that's the case or not. I would turn it around on them. If they say "I don't understand why he eats more here" reply with "I don't understand why you would risk your baby being hungry and why you don't trust the person you leave him with to tell you he his hungry. It breaks my heart to see him hungry. I will not accept him into care without ____oz of formula, for his sake". Then don't accept him without that much. You have to be firm.

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I actually address this in my handbook - that for babies the parents must provide X amount extra each day.

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Infants should be fed on demand, NOT on a schedule. I would not let them bully you. Tell them at pickup today that the child is hungry and that you will not accept him into care tomorrow unless there is enough for him to eat. Then follow through. There is no excuse for his parents to not provide enough food or formula for him.

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You may have already mentioned this but how long has the crying been going on? Are you positive this isn't just the notorious 7/8 month unhappy separation anxiety thing? 7/8 months is a super tough age, imo

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We had the exact same issue. He was 8 months and into a size 12-18 mo clothing so he was a BIG boy. She had him on a VERY rigid schedule and would flip out if it was 10 min early even! She had breast milk only and not enough. She wanted us to even cut his afternoon 5 oz bottle in half as he was throwing it up. She thought he was getting too much food. Several things happened at once and I'm not sure what made her start to feed him real food on demand. 1. I told her we had to have a drs permission to feed him less as he was already eating less than others his age let alone his size, 2. She went to her MIL's for dinner and asked if she could have a snack. MIL said no way...not even 10 min early! and 3, she went to the Dr. I think he told her that she had to feed this baby. He went from a constant screamer to a very pleasant child--he's not overweight but just a big tall boy.

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How old is this child? That is a hard situation. I would definitely have an issue. It's funny, my dc parents are always worried that there babies are gonna run out. To be honest, if this keeps up it may be grounds for dismissal! My dc kids all eat more in dc.

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I am so livid right now! I keep walking around talking out loud saying, 'I can't believe that they feed him stage 3 and people food at home yet send me runny, non-filling stage 2 and then fuss at me when I use all the food and tell them that he needs more food! They KNOW he needed more food!"

I'm just so mad right now! That poor baby has been crying out of hunger and I have had to listen to him cry for a couple of weeks now, the whole time with me arguing with his parents demanding more food for the child just to find out in the end that they KNEW they were not providing the correct food for him!!! UGGGHHH!!!

Now I am really thinking about terminating him. But, I only have two kids. I have no business terminating anyone! I did just place an ad to work on replacing him though. I can't believe they did this to him and me. Just to save a few bucks on the baby food they already bought before he moved up to stage 3. Trust me, they have plenty of money. I don't think it would bankrupt them to not 'use up' the stage 2 they bought.

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He's 7 1/2 months old. I believe they are giving him a bottle in the morning. But I don't know if they are cutting it or not.

Apparently he eats almost every type of people food. She mentioned chicken, mac and cheese and pancakes and said he eats pretty much anything. But she only sends me liquidy stage 2 foods!

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The only way you are going to fix it is to term them or DEMAND what you need or REFUSE CARE till you get it!

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If that's the case and he eats everything I would absolutely just feed him what the other kids are eating, diced up and then the bottles they send until I could term.

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I don't want to feed him anything I'm not legally allowed to feed him at his age just in case he chokes on something. But I will get him some stage 3 foods and cereal and work on replacing him.

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