Gym Daycare Etiquette--Help me out here!!

thistimeismytime

Ok I want your honest opinions but be nice please I joined a gym a few weeks ago, and I've been going faithfully and putting my 3-year old boy in the daycare. All is well, except one minor annoyance, and I'm wondering if it's just me. I work out HARD when I go-usually about 1 1/2 hours, and when I go pick my boy up, I'm ready to GO, and so is he! Here's the annoyance--the daycare worker wants us to pick up all the toys before we leave, even though there are always several other kids playing in there. I'm a stay-at-home mom, and I pick up toys ALL DAY LONG. My son is usually whining and begging to go home, so I end up picking up the toys myself. I'm paying extra for this daycare, is it asking too much that she pick up after the kids she's being PAID to care for??

tamaradarlene

My gym usually just sends the kiddos out to us when they see us come and that's it. I think it's odd that they do that. I don't have any issues with making my kids help pick up, but if other kids are still playing...does it really make any sense?? Not sure how I feel about this. I guess I never really thought about it!

JessWolf1002

There's no way in hell I would pick up toys or make my children do it. That's their job and what they get paid to do!!

bahacca

I'd find that odd as well. I've used gym daycare and never had to have my kids pick up toys.

thistimeismytime

Let me just clarify that I think it's VERY important to teach kids to pick up their own toys, and I do this at home ALL the time It's just that I'm kinda sweating buckets by the end of my workout, and my son is missing me and ready to go home. I don't know, it's just annoying

thistimeismytime

Lol!

sweet110

Since you pay for it...no. You shouldn't have to do it. And I'll bet you a (virtual) dollar that only the conscientious moms and dads do it...probably not all of them! If they're your toys, you pick them up. If they are the gym's toys, you shouldn't have too.

This sounds suspiciously like one of those "made-up rule" things that the workers made up. I'd ask the management to clarify and, if true, explain the policy.

That's like cafes that want you to bus your own table. I confess that I *do* it. Yes, I do. Because that's become the culture, and I'm not out to make waves. But if someone told me I *had* too? I'd tell them where to go. I just spent 4 dollars for coffee, and you are *demanding* that I bus my own table? Um, no.

nwhitley

I could see why this is annoying to you because you are ready to go, but..... I completely understand why she would want your child to put away the toys. To me (I'm a teacher so I might be biased ), if you take something out, you put it away. It doesn't matter whether someone is getting paid or you are paying or not. This is common courtesy. Same as trying on clothes in a dressing room. You don't just take them off, throw them down, and leave them there. Since you are a SAHM, you probably haven't experienced daycares. They generally have the same policies. Children clean up what they take out, even if other children are still playing. The children put away the majority of the toys, not being played with before they go. Just common courtesy. The gym daycare is being paid to supervise and monitor your child not clean up toys your child took out.

dandur

Tell them that if you're going to do their job for them then you should at least get a discount on your membership.

candiigraham

No, not all the toys. When I pick up my daughter she puts away what she is playing with at that time. Think about it (using the dressing room as an example). Do you put away all the clothes from all the dressing rooms or just the one you were in. Sometimes there are 15 kids (max) in the room, I be darned if I subject my 4 year old to pick up all the toys. Time to talk with management.

brittbergh

The only thing with my gym daycare is that my daughter has to leave the cool ring she loves so much there and not take it home! Never once have they even suggested to pick up and I don't think i would even if they suggested it. Moms who put their kids in daycare don't have to pick up when the pick them up or kids in school...the moms don't have to pick the toys up there!
Especially if there are other kids playing still...that's just dumb IMHO!

Ya I wouldn't be picking up toys!

rebeccawalker1982

I used to work at a day care (not at a gym)(12 months – 24 months) and if the parents came during the middle of the day to pick them up then no I didn’t make the kids pick up the toys before they left because I still have anywhere from 8-15 kids at any given time. Now when it was getting close to closing time, I would start making a game out of picking up toys and putting some of them up out of the way so there wasn’t such a big mess for me to clean.

I do understand that they are just trying to teach them to pick their own toys they are playing with but I also understand that you are wanting to get out of there. I would say maybe try to come to a compromise. Whatever toy your child has at that moment that you walk in, they put that toy away. Your kid should not have to clean the whole room if there are other kids still there playing and if it is closing time for the daycare then the teacher should start putting stuff up out of reach from the kids.

kensky

Another ECE teacher piping up: Your child should put away the toys that s/he took out. Ideally, the daycare worker should be having the children put back toys as they are done with them so it is not just a toy-strewn mess. It would raise my eyebrows if a worker was asking my child/me to put away the bulk of the toys if my child was not the one responsible for scattering them about. If my child was responsible for a particular mess, then I would want my child to put the things back that s/he got out. I consider that part of the workers job, to foster "prosocial behavior" aka "we clean our own messes".

stephelan

I'm with the other people in here who are teachers, haha! I'm sorry that you just want to get out of there but, as a teacher of preschoolers, I definitely approve of the woman asking your child to pick up after himself. Even just to put him through the motions, it sends a good message for one and for two, it makes things easier for them if everyone does their part just a little bit. If I asked a child to pick up the toys that they used and the parent did not back me up on it and actually went against what I said, I'd probably be upset.

And like someone else said: "The gym daycare is being paid to supervise and monitor your child not clean up toys your child took out."

JustTracyB

I send my kids to the daycare at my gym as well. My son started going when he was 3 and not in school full time. The workers in the kids club room are all grown woman during the day. They really don't get paid as great as they should for as many children they take care of and clean up after. I have never been told that I or my children HAVE to pick up. I'm the one that tells my children they have to pick up before they leave! I am soaking wet and ready to go home, but I have seen the parents of the kids that tear into everything and don't bother cleaning up or having their kids clean up. I can see how tough it is for that one person running the room to get every kids mess cleaned up. My kids must put away what they are playing with if no one else is playing with it. They at the very least need to pick up just one item and put it away if they haven't already. That's my rule. They aren't the greatest at picking up at home (they are 5 and 7 now), and whine and complain about it every day, but when they are at the gym, they pick up everything without question anymore. Its common courtesy on both sides. :-) Just my 2 cents (or a bit more. lol)

grapenutSF

I understand your frustration & eagerness to go home, but I vote for what the teachers are saying, and I'm not a teacher. Just a mom. I think it's reasonable to ask the kids to pick up after themselves, even if they feel ready to go home. I agree that caretakers are there to care for and supervise your kiddos whilst you work out, not clean up. Just my vote.

jessicamckay13

I ask my kids (3 and 5 years) to put away the toys that they have been playing with. They know it is expected of them and that the quicker they clean up, the quicker they get home to have their snack. The daycare worker doesn't "require" it but I think it's the right thing to do.

Our gym daycare is free and the third time I left the kids there one ended up in the ER getting stitches. The gym daycare worker as well as the gym manager handled the situation really well and I have been impressed every since.

Now...if only I could get them to clean up at home....

EuroDriver12

thats redicilous!! its like you working out and once ur done you have to mop the floors and take the garbage out while others are working out... its the GYMS responsibility!! ur paying for a service!!!

our gym you sign ur kid in... he plays, has fun, goes home...

only thing that annoys me sometimes which their getting better at now.. is dipers.. when its full i ask them to just let me know over intercom so i can change my son so he doesnt get diaper rash n walk around with a dirty one on... but for the longest time they wouldnt do it until my son god a diaper rash so bad that it was bleeding and i literally b*tched them out... now they call me over everytime :P

TheVulcanLover

I am laughing at those saying the daycare worker is being paid to pick up toys. LOL.

Would you expect your child's preschool teacher to pick up his toys?

At 3, a child should be in the habit of and have a parent/adult reminding them to clean up what they have played with. That is a very important part of the learning process. Do you just let your 3 year old scatter toys about all day and then pick them up for him/her?

Do you really think the minimum wage that gym daycare worker is making is enough money to watch, entertain and supervise your child AND have to clean up after them all? Oh boy.

EuroDriver12

I am laughing at those saying the daycare worker is being paid to pick up toys. LOL.

Would you expect your child's preschool teacher to pick up his toys?

At 3, a child should be in the habit of and have a parent/adult reminding them to clean up what they have played with. That is a very important part of the learning process. Do you just let your 3 year old scatter toys about all day and then pick them up for him/her?

Do you really think the minimum wage that gym daycare worker is making is enough money to watch, entertain and supervise your child AND have to clean up after them all? Oh boy.

if my kid is the last to leave maybe... but if theres 5 kids in the day care and all of them playing with toys why in the effin world would i make my boy put all the toys away??? all the kids were playing with them and their just going to pull the right out after he puts them away.. its pointless, waist of time, and daycare isnt cheap in the gym...

ninerbuff

Lol, I agree with having them put the toys away. Once these kids grow up, they end up being adults in the gym who don't put THEIR WEIGHTS and BOSU BALLS and MATS and RESISTANCE BANDS and STEPS away after using them on the gym floor. And in the contracts we ask gym members do it. Habits are created at young ages...................

A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

TheVulcanLover

I am laughing at those saying the daycare worker is being paid to pick up toys. LOL.

Would you expect your child's preschool teacher to pick up his toys?

At 3, a child should be in the habit of and have a parent/adult reminding them to clean up what they have played with. That is a very important part of the learning process. Do you just let your 3 year old scatter toys about all day and then pick them up for him/her?

Do you really think the minimum wage that gym daycare worker is making is enough money to watch, entertain and supervise your child AND have to clean up after them all? Oh boy.

if my kid is the last to leave maybe... but if theres 5 kids in the day care and all of them playing with toys why in the effin world would i make my boy put all the toys away??? all the kids were playing with them and their just going to pull the right out after he puts them away.. its pointless, waist of time, and daycare isnt cheap in the gym...

Well, if the gym daycare is properly set up, it will have individual play centers where only so many children can play at a time. So it won't be like there are 100 toys on the floor and no one knows who was playing with them. If only 3 children at a time can play in the block center at a time, and your child was in the block center then before your child leaves---YOUR CHILD cleans up the blocks. It's really very, very simple. It's no wonder so many kids today are like hurricanes when they go places.

Akjenn89

I'm not a teacher. I'm not even a mom. But, I can see where the daycare provider is coming from. It's good to instill good habits into children at a young age, and not just at their household. Manners should be present in all situations. It seems reasonable enough to me. If I ever have children, I don't want other people to think my kid is a slob.

I also agree with the dressing room example people gave, but I have also gone into dressing rooms and clothes still be on the floor. I usually end up not only taking my clothes out, but taking the clothes people left in the dressing room out as well. It's just the nice thing to do. Sure, there are people that are paid to take care of that kind of thing... but they're people too, and I'd rather help them out where I can instead of make their day harder than it needs to be just because it's not super convenient for myself.

*shrug* Just my two cents.

ninerbuff

thats redicilous!! its like you working out and once ur done you have to mop the floors and take the garbage out while others are working out... its the GYMS responsibility!! ur paying for a service!!!

Answer honestly: Do you rerack your weights each time{including plates), or do you think it's the gym staff's job to do it?

A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

jwcabell

My kids go to daycare. They are expected to pick up. Now...a gym daycare is not an actual daycare, it's a sitting service. Of course, the child should pick up what he's playing with at that moment. But that's it. Yes, the workers do get paid to clean up after the children. It's a gym.

For the record, I've got 3 in school, 2 in preschool, 2 in daycare, and one at home. I've worked at a daycare as a teacher where I had the children pick up after themselves at certain times and I've also worked at a gym and if it was a class, I would start a few minutes before they ended.

nenamartinez

Preschool teacher here.

I think the daycare is right to ask him to pick up the toys he's used. Ideally, he should be putting things away after he uses them, unless another child has asked to play with that toy. I understand that there will be children flinging toys about and not following the rules at all. Your child shouldn't have to pick up after other kids, but only clean up what he was currently using.

My advice is to explain the system to your child so he can be almost ready to go when you arrive-- he'll just have to put away whatever he currently has, which shouldn't take more than a few minutes. He just has to remember to clean up as he goes instead of doing it all at the end.

Anyway, the whole scenario isn't an issue of it "being their job." It's a matter of instilling the right attitudes in children at a young age. The "clean up after yourself" lesson that you're teaching at home isn't going to work if it really means "clean up after yourself only when it's convenient, who cares if you screw over strangers"

thistimeismytime

All of you have valid points. Thanks for your input. In reply to one of you, no I wouldn't expect my daughter's Pre-k teacher to pick up her toys, but neither would I expect to have to clean up after ALL 12 children in her class at the end of the day. I think this particular worker just sorta sits and stares while the kids play, because she is the only one who let's the play room get so messy. Anyway I'll live with it. It's not the end of the world or anything, just a minor peeve. I never know what my son is playing with because he runs straight to me when I see him. This worker just says "y'all need to pick up toys"... She's not specific. Sorry if I'm out of line, but it irks me. It may be her tone of voice, too...not friendly. Anyway, it'll be ok.

BellaVegas

Your children should pick up the toys that they play with, wherever they are. However, it should be you telling your children how to behave properly, not this daycare worker. Thus, you are both in the wrong. This woman is very rude for trying to teach your child how to behave. But she probably feels obligated because you leave her the responsibility of watching your very rude children.

MyOwnSunshine

I would expect my child to follow the rules, and I would make sure that she picked up toys at the end if that was the expectation. I would probably help her so she would learn that it is important to clean up after ourselves and follow rules in a group setting.

I don't believe that people who provide a service that I pay for are my servants and I certainly don't believe that they should bend the rules for me or my child.

DavPul

Seems odd, but I pay for daycare and at the end of the day, all the children put all the toys away and sing the Pick it Up song, or whatever it is. My daughter sings that same song when she's cleaning up her room. So if it happens in real world daycare, i don't object to it happening in gym daycare.

Possible to swing by the daycare when you have 10-15 mins left in your workout to give the Time to Pick Stuff Up signal so they will be ready to go when you are done?