To be worried that nursery worker didn't stop toddlers from eating sand?

[GingerMaman]

Hi,

I went into a settling in session with DD at nursery. There were three or four toddlers/babies (some younger than 1 and some older). They went over to the sand and started playing with it and putting it in their mouth. The nursery worker didn't stop them or say no, don't do that, or put it away. I was rather surprised and certainly don't want my little one eating sand, especially one that has been played with by children with very runny noses! Am I just being over protective and over worrying?

God, you'd love me, my charge was stuffing mud into her mouth last week! Babies and toddlers explore the world through their mouths. I tend to go with how my bosses feel on the matter but I don't worry too much about them mouthing a bit of mud or sand, not too much obviously, but a small bit isn't a problem a they are trying to work out texture and what it is. But I'm not sure if the nursery would have any ways that they are supposed to deal with it. YAB a bit precious

Could you really stop them? I'm sure they only licked it once!

Yes, overprotective and worrying too much. Imagine what's been on/in the sand a the seaside, etc.

Yes. Babies put stuff in their mouths, it's their way of experiencing the world. I would be worried had it been a choking hazard they'd ignored

They didn't just lick it, they ate it!

You would not stop them from putting mud in their mouths, pixie?

I think you need to draw the line between teaching them not to eat the ground we all walk on, and dogs/cats/foxes poo/wee on, and exploring, in all honesty. They dont need to explore this particular texture with their mouths. As a parent, it would not even occur to me to ask the childcarer to not let my child mouthe mud, I would think this the norm.

It just comes out the other end.

You're being a little bit over the top but I was the same when DD was smaller

Quiet: I took it off of her after she'd taken a bite, as I said, I'm not concerned about a small bit of mud from the raised flowers beds if her mum isn't fussed by it! I am fussed about the daffodils she always manages to end up getting a bite out of though!

You'd think you would get better at working out how toddlers manage to slip things past you and lull you into a vague sense of security about your surroundings but if anything, I just get more confused about how they do it the more I look after them! ;)

If they put the sand away every time someone put it in their mouth, then they just wouldn't have sand to play with. Be grateful that they can do all that stuff at nursery and you don't have to produce sand to play with at home...!

I will say one word "worms". The most horrible awful infestation to get rid of. And worm medication is expensive when you are dosing a whole family. IMO worms are worse than nits.

So, no YANBU and I would not be impressed if my child was not discouraged from eating sand and mud. If they just do it well that can't be helped but turning a blind eye to it is not on. I was turned off from messy play after seeing some nannies actively encouraging their charges to eat the paint and completely cover themselves in paint.

Oh. Just realised that's a lot more than one word...

I had the opposite situation yesterday, 15 month old ds is having his settling in time at nursery, the idea is that for the first couple of days I do the caring for him in the nursery environment.

The lovely nursery worker told me that ds has sand in his mouth and usually she'd try to get it out but as it was early in the settling period maybe I should try to get the sand out. I told her I wasn't worried and he often tastes sand.

Don't worry about snot contaminated sand, small kids wipe their noses on each other and suck the same toys, if there are germs your dc will get exposed to them with or without eating sand.

Nurseries are places where children are going to be exposed to lots of germs all day every day. They will pinch each other's dummies, touch snotty faces then suck their thumbs, chew on toys someone else was just chewing, etc.

Sand in nurseries is often washed through with Milton, it's very easy to do, so it's probably one of the cleaner things they can put in their mouths.

Toys will be washed, floors will be cleaned and practitioners will wash hands and use gel to reduce cross infection via themselves but that's not going to stop babies and toddlers from constantly sharing each other's germs.

Your DD will encounter lots of cold and other viruses early on but that will mean she doesn't get them later when she starts school. It's no bad thing.

We've had our fair share of sandy / glittery / uncooked rice nappies here! It's just what happens when toddlers are having fun.

Yuck

I know I spent a good few months wiping DD's gritty bottom. I think the staff would do their best not to let your child eat sand if you mentioned it to them?

I think that's disgusting. Mud and sand are fine to play with but not to eat. I'm not being pfb and it's years since mine were toddlers but eating mud and sand is not right.

It's great to try to get children outdoors and exploring the natural world (like they did 50/60 years ago as kids) but lots of people are doing it fairly blindly and stupidly IMO. Mud is a nice thing to play with - jumping in muddy puddles and making mud pies or mud painting. NOT for putting in eyes/mouths. It's just common sense and in our quest to go natural, we discarded common sense it would seem.

If its "indoor" sand, so clear of any real nasties then there's not a lot they can do. Its better for the DC to experience playing freely with sand and other non-toxic substances IMO and I am happy to deal with the sandy nappies although was glad that when he kept taking handfuls they moved him away

Toddlers will occasionally get the odd mouthful of something they shouldn't. Usually, it will all be ok.

I would not be impressed with any childcare worker who did not attempt to distract them away from doing something they clearly shouldn't, or who turned a blind eye.

Knowing that something will happen, even with the best of attentive care is not the same thing as wilfully allowing it to happen.

Would it be immoral to 'accidentally' let a child eat glitter just to see the glittery poo?

YABU and YABabitPFB
Kids eat sand. It won't hurt them.

BillyB - No! Not in any universe

My dd ate sand every time she went to playgroup...loads of it. God knows why but she loved it

Would it be immoral to 'accidentally' let a child eat glitter just to see the glittery poo?

Glitter and crayon makes the best combination. Colourful and sparkly

1st child eats dirt: Parent frantically scrapes out mouth and calls poison control.
2nd child eats dirt: Parent removes child from dirt
3rd child eats dirt: Parent wonders if technically this could count as lunch