Baby 'painting' a picture for Daddy equals child abuse???

[FeelingEvil]

Not quite sure where to post this.
It's DH's birthday in a couple of weeks and I thought it would be nice for my year old DD to do a handprint or something like that on a piece of card for his birthday.
So, as I didn;t want Dd getting paint everywhere at home, I asked the nursery if I could stay with DD one morning and get her to do a hand print with paint for DH.

Not sure quite what to make of the response:
Head of the baby room told me that they didn't like making finished works with babies because it inhibits their creativity by setting boundaries as to what's good or bad works and that's why they don't do painting. I was okay with this. But then she went on to say that putting a babies hand down on a piece of paper was equal to child abuse and not something she could or would ever do.
Bit extreme, no?

I went on to explain that it was a special occasion and that it would be a one-off and it didn't matter whether she did a finished hand print or just got a piece of card messy. We left it at me going in to do the painting with DD one morning this week.
But now I've had time to think about it, I do feel a bit insulted by what she said, should I go ahead and do it or not?
And is she right? Or am I being over the top in feeling insulted?

Can't discuss this with DH as it's meant to be his birthday surprise, so am relying on wise and sensible MNetters to help me make sense of this.

How very strange

I've just spent 4 days making a lovely large poster of butterflies, snails, flowers, trees and bumble bees using 11 month old hand and foot print Not messy at all apart from dying the child's high chair with the paint

I know this is an old post but did you manage to do the card for DH

What? And I suppose stopping child from walking headfirst into fire/pond is also 'stifling creativity' & child abuse?

She sounds like a loon, but then so does the OP, just do the handprint at home, it will not make that much mess.

Yes, DH did get a card from DD in the end - not a hand print, more of a messy painting.

TheCrackFox I'd rather be considered a loon than a smug ignorant idiot which is how i consider your dear self. Thanks for the support

I have just read this and the nursery woman is a nutter. What is the world coming too? My dd is going to nursery in Jan and the one I really like told me that they regularly do messay play and make things. Sounds hilarious. I can't wait to get my first card from dd.

She sounds like a complete and utter nutjob.

Would do this at home - not really that messy - but must say that the nursery response is silly

Nutter, I would complain.

I'd move my child to a more 'normal' environment. I think she is being more 'abusive' by depriving your child a perfectly normal multi-sensory experience and would not trust this person to care for my child. I'd be interested to know what she thinks is okay to do with little ones?

Errr my ds's keyworker told me on Friday that the reason why ds had a bit of black paint under his nails was because they had been doing hand and footprint painting!
He's 8mos, btw.

Your nursery sounds a bit nuts!