Unusual Situation with In-home Daycare - Need Advice!

It's your child and you want the best for him, why does he smell like dogs, does he cuddle with them or does the care provider not clean her house? I am very anal about cleanliness and besides, you are paying money to provide a safe environment for your child. You wouldn't allow that to happen in your own home, so why allow it someplace else? Besides, it is flu season, and cleaning everything is key to maintaining a healthy environment. I would definitely talk to her and voice my concerns.

When you have animals there will be smell. My house is clean, catlitter is cleaned always, dog is bathed like recommended by the vet and she's only 9lbs and our house still has an animal smell. I am not sure how she will take it if you tell her that her house smells. I have an in-home daycare and I am sure it would upset me. I know I would talk to the other parents and see how they felt but in the end I am not sure how much I would be able to do to. Can you deal with the smell or is it just too much. Trust me I understand I am very sensitive to smells. I change every night when the children go home because I am not a big fan of "baby burps". If you do decide to find other childcare you may want to look into a place with no animals. Best of Luck

I had my daughter in a home daycare that had cat issues. I don't mean a couple cats... I mean they owned ALOT of cats! The provider was FANTASTIC.. but there was cat hair everywhere & that litter box smell throughout the house. My daughter was a crawler at the time & would come home covered in it. I finally told the provider that I was allergic to the cat fur & was sneezing uncontrollably everytime I got near my child after her being there. She understood & we moved her to another daycare. As far as dogs go, I'm a major dog lover & former owner, and I keep a very clean house, but you just will always have that 'doggie smell' in it no matter how clean you are. I say explain the situation truthfully to your caretaker, that its bothering you, and let her know you don't want to go somewhere else, but are concerned about this. Be honest & move your son if need be. I know it's hard finding a good sitter, BUT, its your son's health & personally, I'm glad I made the choice to move me daughter at that time. :)

Wow, tough situation since you are otherwise happy with the care;but, this would cause me to place my child with a new provider. I am so sensitive to smell that I would need to come home and bathe my child everyday after daycare if he/she smelled like a musty dog. Did you notice the smell when you first interviewed with this provider, or is it something new, perhaps with the addition of a new dog or the dogs spending more time indoors in the cooler weather?

I would say, "I have noticed that (child) has been coming home smelling like he has been playing with your dogs;does he do this often during the day?" If she says "no" then it is that her whole house smells and unless she makes some major changes on your behalf, nothing will change. I would not expect her to get rid of her dogs, since I expect they were there before your child; so she will just have to lose a customer over it. And perhaps more customers in the future, if the smell is that bad all day.

Good luck!

This is a tough one. Im not sure there is a way to tell them without offending them. Does your son possibly suffer any allergies or start sneezing around the dogs? Maybe you could play it off on allergies to avoid hurting feelings. I had the same problem with my mother, in law. I finally had to have my husband say something when my 7 month old came home with a flea in his hair. My husband just called and told her my baby had a flea and they needed to take care of it before he came back. But family is different, so the allergy thing is all I know to tell you. Maybe say if they were bathed more often it would cut down on dander, you could even offer to buy a special brand or something. Hope i can help you.

I have two dogs and a 15 month old daughter. I know that smell b/c it drives me crazy as well. I only notice it in my home once in awhile. I bath the dogs but they still have that smell. I have found using arm and hammer carpet for pets gets the smell out of my home. It is the one that says it will get the pet smells out of carpet. I finish off with some lysol around the house. I would also check to see if your child is cuddling the dogs all day or rolling on the carpet. I would just honest and straight forward but as nice as possible. I would feel bad if I was told that but I would correct it if I could. So if she can't correct it I would go elsewhere or see what happens. Most dog owners are not aware of the smell. So be honest because if you like her I am sure she will fix the problem. Thanks

i would honestly not take him anymore.
Your son deserves better then smelling like dog.
Even if you say something the fact is she has dogs and dogs smell.
They sprend germs and bacteria.
I live in Plainfield and have no pets.
If you need a sitter you are welcome to call me 1-###-###-#### J.