Daycare using timeout for a 16 month old?

DH picked up DS today and he was strapped in a highchair facing the 'naughty corner'.

Apparently he had been pushing the highchairs around the room and wouldn't stop despite being asked repeatedly. As a side note 99% of the time he does not stop doing something because you ask him to, you need to remove him from the situation and distract him with something. He thinks 'no' and 'stop' are hysterical words.

This pushing the highchairs around meant he disrupted the other play equipment & children. Except some kids thought it was great fun and joined in pushing the high chairs around so chaos ensued.

I understand there needs to be some order in a daycare setting but at the same time his a baby. He doesn't talk yet, I'm not sure how much he actually he understands. Why not just take the highchairs out of the room? It was not like he was hitting or biting anyone?

Are they out of line or do I need to get real?

DH picked up DS today and he was strapped in a highchair facing the 'naughty corner'.

Apparently he had been pushing the highchairs around the room and wouldn't stop despite being asked repeatedly. As a side note 99% of the time he does not stop doing something because you ask him to, you need to remove him from the situation and distract him with something. He thinks 'no' and 'stop' are hysterical words.

This pushing the highchairs around meant he disrupted the other play equipment & children. Except some kids thought it was great fun and joined in pushing the high chairs around so chaos ensued.

I understand there needs to be some order in a daycare setting but at the same time his a baby. He doesn't talk yet, I'm not sure how much he actually he understands. Why not just take the highchairs out of the room? It was not like he was hitting or biting anyone?

Are they out of line or do I need to get real?

IMO that is DISGUSTING if i found out that my child was strapped into a chair as punishment all HELL would break loose, a time out well thats fair enough thats how they learn but to me that is CRUEL

my experience with my children led me to believe they understood pretty much everything by the time they 12 months. In terms of objects and actions and yes and no, do this, don't do that etc.

I kinda think they did an OK thing. Why should they have to remove all the highchairs, much easier to remove him from the situation. Be nice if they could have distracted him but that is sometimes giving them attention which is counterproductive. Hard in a CC situation.

Doesn't Supernanny say 1 minute per year of age in the naughty spot is ok?

I'm a childcare worker, and I would not dream of doing that.

If it were me I would have moved the highchairs to one area of the room away from where the children were playing and had toys out. If your child went over to the high chairs, I would have simply picked them up and taken them over to the toys and sat down and played with them. If they repeatedly did it, just continually pull the child away, and explain in a firm voice that the high chairs are not to be played with they are for eating at and taken them back to the toys.

You have a right to ask further questions about why they did it and ask to speak to the director about it.

way out of line. unacceptable to me as a parent.

I dont find that appropriate discipline within a CCC. I have never strapped my own child into a high chair as discipline, let alone someone elses!

If pushing a few high chairs around a room was too disruptive, someone needs to take a valium.

Im a Director of a childcare centre and I can assure you that if any of my staff put a child in a highchair for any reason other than to feed them..they would be instantly dismissed.

The staff should have moved the chairs and redirected your sons attention to something else. In my opinion what they have done is pure laziness.

Did you speak to the staff or more importantly the director?

Im disgusted that anyone would even do that to a child.

My biggest issue would be how long was he in "timeout" Considering he should have only gotten a 90sec timeout (1min per yr of age) It would take that long if not longer to strap him in. I would be discussing this with the Director. Personally I dont think it is acceptable.

CHeers NEss

would it be OK if he was timed out in a playpen?

DH was the one to pick him up, and he says he has no problem with it. Yet he mentioned it to me, so I think he kind of does.

I just don't see how it would be effective at his age. My experience with him would be to say no or stop but to remove him from the situation. I don't see that he would actually understand why he was in the highchair for.

I asked DH what they said when he walked in to find DS like that and he said 'they were definitely quick to justify themselves'.

The thing that concerns me is there is no mention of this in his report book - they had already written it - and DH picked up DS way earlier then expected so they weren't expecting to be 'caught'. And that's how they reacted by DH's account.

Thats awful!! When you take him in next I would be talking to the director, or even moving child care centres if possible!! Thats appauling!! I would NEVER do that to a child of that age .. ridiculous!!! They should have been distracting him with toys or songs etc .. lazy b*s*ards!