Quote Originally Posted by aimeebee View Post
If you wanna hear about some crazy stuff...the 35 month old that I watch still gets a BOTTLE. She packs him one every time he comes over here. I started giving him a sippy cup a little before he was two (because I finally realized they had NO plans to switch him to a cup.) He drinks out of the sippy for meals/snacks. But, at nap time he will beg and plead and cry and whine for a bottle....because they WILL give him one. I only have him two days a week; so it is pretty hard for me to get him to do things that aren't reinforced at home. Even worse...his 4.5 year old sister gets a bottle, too--if she asks for one. Don't even get me started on the pacifier thing! Three and four year olds.
The first time I ever met my fiance's nephews, the younger one was almost 4 and we happened to be at their house later in the evening when he was going to bed and I saw that he took a bottle to bed. I thought it was crazy.... and I now know it's only the beginning... he now 6 and isn't in school yet because they couldn't find a half-day kindergarten in their area and they don't think he's old enough to be away from them for more than a few hours.

I'm extremely thankful for the child care my children receive. My oldest was never around other children until he was 3, my middle was 14 months at the time (I had been a stay at home mom previous to getting divorced.) Well, my youngest (who just turned 1 year) started attending childcare (in the same building I work in) when he was 3 weeks old and I can see such a difference in him socially than my other 2 when they were his age- well twice his age even. I think it's wonderful for children to receive exposure to other children and new experiences in a safe environment. It makes me so sad for my fiance's nephew when we see them because here he is 6 years old and he doesn't behave, talk or socialize anything like the 1st graders in my oldest son's class. And to clarify- no, there is no physical or mental handicap there whatsoever- they just baby him to the point that he is literally helpless.