childcare in a coffee shop???

Lara - posted on 08/07/2009

If I could easily see them. Maybe not a full child care area but a cute corner with toys. A little decorative fence or gate to seperate them-you don't want them running with hot coffee right next to them!

Jen - posted on 08/07/2009

If you are going to be in the same place as your child then I don't think it's right to leave your child with someone else while you are across the room. To me that's sending the message that you'd rather burden someone else with the responsibilities of taking care of the child than doing it yourself. I understand wanting to hang out with friends because all mommies need to get away, but I wouldn't have the baby in the same location. Plus most children will want to be with their moms if they see them. Just my take on it. :)

Melissa - posted on 08/07/2009

They have a place like that in San Diego, CA and my friend absolutely loves it! It is called Java Mama

Stefanie - posted on 08/06/2009

YES. we have a coffee shop just for moms with small children. It has a child care area that you can easily see into and can watch what is going on. I LOVE it.

http://www.thecoffeepark.com/

And they have the best sandwiches. DS just got old enough to drop off in their little "treehouse" area, the kids must be 9 mo+.

Vicki - posted on 08/06/2009

I can't imagine a coffee shop child care with actual child care workers. Would they be coffee shop employees, or seperate? What I could see working is a corner with toys and books, like at a doctor's office. There is a bra store around here with a kids' corner. Nobody watches the kids really, there are employees around who might be aware of the children, but they aren't responsible if anything happens. Well, the coffee shop up the block is on a wide lane with some planter blocks and chairs and tables and such. The kids will sometimes run around there.

Arwen - posted on 08/06/2009

Yes! If it was sanitary and all, and if I could see my child from where I sat.



I used to work at a Books-a-million, and as you probably know, they have a coffee shop. Unfortunately, it was filled with many parents that thought the children's section was a daycare. It was a huge mess. I would daydream during hours of cleaning up that we had an actual "30-minute"care there just to cut down on the mess. The only thing you need to worry about is cleanliness. I've seen too many outbreaks of ringworm, sinus infections(yes, they ARE contagious!), or some type of pox at the preschool I taught at to be totally at ease with a place where so many different kids and people would be going. And people really clean at preschools.



Wow, writing some of this out, I'm not so sure. Maybe not. It's a nice fantasy, but the one time my child was in a setting with other kids, not three days later she was in the hospital getting a spinal tap. She was in there a week after because she spent a few days in a clean nursery.



You'd have to get a ton of licensing, detailed background checks on every single employee, and you wouldn't be sure of everyone coming in. They wouldn't all be parents. And if some guy actually tried to take my baby from my arms once, I gotta believe he would pick my baby up without me there.



Maybe not. You'd have to jack up coffee prices cause the babysitters deserve $10 an hour at least. It would exist in a perfect world. Actually, kids would be perfectly behaved in one of those worlds, so maybe not even then. It is a nice fantasy, dropping your kid off for just a few minutes to get a breather. =)

Crystal - posted on 08/06/2009

If you could see the childcare area and you child did okay with it I wouldn't see a problem with it. I would check to see if any background checks were done on the employees watching the kids. You would be on the premises the whole time if you wanted to check on your child. It's just a cup of coffee and it could be the only breather you get all week.

Kimberly - posted on 08/06/2009

no I never let anyone but family care for my children and if that can't be the case for a person the people you let watch your kids needs to be investigated in depth including background check and drug testing