Childcare is a huge issue for families at home as well as in China. In a foreign country families must be particularly careful about who they choose to care for their children, whether they choose an in-home caregiver or a daycare/kindergarten. Not only are cultural and societal ideas of what makes for good childcare different, foreigners in China run the risk of being taken advantage of by unscrupulous providers looking to capitalize off of a foreigner’s assumed wealth. Here we take a look at a few common pitfalls of childcare in China.

Nannies (Ayis)

1) References
In China, references are easy to fabricate and it is important that you be able to directly talk to your Ayi’s last employer. If she can’t provide references or you can’t contact the references she provided, then proceed with caution. When you do talk to the contacts, make sure you ask detailed questions, former employers who have fired ayis sometimes provide decent references out of guilt. Horror stories abound regarding ayis who have stolen from their employers and neglected and even drugged their employer’s children. While most ayis wouldn’t stoop to anything so sinister, you do want to know if your ayi hates cleaning bathrooms or thinks the baby bouncy chair is the perfect babysitter.

2) I.D.
It is important that your ayi be able to provide a valid Chinese ID card, called a shenfenzheng. The shenfenzheng will verify your ayi’s identity, and you can even use it to have a background check run on her to make sure she doesn’t have a record. If there is ever a circumstance which requires you to track down a missing ayi, or if you suspect your ayi of doing something illegal, then you’ll have a much easier time pursuing the issue with a copy of her I.D. Think of this as the equivalent of an American employer asking for your driver’s license.

3) Age
You must decide for yourself whether you’d rather have a young woman working for you or an older woman, but many of the better ayis in China are older women who have already raised their own children. They have experience caring for kids, are unlikely to spend all day texting on their cell phones, and not to jump from employer to employer in search of a better deal as much as younger women might. Try looking for an older woman, a stay at home mom whose kids are now in school and is nostalgic for the baby days, or a retiree looking to earn some extra money.

Daycares/Preschools

1) “Bilingual schools”
It is important when choosing a preschool for your child that you not be taken in by the word “bilingual” in the name of the school. Many schools in China which claim to be bilingual really only have a foreign teacher come in and give lessons once or twice a week. A true bilingual school will spend a certain percentage of each day in each language in a total immersion environment. For many schools “bilingual” is a marketing ploy and nothing more.

2) Recommendations
A school should have no hesitation about letting you contact current or previous families with children in the school. If the school is hesitant about letting you contact current parents you should be hesitant about sending your children there.

3) Transport
There have been several cases recently where the vans used to pick up and drop off children at preschools and kindergartens have violated safety regulations. In one case, a young girl even died of suffocation when over 30 children were packed into one van. While these sorts of over the top occurrences are rare, if you are using the school’s carpool service you want to make sure that each child has their own seat and that seatbelts are being used.

4) Potty training
Most Chinese families practice what is known in the West as “elimination communication,” which means that children don’t wear diapers but rather parents watch for their children’s cues and find a place for the child to use the bathroom. A Chinese childcare provider may find a child still in diapers at 1 or 2 years old to be very strange and you will need to discuss with the provider how they will deal with a child in diapers. If you get the feeling the provider has issues with an older child being in diapers then you might want to take into consideration whether or not the teachers will make comments or say unkind things to your child about being in diapers. A potential day care provider should be aware of this cultural difference and make accommodations where possible.

5) Teaching styles
If you’ve chosen a Chinese kindergarten or preschool for your children then you should be aware that Chinese educational methods are a bit different from those of the West. Chinese teachers/caregivers tend to be more strict and might require children to follow orders rather than allowing them creative expression. Children who have had experience in Western kindergartens/daycares/preschools might have a hard time adjusting to the more rigid standards. Chinese teachers also tend to be more critical and will sometimes use methods – like shaming – which would usually be considered unacceptable in the West. If you choose a Chinese-only environment for your child it is important that you research carefully and understand what you may potentially be getting into.

Product Safety

1) Made in China
Not all made in China products are dangerous, but sometimes it is best to buy imported goods just to be safe. In particular, when buying infant formula it is best to buy imported. As for toys and clothing, it is nearly impossible to avoid the made in China label even when you’re living outside of China, and in China it is even almost impossible! Buying toys from the larger chain stores like Leyou will generally ensure a certain quality of product, and high end imported toys can even be found in the more expensive shopping malls like The Place and Solana.

2) Medicines
Chinese pharmacies generally carry children’s medicines, both Western and Chinese. You can find Tylenol and the generic counterparts, as well as remedies for upset stomachs, cough, runny nose, band aids, antibiotic ointment, etc. Be sure to shop from large pharmacies which have their medicines properly packaged and labeled, and do not buy medicines if the boxes look tampered with or beat up. Many medicines, like antibiotics, which are prescription medications back home, can be bought here without a prescription, but consult your doctor before giving your children antibiotics, even if they are cheap and easily available.

3) Personal hygiene
In China it is perfectly safe to use the shampoos, soaps and lotions which are available at your local supermarket. Johnson & Johnson products are popular here under the Chinese name Qiang Sheng (强生) and Western shoppers will recognize familiar products like No More Tears shampoo lining the shelves of most Chinese groceries. Chinese baby stores will offer even more options, sometimes including skincare formulas which include traditional Chinese remedies, which are often more natural-minded than what is offered in the West. For mosquito repellent, Chinese mothers prefer a solution called “Bao Bao Jin Shui” 宝宝金水, which is mostly herbal but remarkably effective at keeping the bugs away.

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Keywords: childcare in China raising kids in China