GUIDE
Daycare sent home a Valentine's class list for my toddler's room. Do we have to give every child a valentine, and how does a child who can't write sign 20 of them?
By the seenow! teamLast updated:
Ask the teachers whether valentines are expected, and if you send them, include every name on the list. You sign them; your toddler adds a sticker or crayon mark to a few. Skip candy unless daycare says it's fine, and leave out small trinkets and latex balloons in a room of children under 3.
WHY
Why this happens
A class list in a toddler room can be confusing. Nobody in the room can read, most of the children cannot hold a crayon for long, and yet there is a sheet with 12 or 20 first names on it. The list is usually there for one reason: if families do send valentines, every child gets one and nobody is left out. Whether you send them at all is often up to you, but the teachers are the ones who know how their room handles it.
The other surprise is what goes in the envelope. Store-bought valentine packs often come with a little toy or a treat taped on, and most are made with preschoolers and school-age kids in mind. Daycare rooms for babies and toddlers are different, and federal toy rules draw a clear line at age 3.
| What you see | What it means |
|---|---|
| A product marketed for children under 3 | The CPSC bans small parts in products meant for this age. A small part fits inside a test cylinder sized like the fully expanded throat of a child under three. |
| CHOKING HAZARD - Small parts. Not for children under 3 yrs. | Required on toys and games with small parts meant for children 3 to under 6, such as many mini toys in valentine packs. |
| Latex balloons | Must carry a warning that children under eight can choke or suffocate on uninflated or broken balloons. |
Source: U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission: Small Parts for Toys and Children's Products / U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission: Child Safety Protection Act Fact Sheet (Publication 282)
HOW TO
What you can do starting today
Ask the teachers two questionsNo app needed
"Are valentines expected, or just welcome?" and "Is any food allowed?" Rooms differ. Some exchange cards, some skip it for the youngest children, and many do not allow outside food. A quick question at pickup settles both, and it saves you buying candy the teachers will send home.
Choose one simple valentine for everyoneNo app needed
Make every valentine the same, so nobody's is better than anyone else's. A paper card, a heart she colored, or a card with a sheet of stickers attached works well for toddlers. If you include anything other than paper, check the package before you buy.
Read the age label on anything that isn't paperNo app needed
CPSC Publication 282 says toys with small parts meant for ages 3 to under 6 must say "CHOKING HAZARD - Small parts. Not for children under 3 yrs." Many valentine trinkets, such as mini erasers or tiny figures, carry that line. In a room of children under 3, leave those out. Skip latex balloons too: the same publication says their label warns that children under eight can choke or suffocate on uninflated or broken balloons.
Source: U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission: Small Parts for Toys and Children's Products / U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission: Child Safety Protection Act Fact Sheet (Publication 282)
You sign them, she decorates a fewNo app needed
Write the names yourself, in one sitting, after she is asleep. Then give her a few cards and a sheet of stickers and let her press them on for as long as she is interested. If she quits after three, that is fine. Write "From Ava" on each, and the teachers and other parents will understand who did what.
WITH SEENOW!
Doing it with seenow!
seenow! is a private family app where everyone takes a short video, about 2 seconds a day. It does not help with the cards themselves, but it can keep this small first for the grandparents.
- Film a 2-second clip of her pressing a sticker onto a card, with the front and back cameras at once, so you catch her hands and her face together. That week's clips also become a weekly recap video automatically.
What seenow! can’t do
- seenow! does not make or print valentines, and it does not share anything with the daycare.
- Filming other children at daycare depends on the center's rules. Keep clips to your own child, at home.
Core features are free.
POINT
Things to watch for in this situation
Bring a few extras
Class lists change, and a new child may join before February 14. Two or three blank extras, with no name written in, avoid a child going without.
Look in the bag that comes home
Other families may send valentines meant for older kids, with candy or a tiny toy taped on. Check the bag for candy and small trinkets before you hand it to her.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Do we need a valentine for the teachers too?
It's not required. A card she decorated, with a short note from you thanking them, is a kind gesture, and it shows them a little of what she does at home.
Is it okay that I signed almost all of them?
Yes. At this age, nobody expects a child to write 20 names. Her part is the stickers or the crayon marks, and your part is the writing.