Children Of All Ages

[Unregistered]

I have in my care a 3 year old, a 2 year old, a 18 months old, 8 months old and 10 week old. All of the kids are at different stages of play and I'm having trouble trying to figure out what to do with all of them to keep them all happy and safe. The three year old is very much into organized play, the two year old will play along IF the 18 month old isn't around. If the 18 month old is around then he and the 2 year old just want to dump, throw and run around and fight over toys. Neither of them wants to really play with anything unless it's what the other one has, it's a constant fight because they just keep going after what the other one has....just because.

Then I have the 8 month old who likes to be in the middle of everything, the only time he is truly happy is when he is able to be in the same room as the older kids on the floor. I can't allow that very often, he will get trambled. He will play in the saucer or jumper for a very short time and then the screaming starts because is wants out. My house is set up so that I have a livingroom and a familyroom, I try to keep the babies in one and the olders in the other but it's not really working. If I try to keep the 8 month old in the room with the 10 week old all he does is scream because he wants to be with the olders, then of course the 10 week old can't sleep etc. etc. etc.

It just seems like my days are chaos, how do you handle such a mixed group?

[Michael]

Suggest you register. Your threads will not need timely moderation. Here are some more threads on mixed ages:

https://www.daycare.com/forum/tags.php?tag=mixed+ages

[Cat Herder]

Here, the 10 week old and 8 month old would have their own seperate areas. Newborns do not share space with older infants/toddlers. Having one big toy dropped into a crib, onto a sleeping newborn, and life as you know it will change.

The older three would share a play area as long as they can play safely together. If not, I'd seperate them until they could.

I don't worry too much about the the kids wanting out of their areas. If I put them on the other side of the room, they would just want back in their side. That is the nature of kids. :: I would not, however, use the jumpers/saucers/swings, etc.

Each child stays in their safe, child proofed area, with age appropriate toys/flooring and our day would go on as usual.

Sorry there is no easy button.

[Lianne]

I have two 3yr olds, a 2yr old, an 18mos old, a 12mos old and a 10mos old. All the kids play together often. The big kids learn to be careful and the babies learn to be tough. Sure, occasionally someone gets tumbled over but I thionk that's just another part of life and childhood.