For Those That Don't Watch Infants....

[SunflowerMama]

At what age do you start accepting children? I have a 9 month old that started yesterday and the rest of my group consists of 4 3 year olds a 15 month old and a 22 month old. I don't know if it's just the addition of one extra kiddo or her young age but things have been nuts the last 2 days.

I'm seriously considering going to just toddlers maybe 18 months+. My 15 month old is super laid back and a really easy kid so I would definitely keep her but I'm thinking about telling the mom of the 9 month old that it's just not going to work out.

For those that watch just older kids what was your reasoning and has it worked out well for you?

[mac60]

For me, I could not survive not caring for infants, as when a family has a second child, they do not want to take their 2 children to 2 different providers. As a parent, I wouldn't either.

[momma2girls]

I moved here and thought I would just do one yr. and over- then parents started to have other babies, and times being tough like they are. The real need here is infants. I get calls and emails all the time. I have a huge waiting list for them. They tell me how difficult it is to find good in home daycare!!

[originalkat]

I have struggled with this decision for years. Before I started home daycare, I wondered if I would be able to make this business work and only take older children. So when I first started 2 years ago, I just took what I could get. That happened to be 2 infants (3 months, 5 months) and two toddlers around 18 months old) plus my own two who at the time were 1 and 3 years.

I had my hands full for sure. Now they have grown up some. I turned down several infants in the past because I decided I only wanted to take 2-5 year olds. Now I have 4- 3 year olds, 1- five year old, and 1- 2 year old. My families all happen to be one child families. I know several of them plan to have more kids in the future. What will I do??? I'm not sure.

I have considered when they all have their new littles I will convert my preschool centered play area into baby safe zone and as they grow, change the environment. I have also considered (which I am leaning more toward) just saying that I dont accept infants and to come see me when they are ready for preschool. I do think they would come back to me UNLESS they find another wonderful provider that has a great preschool program as well.

For me it is a matter of personal preference and maintaining my sanity. I do better with the preschoolers and enjoy all that that entails. SO i cater to that and "specialize". I have heard of some providers who do the opposite and only take infants and young todds. I wish I had someone near me who did that so we could refer to one another.

It can be done. But it is definetly harder. You will purposly turn down potential clients who want infant care. That can be tough to do when you need the money. But for me it is worth it.

[Preschool/daycare teacher]

Right now we have 16 children (we're considered a large home daycare), ages 21 months-school age. SO SO SO much easier than when we had an infant. Luckily the mother moved soon after, so we didn't have to worry about it too long. And we do not accept infants anymore (The owner has received a lot of phone calls for infants, but she always turns them down, even if there's an opening that she'd like to fill). It doesn't seem to take long before someone with an older child calls to fill that spot (The owner hasn't even advertised her daycare). So for us, we find it much better and less stress and hassle to just accept the older ones. There's so much you have to worry about with infants! I love them, but with a group of other children, it doesn't work so well sometimes.
Long story short, we don't accept infants, but it has worked out well for us: All of the spots are filled, and there's always someone else calling about enrolling their child.

[Daycare Mommy]

I decided to stop providing infant care and switched to 1 and up. The toddlers were still so disruptive to the preschool activities and were mouthing everything in sight. Then I switched to 2 and up and couldn't be happier. I haven't run into any issues. All single child families and they love that I do preschool stuff with them since I'm not busy caring for the infants and toddlers. If a pregnancy comes up my families know I don't provide infant care, so they would either have another sitter for the infant or go to another daycare alltogether after the baby comes.

[gkids09]

I start at one, but they have to be walking or I don't take them. I have taken one year olds before that couldn't walk, and it was not good...We had to have someone watching just the crawlers at all times which took them away from the other children. In the past, we started at 2 years old. Then, the pre-k programs started up at the public schools and we lost several children to that. The first year. After the first year of the pre-k program, I started taking 1 year olds. Then, parents started realizing that their child was getting bored in the pre-k program because they already knew the majority, I won't say all, of the material they were learning. At times, I wish I had kept the minimum age at two...But then, I remember how much easier it is to teach a 1 year old your ways than a 2 year old. Seriously, it is. In my opinion, I would say 2 or very close to it is a good place to start, OR a walking one year old. Good luck!

[originalkat]

I decided to stop providing infant care and switched to 1 and up. The toddlers were still so disruptive to the preschool activities and were mouthing everything in sight. Then I switched to 2 and up and couldn't be happier. I haven't run into any issues. All single child families and they love that I do preschool stuff with them since I'm not busy caring for the infants and toddlers. If a pregnancy comes up my families know I don't provide infant care, so they would either have another sitter for the infant or go to another daycare alltogether after the baby comes.

I am wondering if I should address this before it becomes an issue and a parent says..."I'm Pregnant!" I only take 2-5 but I used to take infants so I am worrid some of my long term parents will assume I will take their infant. Or should I just wait till it happens and say that I am not set up for infants anymore???

[MarinaVanessa]

and I'm the opposite. If I could care for nothing but infants I'd be happier. My house is always super clean so the babies I do have (8 and 18 months) can't put anything in their mouths. I'm not a knick-knack type of person anyway and hate clutter so theres absolutely nothing that they can put in their mouths that is harmful. I have two bins with infant toys that are specific for infants so they are meant to be mouthed. These are all run through the dishwasher daily (if plastic) and if they are fabric they are run through the washer every other day. On Friday evening I throw everything in a bleach solution and then they go in the dishwasher or washer. The older kids (my daughter included) all watch out for the babies and make sure not to hurt them. I do my crafts/projects with the older ones while the babies take their morning nap. For me it's harder to keep up with the mobile ones than the imobile ones .

[Daycare Mommy]

I am wondering if I should address this before it becomes an issue and a parent says..."I'm Pregnant!" I only take 2-5 but I used to take infants so I am worrid some of my long term parents will assume I will take their infant. Or should I just wait till it happens and say that I am not set up for infants anymore???

I told everyone when I was selling off all of my baby toys and gear that I'm changing to 2 and up so we will have more time for preschool stuff. It's up to you, but I'd be up front about it. All of my parents were really happy about the change.

[mac60]

For those who only do toddler and up, what do you do when a mom has a new baby. Have you lost families because of your policy?

[gkids09]

For those who only do toddler and up, what do you do when a mom has a new baby. Have you lost families because of your policy?

So far, I haven't lost any families...Just as soon as I say that I may lose one, but so far they've been able to have someone (grandma, aunt, etc) keep the baby until he/she is old enough to come to me. I have also had parents who take the baby to another daycare until they can come to me. At times I like to think I could handle infants, but then I start looking at all the rules that go along with them, and I'd have to hire someone to be in the room with them at all times, and that person would be solely caring for the infants. Personally, I don't have the money to get all the equipment and another staff member to do it..

[Daycare Mommy]

I've had this policy in place a year and haven't lost anyone yet. I'm sure it's inevitably going to happen someday though, but I'm fine with that because my program runs soooo smoothly now. The kids are happer, I'm way happier. It's worth it to me.

Just to clarify, I do love babies and toddlers too, but I just found myself unable care for them properly and still offer the older kids a stimulating environment. For example, craft time with the olders I had to keep the toddler out of the room and then had to meticulously clean every single time. If I left one button or sequin in a corner after clean-up the toddler would find it and it would go straight in her mouth if I wasn't right on top of her. Stressful! The final decision on which age group to go with was based on the ages of my own children who were 2 and 4 at the time.