What Do You Do for the Earlier Arrivals?

[SunflowerMama]

I have one dck that arrives an hour before all the other children. She just started this week so the last 2 days I've let her look at books or watch Seasame Street. Then after everyone else arrives around 8a we do breakfast and start our day.

The only other time we watch TV is the 10-15 minutes while I'm getting lunch ready so I don't feel horrible about letting her watch it in the morning while she looks at books but I was just wondering if anyone else has activities or things set out for the early arrivals.

[mac60]

my first 2 come at 6:30. Some times I will turn on cartoons, other times just have them lay down. I figure at 6:30 they don't need to be up running around, as people are still sleeping in my house. I try to keep things calm till 7:30/8.

[DBug]

I have family-style breakfast on the table from 6 am til 7:45 (ie. cereal, bowls, plates, etc on the table, hot food in the oven or in a basket keeping somewhat warm). That way kids eat whenever they arrive, and then go play. My kitchen is right beside the playroom so it works well for us. The earliest ones sometimes end up eating when they arrive, and then snacking on dry cereal when the later ones arrive too.

We don't have a tv to keep the kids quiet, but for the most part things are pretty quiet until 7:30 or so anyway, which is when my family starts waking up. If the younger ones start getting loud, I just pop them back into a high chair with a cup and let them watch the older ones eat :-)

[actaktmdt]

Next week I will have a little girl starting who will come at 6 am every day and every once in awhile she will be dropped of at 5 am. My plan is to have books and quite puzzles in hand for the 6 am days. The 5 am days I am going to make her lay down...thats too early to be up for her age in my opinnion....

[safechner]

I was in the same boat. I used to watch two boys for past three years from July 2006 to Sept 2009. Both of them are arrived very early at 6:15am so I let them to watch the tv for 45 mins because everyone sleeps in my house until 7:15am. I get ready for breakfast then we start our activities day. Now I dont have to because all my daycare kids arrived here between 8:45am to 9:00am so it saves some bucks for breakfast .... Honestly it was so nice so I can get my girls to get ready for school on time.

[originalkat]

I open at 7 AM and my family arises at about 8 AM so I like to keep it quiet until then. All my kids arrive by 7:30. They usually look at books, eat breakfast, color, and do other quiet activities. We do watch a cartoon for a few minutes a day (no more than 30 min.) but I do that in the evenings when I am worn out.:: But I dont see anything wrong with having them watch cartoons or even lay down if they get there really early.

[happykidschildcare]

early arrivals

I have a boy that comes 2-3 times a week at 5:30 My hours are 7-5:30
he lays back down until 7 am, sometimes is he doesnt fall back to sleep I will let him watch cartoons, but his moms is perfectly fine with him going back to sleep until the other kids come after 7 am.