Encouragement Please! Those of You With More Than 4 Kiddos

[SilverSabre25]

Two babies close in age?!

I started my newest, and youngest, dcb this morning. He's the little brother of another client. 5 months old, rolling over but that's it.

I also have my own 7 month old, crawling, pulling up, trying to cruise.

Then I have my 4 yo, a 3.5 yo dcb, almost 3 yo dcg, and 2.5 yo dcb.

HOW DO YOU DO IT?!

I hope I get used to this but right now I feel like it's officially one kid too many. I can't keep DS off of the other baby and I'm not sure how I'm going to get any meals made with all six kids around. 3.5 yo DCB has reached a stage where I cannot take my eyes off him for a minute or he's throwing things and being destructive and downright wily. And it just occurred to me this morning that I need to find somewhere else for the baby dcb to nap because I can't have him in the nap-room with all the other kiddos or they will wake him up and I don't trust the other kids to leave him alone.

5 kids, two of them mine, felt fine and manageable, but this buisness of having two young babes feels impossible!

[Cat Herder]

Only you will know how many are too many for you.

In all honesty having children in care my own children's ages was something I was not ever able or willing to do.

It causes too many internal struggles and resultant behavioral issues, IMHO.

Put a star on the calendar for a few weeks out, try everything you know of..... when you get to that date, make a decision.

Remember YOU have ultimate control and responsibility.

[cheerfuldom]

I agree, hang in there and see how the transition goes. I have had similar scenarios and I always put the babies on one schedule and the big kids on another. I never actually had a huge break when everyone was napping but it did make the day run smoother in general. You also need to create a baby zone and if the babies are bugging each other, have them take turns in equipment while the other explores, then switch.

[countrymom]

hugs, its going to be a long day.

[CheekyChick]

Just remember that very soon, the two babies will be more independent and all of these worries will be in the past.

[SimpleMom]

I am just going to switch to less than 6 kiddos total ( including my own). I have watched more than one infant/toddler at a time for YEARS. It can be done. It's tough, though.

I agree, put the star on the calendar and then see where things are at.

[bunnyslippers]

Just take it day by day. It can be challenging - I have 6 here, and three of them are under 18 months - but it can be done. I try to picture what it will be like in a few months, when the babies are older. I find that my own children do well when I have others close to their age - it is like giving them a play date and getting paid at the same time! Good Luck!!!!

[littlemissmuffet]

Honestly, it really depends on the situation and the kids. There are times when I have 3 kids under 2 and a couple that are 2-3 and it's completely manageble and then other times I have only 1 or 2 kids under 2 and a couple of 2-3 year olds and I feel overwhelmed.

Just work out the bugs of settling into a new routine and go from there. If you're still overwhelmed a few weeks from now then you might have to reconsider.

Good luck!!

[momofboys]

Can you do crock pot meals? That has always lightened the burden of figuring out what to fix for dinner. 5-10 min the night before or morning of & dinner's done - I love it!

I feel for you with the 2 little ones close in age in addition to caring for your older little ones. I watched 10-month old twins for about 4 months & it just got to be too much for me. I can easily handle one baby with other kids but I found I am just not equipped to handle two - my energy level was very low doing double duty. Hoping you can come up with a good solution. Maybe give yourself a few weeks to adjust & if it isn't working better than you may have to consider terming.

[SilverSabre25]

Thanks everyone. I'm feeling better now...both babes have been fed (a couple times, ) and had a nap. The bigger kids are doing okay despite my mild distraction as I start to figure this thing out. I've never had two babies at a time, and never had such a young dck before, so I was expecting a bit of culture shock...though I was taken aback by the amount I experienced.

I do have a separate baby zone already at least--that's been in place for a long time.

I let new dcb nap in the naproom for his AM nap and I'll get another pack n play set up...somewhere...for his PM nap. Space is a bit at a premium but we'll make it work.

Turns out dcb loves to sit in his car seat and bat at toys or sit in a bouncy seat and bat at toys so I've got him solved for now. DS still wants to chew on the baby, but I think it's revenge for what his ( one month) older cousin always did to him before he was mobile.

I wouldn't have chosen this situation--wouldn't have taken on a brand new client with a baby so close in age to my own--but this is the younger sibling of a family that has been in my daycare since I opened.

This is going to be exhausting, I can tell, but I think it's going to work...once we all settle into a new status quo.

[melskids]

Sometimes when the stress of trying to get it all done gets to me....then I let it.

I say heck with it all....and get down on the floor and play with the babies.

The paperwork and the dishes will always be there. They can wait. My kids will survive if they get cereal for dinner.

I love this poem.....

Cleaning And Scrubbing
Can Wait
Till Tomorrow...

For Babies Grow Up
We've Learned
To Our Sorrow...

So Quiet Down
Cobwebs...
Dust Go To
Sleep...

I'm Rocking
My Baby,
And Babies
Don't Keep.

[renodeb]

I have 2 babies and I have found it a huge help to use a play yard so that I have a place to put the babies. I just cant have them crawling all over. Sometimes I have to sit the child or children in there seats while I prepare meals if I have kids who stir up trouble. Somedays I have 6 young dc kids and thats craziness! You will learn to juggle. It takes practice.
Debbie

[Unregistered]

I have the same situation. 4 older dck from 5 to 19 mo and two babies, my own 2 mo and a dcg 8 mo. I have a pnp in the living room so the other kids cant get to the babies while Im making lunch and occassionally we have waffles and yogurt because the babies needs are more than making lunch will allow. I also offer bottles intentionally 10 min before I make lunch even if they arent acting hungry so that they arent starving right when lunch starts.

[daycare]

Sometimes when the stress of trying to get it all done gets to me....then I let it.

I say heck with it all....and get down on the floor and play with the babies.

The paperwork and the dishes will always be there. They can wait. My kids will survive if they get cereal for dinner.

I love this poem.....

Cleaning And Scrubbing
Can Wait
Till Tomorrow...

For Babies Grow Up
We've Learned
To Our Sorrow...

So Quiet Down
Cobwebs...
Dust Go To
Sleep...

I'm Rocking
My Baby,
And Babies
Don't Keep.

I LOVE this................going to print and hang it...thanks for sharing it

[E Daycare]

Tequilia!! Also see: Prozac, a mbien, ever clear and espresso. Shake well and serve straight up.

I have 5 kids (only 2-3 days a week) and even that's insane. Throw an infant in that mix and I'm like "oh yeah I'm only have ONE kid"! My hubby knows when I'm going to have all the Kids that next day because I'm always a little more quiet the night before. I'm pondering how I'm going to not lock myself in the bathroom. Haha

Jk. For the most part

Those that do it every day, boy how I'm impressed. It was easier in an actual daycare when I had 12 kids then in my own home. I miss that sometimes.