Youngest Age You Will Accept an Infant

[jenh171]

I'm curious...what is the youngest age you will take an infant into your child care? Also, outside of licensing regulations, do you have personal opinions as to how young is too young? Mainly safety/health concerns?

[Childminder]

Twice it's been 3 week olds

[tenderhearts]

I think in my state they have to be at least 6 weeks old. I've only taken them as young as 16 weeks.

[melskids]

I think here it is 6 weeks too. (New York) Thats the youngest i've ever had.

[SunflowerMama]

15 months .

[legomom922]

That is all I take. I love babies, and toddlers drive me insane...so for me, babies are a TON easier. I will take them from wks-up to 18months, then I kick them out. LOL

[ninosqueridos]

6 months.

I would accept younger if I didn't have any toddlers at all and could focus all my attention on a potentially colicky infant.

[GretasLittleFriends]

My license says 6 weeks to 10 years. I did have a mom need care for her infant at 4 weeks, so my 14 yr old daughter babysat him for two weeks.

[alyssyn]

6 weeks is the youngest. Right now I have a 6 month old in care.

[DanceMom]

6 weeks ( which I believe is the youngest the state allows )

[laundryduchess@yahoo.com]

6 weeks here, but Ive had them as young as 3. my own were 3 days

[melissa ann]

I took one at 5 weeks. The 1/2 sibling was already here for over a year and mom couldn't take being at home so she went back a week earlier.

[MarinaVanessa]

mom couldn't take being at home so she went back a week earlier.

:: Thank goodness for daycare.

I also do 6 weeks. It's a preference for me since having another person's child in my care that is younger than that would make me nervous. I'm bad enough when I have my own kids and they're younger than 1, I constantly freak out that my kid will get SIDS or that I'll trip and fall and throw my kid or land on him/her It's the strangest thing. When it's other people's kids it's worse .

[jenh171]

thanks, everyone. I am wondering if anyone thinks it is a risk to have a baby who is under 6 weeks old in child care and why. Is it because it's a health risk for the baby to be exposed to germs, etc.? Or is it more that perhaps the baby doesn't have all of his immunizations? I'm curious as to the reasoning and whether or not it is unsafe, and why this 6 week guideline is established.

[momma2girls]

That is all I take. I love babies, and toddlers drive me insane...so for me, babies are a TON easier. I will take them from wks-up to 18months, then I kick them out. LOL

Please send them my way once they hit 18 months-LOL!!!!