What a difference

[rmc20021]

I started 2 new dcb's today ages 2 1/2 and the other will turn 3 this next week. Thank goodness my two older 4 yo's are out today as it's taking everything in me to focus on these two and I can pay more attention and observe these two boy's behaviors without having the older ones here also.

What a difference there is between the two ages and how much attention they need. I'm wore out already and it's not even noon....

[LK5kids]

I have a new 18 month old starting tomorrow and a 2 yr old boy for a first time drop in on Thurs and Friday because their provider is on vacatin this week. I am preparing for the same thing! Those few years difference sure do make a difference, don't they?

I am planning on:

#1. keeping things simple

#2. Keeping a close eye on them

#3. Maybe taking some of the toys out of circulation, as I have just starting to add in more because my three " toy dumpers" have grown out of that stage!

Good luck to you!

I am already battening down the hatches in preparation!

[JoseyJo]

I feel you! We try to only start 1 new child at a time for that exact reason. When we first started we had 2 children for about 3 months, then enrolled 4 (from 3 different families) all within a week!! All boys and all between 18 months and 3 years. I don't even know how we managed to make it through the transition that time ::

Since then we try our hardest to enroll one at a time (or one family) and give them a month or so to transition.

[rmc20021]

One is a returning boy who's family had a friend move in with them to watch him in exchange for staying with them and she also watched this other boy. She got a job starting today so it was last minute for them both.

Although the one boy had been here before, I knew it would be like starting over and relearning the rules.

I had set up centers and had baskets on shelves for toys ect...my older kids knew to put one thing away before they got something else out. These two have been EXPLORING everything all day.

I spent this morning doing nothing but observing and redirecting and have come to the conclusion the bins of toys are going. I'm putting them all into a toy box. It will be much easier for cleanup and they won't be trying to use the bins for toys...to stand on and put on top of their heads etc.

It's been so much fun watching them though...we will just have to regroup and do things differently than when I only had the 4/5 yo's