Pregnant and Running a Daycare, Help!

[Unregistered]

I started my licensed home daycare 11/01/13 and found out I was pregnant almost immediately. Surprise! Lol. I am due in June and currently only have a 12month old plus my 3 year old son and a few drop ins. I have decided not to take on anyone extra full time since I feel that I should take it a bit easy this late in my pregnancy and for a while after LO is born. Due date is 6/13/14. I was hoping to only close for a week and have my MIL take over for me for 6 weeks so that I can heal up properly, rest as much as I can, and enjoy my last baby. MIL just got a job working overnights and now I feel that I can't really ask much of her to work with me during the day and go to work again at night. My last labor was difficult and I remember being 2 weeks postpartum and miserable so coming back to work myself would be hard after only one week.

Now that my backup plan has fallen through I'm considering closing for at least 4 weeks after delivery. Hubby just started a new job and can't take time off so it will be up to me to care for my new LO and 3yr old right after delivery. I'm not too worried about the drop in kids since they are on an as needed basis and I can turn them away for a month (They know this will be the case for a while after LO is born.) My worry is the 12month old since I know her mother will be working.

I am thinking of telling her I will need to take 4 weeks minimum off after LO is born and that she can use whatever she pays me to find someone temporary, family member or another daycare, to fill in while I am on leave. Has anyone ever had a situation like this before? How did you handle it? I would hire a helper but honestly would really like a little peace in the house so I can enjoy those moments with my kids alone.

[Michael]

Some more threads on Parent Notification: https://www.daycare.com/forum/tags.p...t+notification

[spud912]

I would say take whatever time you need to; however, be advised that some families may leave if it is too long.

[Margarete]

Does your 3 year old and 12mo (will be 15 month old) get a long and interact well? I know my daughter really enjoyed having the kids back so she could play with them.
I just had my second in January and I have a 3 year old too. You don't get the rest time that you do when you just have one baby. To me watching the two more kids (in addition to my own daughter) wasn't much more work, and in some ways it was easier. The dck already knew the routine, and interacted well with my daughter.
My husband let me take naps after work if I wanted, but usually I was going to bed at the same time as my 3 year old for a while to get the rest I needed (with the additional newborn wake ups). I did have a fairly easy delivery though, and nursing went so much better then it did with my first. I did have two people 'on call' to help during the busiest part of the day if I needed it. Just knowing I had options if I felt overwhelmed was nice.

I do wish I would have hired a house cleaner for a little while. That was harder to keep up on, and just wasn't where I wanted to invest my time and energy.

This is what I did, but you need to do what works for you. Congratulations! and I hope this delivery goes easier for you.

[EntropyControlSpecialist]

I opened two weeks after having my first baby. I was closed and credited everyone back those two weeks. No one left due to me closing or having a baby.
I would close for longer id you are able to. Family time is so precious and scarce when running this business during the week. However, if you think that toddler would occupy your preschooler then I might consider taking just that one.

I had people sign up here right before I delivered (1 week) and after (2 weeks after having her).

[Unregistered]

Does your 3 year old and 12mo (will be 15 month old) get a long and interact well? I know my daughter really enjoyed having the kids back so she could play with them.
I just had my second in January and I have a 3 year old too. You don't get the rest time that you do when you just have one baby. To me watching the two more kids (in addition to my own daughter) wasn't much more work, and in some ways it was easier. The dck already knew the routine, and interacted well with my daughter.
My husband let me take naps after work if I wanted, but usually I was going to bed at the same time as my 3 year old for a while to get the rest I needed (with the additional newborn wake ups). I did have a fairly easy delivery though, and nursing went so much better then it did with my first. I did have two people 'on call' to help during the busiest part of the day if I needed it. Just knowing I had options if I felt overwhelmed was nice.

I do wish I would have hired a house cleaner for a little while. That was harder to keep up on, and just wasn't where I wanted to invest my time and energy.

This is what I did, but you need to do what works for you. Congratulations! and I hope this delivery goes easier for you.

Unfortunately, my 3yr old son gets a bit irritated with the 12month old since she is very needy, cries a lot, and can be aggressive. He tends to "get her back" when she hurts him and doesn't understand. Her parents do have her a bit "spoiled" and don't reprimand her at home for her behaviors and carry her a lot even though she can walk. It can be a challenge some days to "retrain" her. Especially Mondays after being gone all weekend. There is no way I could step out of the area without keeping a very close eye on them both. If they got along better it would be a different story! Her mom took 5 months off of work when her LO was born so perhaps she'll be understanding of me wanting some time to bond with baby and family.

Hiring a little extra help sounds like a good idea for cleaning. I have a few sisters in middle school and HS, so when LO is born they will be on summer vacation. Perhaps I can offer them some extra spending money and work experience coming in for a few hours to help out!

[mamap]

I have a 7-month-old and had had a full house when she was born. She came on a Thursday after what would be considered a typical labor-except a little infection that I got while in the hospital-but was still released on the following Saturday and was open for business Monday.

Honestly, being back into the swing of things as quickly as I was helped me keep up with the demands of having a full daycare with children other than my own that ranged in age from 12 months to 7 years. My MIL came to help me out a few days a week for the first couple of weeks after she was born but that was it.

My 12-month-old at that time was VERY clingy and did not adjust well to me bringing a new baby in to snuggle with but after some time and a couple months of jealousy she's now 19 months and my little helper with my daughter.

I do regret not taking time to snuggle up on my kiddos (I have a 7-year-old also) but we survived and are doing fine. Just ease up where you can, accept any help you're offered and do what feels right for you, your family and your business!

[Unregistered]

I have a 7-month-old and had had a full house when she was born. She came on a Thursday after what would be considered a typical labor-except a little infection that I got while in the hospital-but was still released on the following Saturday and was open for business Monday.

Honestly, being back into the swing of things as quickly as I was helped me keep up with the demands of having a full daycare with children other than my own that ranged in age from 12 months to 7 years. My MIL came to help me out a few days a week for the first couple of weeks after she was born but that was it.

My 12-month-old at that time was VERY clingy and did not adjust well to me bringing a new baby in to snuggle with but after some time and a couple months of jealousy she's now 19 months and my little helper with my daughter.

I do regret not taking time to snuggle up on my kiddos (I have a 7-year-old also) but we survived and are doing fine. Just ease up where you can, accept any help you're offered and do what feels right for you, your family and your business!

Thank you! I have been stressed about it but I figure, my hubby just got a new job so no family leave for him. My mother in law just got a new job so no helping out much from her either. I'm just going to shut down for a month after the delivery and not accept any new enrollments until after I open back up after LO is born. I want to take advantage of time spent bonding between LO and the hubby and son. If that means I have to turn away new business for 4 months, so be it. It's worth it to me. Thank you everyone!