My Home Isn't My Home! - Advice Needed

[Unregistered]

That's extremely rude, but probably most of us have been there. I think a small sign is a great idea, and never post your address anywhere. My door is always locked and I would not open it to anyone you don't know.

After experiencing rude and horrible parents over the years, I have gated my home and they pretty much are regulated to outside or to the foyer. I also have it written in my policy about kids kicking the door, ringing the door bell etc. because as a home there are other people, and neighbors to consider. For me, the changes I made after some incidents helped a lot. And now if I get a rude parent I don't mess around, I terminate them pretty quick if it's not going to work.

[Snowmom]

Regarding smells; because I'm always paranoid my house smells like dirty diapers...
If you aren't familiar with essential oils, they do work wonders. I don't buy into the direct sales ones (like Young Living or DoTerra, although I have used them and they work fine too), but I buy mine right off Native American Nutritionals website. They have one called Purify that removes smells from the air.
You diffuse it (so you would need a diffuser, which you can buy off Amazon for around $20). I think the oil was around $10.
I also have a car diffuser and use it in my van occasionally. Works awesome.
Some people also diffuse it to remove airborne germs, although I don't think that's a proven fact.

[Annalee]

This is long. I need advice from people who have their daycare in their home.

How do you guys handle having your home always be public? I feel like I can never get any peace because someone is always showing up at my door. Like last Sunday.. I was looking like a mess, cleaning all day and playing with my kids. All of a sudden there's a knock on the door.. so I answered it not knowing who it was, and it was someone looking for daycare! I was in raggedy old clothes with my hhair literally piled on top of my head from the night before. It was MYYY day to look like a mess if I wanted to. But now I can't stop having anxiety attacks about these parents telling the whole town that I'm unprofessional and dirty.

Plus, with the day to day I'm always worried about how my home appears and about having parents show up unannounced. Had a ton of garbage this week? Well it looks awful overflowing at the top of my driveway on trash day. Kids are all napping and I need to poop? NOPE parent shows up when I'm smack in the middle of my business. Cooked some delicious food last night? Well that gross food smell is lingering in the morning when everyone is dropping off.

I feel like I'm ALWAYS on duty, even off hours

Someone help me figure out a balance!

:hug:I don't know how long you have been providing child care in your home....but time does have a way of helping with your issues.

You will learn how to set guidelines with interviews, etc. to meet your schedule. You will learn how to set up your contract to benefit YOU and YOUR FAMILY.

Do your have a support group or mentor in your area....maybe a child care resource & referral that could help you with some of this. Networking with other providers like on this forum will work wonders. Having someone actually hands-on come to your home to help would be AWESOME!

I only say this because I now mentor but still have a mentor as well and I could not make it some days without a text, email, call, etc. My daycare is still in my home but I have been blessed the past few years to have built on a large room with kitchen and batroom so I can close it off at end of day. :hug:to you as you grow as a provider. Hang in there

[childcaremom]

So glad I am not the only one who always feels stressed out - especially about lingering cooking smells.

The only advice I have is to remember that you are human and only capable of doing so much. Any worthy DCF will know and understand the same.

I have two teenage boys. I am always running around opening windows in the morning and hoping the, um, body odours are gone by the time I open

[Annalee]

I have two teenage boys. I am always running around opening windows in the morning and hoping the, um, body odours are gone by the time I open

::I have two sons 11, and 13 and y'all aren't giving me any hope for the future because I thought they would grow out of "who can be the smelliest"::

Raising the window works the best for me because my motto is "the only thing worse than a stinky smell is a covered up stinky smell". I do not like using smelly fragrances to cover up stink. I like the old bleach solution that usually takes care of the smells!

[Jujube835]

Thank you all so much! I'm hoping to gain your confidence in the future. I did make a sign for my door today! I'm hoping for no more crazies