Considering Starting Home Daycare

[Unregistered]

Hi,
So, I just recently went to our states orientation class to start a home daycare. I'm actually currently a stay at home mom. My husband does not care if I work or not. However, I miss making my "own money." I do have a couple of questions. First I was considering only accepting children on a "teacher schedule." Would that be impossible to do? Secondly, I have a 20 month old and currently trying to conceive. Is it stressful with having your own children really young? Has anyone on here had a newborn of there own while doing daycare and what was your experience? Thirdly, is it challenging to keep your house somewhat clean and still feel like your home and not a daycare?

[Thriftylady]

Hi,
So, I just recently went to our states orientation class to start a home daycare. I'm actually currently a stay at home mom. My husband does not care if I work or not. However, I miss making my "own money." I do have a couple of questions. First I was considering only accepting children on a "teacher schedule." Would that be impossible to do? Secondly, I have a 20 month old and currently trying to conceive. Is it stressful with having your own children really young? Has anyone on here had a newborn of there own while doing daycare and what was your experience? Thirdly, is it challenging to keep your house somewhat clean and still feel like your home and not a daycare?

I had trouble with my daughter when she was 2 and up when I had daycare, but that doesn't mean everyone will, she was just a tough little girl! Many people have young children and do daycare though. As far as it taking over your home, it always has mine. I have never found a way around it! Others may have a different answer and it depends on your home, some people have enough space for a dedicated space, I have never really had that.

[Unregistered]

I had trouble with my daughter when she was 2 and up when I had daycare, but that doesn't mean everyone will, she was just a tough little girl! Many people have young children and do daycare though. As far as it taking over your home, it always has mine. I have never found a way around it! Others may have a different answer and it depends on your home, some people have enough space for a dedicated space, I have never really had that.

Thank you for your honest answer and not sugar coating it. If you don't mind what we're some of the challenges you faced with a young child of your own? My 20 month is a challenging toddler. However, she seems to be more well mannered around other children. But I don't know how it would be with her being around other children in her own home :/

[mamamanda]

Hi,
So, I just recently went to our states orientation class to start a home daycare. I'm actually currently a stay at home mom. My husband does not care if I work or not. However, I miss making my "own money." I do have a couple of questions. First I was considering only accepting children on a "teacher schedule." Would that be impossible to do? Secondly, I have a 20 month old and currently trying to conceive. Is it stressful with having your own children really young? Has anyone on here had a newborn of there own while doing daycare and what was your experience? Thirdly, is it challenging to keep your house somewhat clean and still feel like your home and not a daycare?

The teacher schedule is possible. You will just have to be patient when advertising for kids. Ask some of the local schools if you can put up a flyer there. I have a 4 year old and an 11 mo old. There are challenges to having your own little ones while doing daycare, but its definitely doable. How sick do you get during pregnancy? I'd be more concerned about that than after they're born. I had terrible morning sickness & you obviously don't have sick days to use so I had to hire a mother's helper to get me through the first half of pregnancy. We made it though & I do love my job! Having a newborn is stressful & wonderful at the same time. Stressful b/c I was worried about daycare kids bringing in germs, keeping rough kiddos from touching or harming the baby, being able to balance baby's needs with that of the group. It was wonderful b/c I had a lot of little helpers, the baby & dcks all learned from each other, dcg5 actually taught baby to say hi & it was such a special moment. My 4 year old struggles b/c the other kids are all in his space, playing with his toys, sharing his mommy, etc. We found that having a dedicated play space for daycare separate from his own special toys helps tremendously. He shares wonderfully, but some kids haven't been taught to respect the toys like he has so it is heartbreaking when something that really matters to him gets broken needlessly. There are definitely both pros & cons, but for our family me working is necessary. The trade off of stressful moments is definitely worth the Tim i get to spend at home raising my own little ones.
Keeping the house clean is a real struggle. My best tip is routine. Have everything ready the night before & realize that doing daycare truly is a full time job. You'll have chores that need to be done in the evening nust like if you worked outside the him b/c you won't be able to do it while caring for a house full of kids. We don't have the space to keep things separate so I do feel like I'm at daycare all the time. That said, I've lear ec ways to make it manageable like using one bedroom as a playroom & keeping kids out of the family room. That room is our safe space just for us. Its a challenging job, but the kids are a joy more often than not. Good luck in whatever you decide!

[midaycare]

Hi,
So, I just recently went to our states orientation class to start a home daycare. I'm actually currently a stay at home mom. My husband does not care if I work or not. However, I miss making my "own money." I do have a couple of questions. First I was considering only accepting children on a "teacher schedule." Would that be impossible to do? Secondly, I have a 20 month old and currently trying to conceive. Is it stressful with having your own children really young? Has anyone on here had a newborn of there own while doing daycare and what was your experience? Thirdly, is it challenging to keep your house somewhat clean and still feel like your home and not a daycare?

Just a warning about teachers: sometimes they are not the easiest of clients. There are a lot of complaints on here about teachers . But ... If you like their schedule, go for it!

I am also in a situation where I don't have to work, but I do. I choose to do it full time and really enjoy it - for the most part. Every job has its downsides, including this one.

I waited to do this until my son was in school all day. Personally, I would not be able to be a mom to my DS and do the daycare at the same time. But I know a lot of people start daycare so that they can be home with their kids. It totally depends on your personality.

If you can make a separate daycare space, it makes your life a lot easier. I have a dedicated walk-out basement for daycare use. We do have to go upstairs for the bathroom and meals, but being able to have a place I don't have to see at the end of the day is amazing. Of course, I also lost 1/3 of my home. Then again, I have a huge write-off ...

*I* would not go through a pregnancy and owning a daycare, but then again, that's just my personality. I stress easily. So just know what you can handle.

[Thriftylady]

Thank you for your honest answer and not sugar coating it. If you don't mind what we're some of the challenges you faced with a young child of your own? My 20 month is a challenging toddler. However, she seems to be more well mannered around other children. But I don't know how it would be with her being around other children in her own home :/

Well my daughter had some behaviour issues, that in the end were partly due to my lack of understanding how to parent a child like her. First off I would like to say that she is an AWESOME 17 year old, gives me no trouble, so it can be overcome.

I needed to be stronger with my DD. Her issues were not so much with the other kids, other than if she was acting up they would want to follow her lead. Often when I was trying to do preschool, she would run wild, trying to get my attention back on her. Even doing things like dumping whole bottles of shampoo all over the bathroom. If I had it to do over again, I would have sent her to another provider at least part time. She had issues sharing me. But she was also strong willed, and that made things harder. But around anyone but me, she was a perfect little princess. My best advice, when it comes to discipline, do not beg, plead, make "deals", bribe any of that, it gives the child the power. Set a limit, set what will happen if that is broken, and follow through. Never say you will do something you can't or won't do. For instance "I will spank your butt", in most states you are not allowed to spank even your own child during daycare hours, so don't say you will, because you can't and they figure that out. If you say "if you do that one more time I am throwing it away", when it happens again, throw it away. Let your kiddo know you are not kidding.

[Play Care]

If I were in your shoes I would start out maybe offering casual babysitting during the day and see if expanding is something you want to pursue.
You may find just having an additional 1-2 kids (legal in most states, check yours) is enough for you to get some extra money and get some socialization in for your own kids. Or you may find that getting a part time job around your husband's schedule is better so you can get out, make some money and your kids get daddy time.

A lot of the positives for in home day care probably won't really apply to you as you wouldn't go out to work anyway (saving money on day care, not having to schlep your kids out each day, being the main caregiver for your kids, etc) But you would have the negatives (wear and tear on your home (this one could potentially be major), being "stuck" at home if you don't/won't transport, your own kids perhaps having jealousy/behavior issues due to mom sharing, your home feeling like a business, etc)

You are not done expanding your family, and from personal experience I find many clients don't like when the provider's child is the "baby." I had ONE dck while my youngest was an infant, and found potential dc clients running in the opposite direction when they saw my infant... Now, I didn't mind so much as I liked the lighter load but it is a factor.

Ideally if I didn't have to work when my kids were not in school I would have been a SAHM. I could have taken them on play dates, to the library story hours, etc. I feel as though even though I was home with them, it went by so fast because I was so busy working at the same time. And a lot of frustrations that I had could have been avoided had I been a SAHM rather than a WAHM.

[littletots]

I started fcc when my dd was 4m. Per my license I can take two under 2yrs for a total of 6. I had my dd and a 6m dcb. It took almost a yr before I got another dck. As mentioned I found dcp felt I had enough on my plate. Finally, things started to pick up. My dd is now 8yrs. I had a son, 3 months prior to delivery my dcp moved & I only did backup care. You could start off doing backup, drop in so you can do dr appts, deliver & maternity leave.

[midaycare]

I started fcc when my dd was 4m. Per my license I can take two under 2yrs for a total of 6. I had my dd and a 6m dcb. It took almost a yr before I got another dck. As mentioned I found dcp felt I had enough on my plate. Finally, things started to pick up. My dd is now 8yrs. I had a son, 3 months prior to delivery my dcp moved & I only did backup care. You could start off doing backup, drop in so you can do dr appts, deliver & maternity leave.

Doing backup care is an awesome idea. I never even thought about that!

[littletots]

In my circle there are 10-15 of us. Someone is always pregnant. She does the backup, drop in, Temp. or pt. We are required to have two backup providers.

[Unregistered]

My dd was 4 when I started. She was such a blessing! Helped get the kids use to daycare. She is a great leader.
If you can, put your daycare in a seperate area. I hate looking at that stuff after work and on weekends!

[Ariana]

I am in the same boat as you, although I am an ECE so this is my profession. I didn't need to work but wanted some socialization for my daughter who was 16 months when I started. I kept it part time and it was great. She had some issues adjusting and I had to learn that I am a mommy first and foremost and that she is in her own home so she had special priviledges. It took me a while to stop feeling guilty about that. I then had my second daughter who is much more demanding. I also had a difficult pregnancy. I took a year off with her and then resumed daycare when she was 2 years old. She does ok but it is difficult even on a part time basis. She just does not want to share mommy at all so gets very clingy. We also moved homes and her clingyness went through the roof. I am still dealing with it. Anyway all of this to say give it a try and see how it goes. You can easily quit at any time!

[Controlled Chaos]

I did "babysitting" for 3 years before deciding I would get licensed and "get serious" . I had 2 kids (2y and newborn) when I started watching 1 child full time and other children here and there. I have been a licensed provider watching 8 kiddos for nearly a year and I have 3 kids now (18m, 3y and 5y). I never had a problem being pregnant and working, though for us the money was necessary so if not doing this, I would have been working somewhere else. My kids have never had jealousy issues, this is pretty much the only life they know. We say "everyone works, mommy is lucky enough to work with YOU!". My oldest attended a center for a year as a baby, so we walk about how lucky we are they get to go to daycare with mommy. Home childcare has been a huge blessing to my family. I have really enjoyed my daycare families, my children and I have made many life long friends.

I would take it slow, see what your families threshold is

My biggest suggestion - try to make the daycare/playroom a separate space so your child's toys are not everyone's toys. This has been a life saver for us. Make sure your children have space that is theirs and stuff that is their. Even if it is a little box or closet shelf that is their "specials" that they don't have to share.