Logistics of More Than One Small Infant?

[Lovisa]

What does it look like in your home daycare when you have more than one small infant? I have the opportunity to get a 3 month old and a 4 month old within the next 2 months or so and I'm trying to figure out the logistics when you can't use a bouncy chair or a swing? I will also have a few toddlers in the mix so it might be kinda crazy.

I have 2 porta cribs already. Do you just leave the cribs in your main area of the house so you can take turns laying them down if the other is crying or......what if they both start screaming? Lol...maybe I am over thinking this. Just don't want to bite off more than I can chew but I know MANY providers have several infants at a time. Just looking for some advice

[laundrymom]

My advice.
Start w one. When you get confident w them. Add another. Adding two at once is hard. Even w decades of experience.
Better to pass than to burn out.

Now. Logistically??
I coplay all
My kids in same room. I offer no entrapment devices. (Swings/bouncers/jumpers) I offer a crib, my arms, or the floor. That's it.
I've worked hard to find a system that works well for me and it has to be tweaked daily to work.
I'm consistently within sight and sound though. Always right with the kids. Mine sleep, play, eat and fuss in the same room. It's not easy but it works for me.

[marcieandpie]

Personally, I think you should only take one until you know having infants will not effect your goals for your daycare. I took on two infants just two weeks apart and it was extremely challenging for me (but we're all different). What saved me was the fact that they were only a month apart and had mostly the same schedule as far as napping, feeding, etc...so that would be something to consider as well, IMO.

[Lovisa]

Thank you for your thoughts!

[Annalee]

My advice.
Start w one. When you get confident w them. Add another. Adding two at once is hard. Even w decades of experience.
Better to pass than to burn out.

Now. Logistically??
I coplay all
My kids in same room. I offer no entrapment devices. (Swings/bouncers/jumpers) I offer a crib, my arms, or the floor. That's it.
I've worked hard to find a system that works well for me and it has to be tweaked daily to work.
I'm consistently within sight and sound though. Always right with the kids. Mine sleep, play, eat and fuss in the same room. It's not easy but it works for me.

Same for me!

[mamamanda]

It's been my experience that infants take a while to adjust to daycare. If you already had an infant who was well adjusted and wanted to add another it would probably be fine. But going through the adjustment period with both of them at the same time will most likely be very rough. Especially if they are used to bouncers, swings, etc at home and you can't replicate that. Once you're in a good routine with them it works pretty well, but it can take weeks/months to get there. At least that's been my experience.

[kitykids3]

Two years ago I had 2 infants that were one week apart. They are now two and having siblings. So I currently have 2 infants again (a 4 mo and 6mo old) and I am adding a third in April. I am lucky to have a small separate bedroom off the play room that I have gated and is the 'baby' room for babies under 18 months. I have 2 portacribs in there for them to sleep and everything in there is 'baby safe.' I lay down a blanket and let them be free. When outside, I use the hexagon gate on a blanket and a huge beach umbrella over it so they can have floor time outside too without getting stomped by older kids. Sometimes we all do play in the same room (I only have one highchair on floor for them learning to sit up and one baby rocker for very little babies, otherwise the babies are on the floor), and the older kids have to learn to watch out for them (they're on a blanket to the side to kinda mark where the big kids stay away from).
If I were you I would start with one and then when you are used to it then add another if you feel ready. You'll be having 3 "schedules" going until 2 babies can get on older kids routines.

[TwinKristi]

I've almost always had 2 infants. Infant care is in high demand here.
I had babies about one month apart start in Oct & Dec at 4mos-5mos. We aren't allowed to have bouncy chairs but we can have seats and swings. So I had a seat that was very much like a bouncy seat but doesn't bounce but vibrates and plays music. We also have an infant-to-toddler rocking chair type seat that vibrates. We aren't allowed to leave babies in cribs if they're not asleep or high chairs if they're not eating. I also bought a play yard and put the babies in there with toys to keep them from being trampled on.

[Unregistered]

When I took children under one year of age I only cared for one infant and one toddler with the rest being over two. This is all I ever wanted to take on. Now I only take children one year and up.

I do take more than one child between one and two as I love that age group!