How Do You Set Your Daycare Up?

[thecrazyisout]

I have a three bedroom Rambler with my husband. We can not use the basement for the daycare since there is no egress (SP?) window in the basement.

Currently I have an 8month and 18 month, 20 month and two 4 year olds. Two rooms are used for the master bedroom and my son (20 month) for personal space with the exception of nap time for the master bedroom. There is a crib in the master room.

Currently, the preschoolers nap out in the living room. The third room is used for a play room:

so here is my question...how is your space set up. I would like the 4 yo to move to the other room for nap time and then move the play room out becuase everything seems to have migrated into the open dining room (no furniture in here), and the family room.

Any advice or suggestions would be welcome that make your space run more efficiently!!!

THANKS

[sierrastreasures]

I'm fortunate, we live in a townhouse which has a large sliding glass window in the back. Since we are an end unit we also have a large backyard.

We have made the basement exclusively our daycare. We have a full kitchen and full bathroom. If daycare fails it will work also as an apartment so this works for us. As far as nap time, I have all four sleeping side by side. Literally they are side by side but they don't see each other because I have a collapsible 3 foot partition that snakes around them as if they have their own sleeping cubicles. Wish I could take a picture of them at nap time but have no idea how to upload a picture like that.

[SandeeAR]

My extra room has two toddler beds, a crib and a pak-n-play. One pak-n-play in the master, as on dck is a screamer.

The toys are all lined along the wall under the kitchen bar and along the front of the big screen tv. Changing table is in the den, but can easily be moved out if we have company.

I tried to post pics for you, but it told me a security token was missing, whatever that means. I've posted these exact same pics before.

Tried a second time to add pics, It still won't let me. They are in my album on my profile if you want to look there.

[laundrymom]

I have a 3 bedroom,.. kitchen living and front porch, I have one baby in each bedroom, My girls, my sons and mine, I have 7 nap on cots in the living room.

[thecrazyisout]

I guess I am trying to plan ahead to when the two little ones will no longer be napping in the cribs and down on the cots. I think once I get the one room set up for just napping and maybe cubicles to keep their belongings, then it will be easier to transition.

[JenNJ]

I have a step down family room used exclusively for daycare. I have the older children nap on nap mats in there. My littles nap in a spare bedroom in pack n plays. Any infant under 9 months naps on the main level where I am. I do 15 minuter rounds throughout naptime.

[Meyou]

I have old house with lots of nooks. There is an L shaped hallway that starts at my front door entryway and ends in a 8x8 open area. Off the open area are the stairs upstairs to my daughter's bedrooms which double as the nap rooms, the stairs downstairs (half flight to the back deck), the kitchen, the daycare washroom and the playroom. There are hooks and bins for each child in the entryway and these contain all their stuff including my own kids stuff. (Its a great dropping place for my own kids. If I find it, it goes in the bin for them to put away before bed).

In the L shaped hallway I have a block area at one end by the entry, the timeout chair in the L and an art area at the other end in the 8X8 open area. It's a little table and chairs, paper and crayons with a clothespin display area above for their art. At the top of the stairs (half flight) there is a reading nook between the two nap rooms. The playroom is set up with areas for different toys (cars, house, baby, dressup, zhu zhus etc).

The whole daycare setup other than the entry area are tucked away each night and on the weekends. We put everything in the playroom and close the door so our home functions normally with one less room. The children aren't allowed downstairs or in the living room (also off the L hallway).

[thecrazyisout]

I have old house with lots of nooks. There is an L shaped hallway that starts at my front door entryway and ends in a 8x8 open area. Off the open area are the stairs upstairs to my daughter's bedrooms which double as the nap rooms, the stairs downstairs (half flight to the back deck), the kitchen, the daycare washroom and the playroom. There are hooks and bins for each child in the entryway and these contain all their stuff including my own kids stuff. (Its a great dropping place for my own kids. If I find it, it goes in the bin for them to put away before bed).

In the L shaped hallway I have a block area at one end by the entry, the timeout chair in the L and an art area at the other end in the 8X8 open area. It's a little table and chairs, paper and crayons with a clothespin display area above for their art. At the top of the stairs (half flight) there is a reading nook between the two nap rooms. The playroom is set up with areas for different toys (cars, house, baby, dressup, zhu zhus etc).

The whole daycare setup other than the entry area are tucked away each night and on the weekends. We put everything in the playroom and close the door so our home functions normally with one less room. The children aren't allowed downstairs or in the living room (also off the L hallway).

That is another one of my goals; to have it function like a home nights and weekend and not feel as though I am living in my daycare (which technically I am), it is nice though to be "away from work." The hardest challenge is the fact we have a 20 month old who we want to play with too! So, i am guessing we wont totally get there until our kids grow out of little toys!

[Meyou]

That is another one of my goals; to have it function like a home nights and weekend and not feel as though I am living in my daycare (which technically I am), it is nice though to be "away from work." The hardest challenge is the fact we have a 20 month old who we want to play with too! So, i am guessing we wont totally get there until our kids grow out of little toys!

My kids go in there in the evenings and weekends but they have to keep the door shut and leave it how they found it. I keep a game system tucked away in a cupboard for my kids. I like having a room for my girls to hang out with their friends anyway.