Getting Your OWN Littles Ready For The Day

[SilverSabre25]

When your own kids sleep late (whether it's normal, or a one-time thing, or whatever), what do you do about getting them ready for the day when they finally wake up? I'm talking kids under 5 here.

I ask because my 3 yo routinely sleeps until 8 or so and my first dck gets here at 7, and this morning she slept until twenty after 9! (May have something to do with being out at fireworks until very, very late last night ). She's very independent and can do most things to get ready on her own, but she still needs breakfast and I haven't figured out how to feed her without having to feed everyone else again, too.

[dEHmom]

For me my own 2 (3 yo and 7 yo) sleep until 830-10am because it's summer holidays and we don't have to get up for school or anything. We've been letting them stay up a bit later as well because we camped all weekend, and so they've been staying up super late.

Anyways, because my dck's are babies, they nap at 8 or 830 am. So it doesn't affect my kids. But if you have dck's awake when yours are eating, I would suggest just keeping them out of the kitchen, and then it shouldn't be much of an issue.

[Crazy8]

my kids all slept in this morning too!!! For me, my own kids eat breakfast in the kitchen, daycare kids eat in the playroom so I have no problem giving them breakfast (or dinner) while daycare kids are here. Not sure how your daycare is set up, but I would just occupy the dck's while your child eats. If they are old enough to question it they are old enough to understand they already ate.

[heyhun77]

My ds's are both in school so we have a similar yet different problem. They need to eat before the dck in the morning because we wait until 8:30 to do dc breakfast but the boys need to leave for school before that. Mine just eat at our family meal table and the dck just know that we will eat when it's time for us to eat.

Incidentally I had 2 dck staying with me last week (Monday through Friday, 24 hr care) and the mornings that they woke up late I just got them breakfast and the other kids didn't even say anything because they had already eatten.

If you don't serve breakfast then just tell the other kids that your kids live here and need to eat and the dck ate at home. If they aren't feeding them prior to arriving and know you feed your own kids then nip it in the bud.

[Pammie]

My own kids are older and no longer live at home - but I used to just feed my kids whenever they woke up. One of the benefits of having me work at home was that my own kids were able to sleep in late when they wanted. I'd feed the dc kids on our dc breakfast schedule - and then feed my own kids whenever they woke up. Now I did have a rule with my own kids that they could only have a "special" breakfast (pancakes, french toast, etc) if that's what the dc kids had for breakfast earlier. I didn't want to feed the dc kids cheerios, and then have them all want french toast stix later:-)

Simply remind the dc kids that they've already had their breakfast, and to "go play" while you get dd her breakfast.

[Meeko]

When I started day care 25 years ago...I promised that my own kids would not have to "conform" to some of the day care rules. First and foremost...it was their home. They were allowed to sleep in when school was out. They were allowed to go wherever they wanted in the house. I had food items that they were allowed to eat that I did not feed the day care kids. (not at the same table tho') They had toys in their private rooms that the day care kids were not allowed to play with. If a day care kid ever whined I explained "it's their home". pure and simple. I never wanted my own kids to feel they were in a day care.

[daysofelijah]

My kids sleep as late as they want. If they sleep past breakfast, the older kids (6 & 8) have to get their own breakfast and they can get dressed and all that on their own. My 3 yo is not a big breakfast eater, but I will get her her drink and whatever she needs when she gets up. My daycare and kitchen are all on the same floor so the playrooms is just down the hall.
I try to remember to bring up clean clothes for dd for the day before dckids come, but if I forget she doesn't mind staying in jammies until I have a chance to run downstairs to get her clothes.

[sharlan]

Mine were 5 & 7 when I started. They got up whenever they wanted and dressed themselves. If they missed breakfast with the daycare kids, they got themselves a bowl of cereal. They ate whatever the daycare kids did for the rest of the day.

[Crazy8]

When I started day care 25 years ago...I promised that my own kids would not have to "conform" to some of the day care rules. First and foremost...it was their home. They were allowed to sleep in when school was out. They were allowed to go wherever they wanted in the house. I had food items that they were allowed to eat that I did not feed the day care kids. (not at the same table tho') They had toys in their private rooms that the day care kids were not allowed to play with. If a day care kid ever whined I explained "it's their home". pure and simple. I never wanted my own kids to feel they were in a day care.

this is how I've run my daycare for the past 10 years as well. It has never been a problem.

[SilverSabre25]

Thanks everyone; I appreciate the input. I don't know why I was overthinking things, . Baby brain, I guess.

The whole "her house, not childcare" thing has been coming up an awful lot lately for us. I've even almost had to tell a couple parents that--like the parents that were upset to learn that my DD had left with her grandparents at 2 PM one day and dcg was the only child here from 4 PM until 6:30. Same family, different night, was upset when they picked up dcg (prearranged late pick-up at 8 PM) and learned that DD had been asleep since 5:30. And the mom that was "so relieved" (direct quote, btw) to learn that we aren't sending DD to preschool this fall due to financial concerns. Her son is almost the same age and mom was really angry when we had originally told her (she asked...).

Anyway, i feel better now about just letting DD do what she needs to do, when she needs to do it, and less like I need to start waking her up at a specific time.

[sharlan]

Thanks everyone; I appreciate the input. I don't know why I was overthinking things, . Baby brain, I guess.

The whole "her house, not childcare" thing has been coming up an awful lot lately for us. I've even almost had to tell a couple parents that--like the parents that were upset to learn that my DD had left with her grandparents at 2 PM one day and dcg was the only child here from 4 PM until 6:30. Same family, different night, was upset when they picked up dcg (prearranged late pick-up at 8 PM) and learned that DD had been asleep since 5:30. And the mom that was "so relieved" (direct quote, btw) to learn that we aren't sending DD to preschool this fall due to financial concerns. Her son is almost the same age and mom was really angry when we had originally told her (she asked...).

Anyway, i feel better now about just letting DD do what she needs to do, when she needs to do it, and less like I need to start waking her up at a specific time.

Hmm, they pay YOU to care for their child. They did not hire your children to entertain their child. What your children do is of no concern of their's, unless it is directly impacting their child (hitting, biting, etc). Whether or not your child goes to preschool is a decision that you and your dh make, not the daycare families. Your child was tired and fell asleep. Should you have woken her up to entertain the other child? NO!

[SilverSabre25]

Hmm, they pay YOU to care for their child. They did not hire your children to entertain their child. What your children do is of no concern of their's, unless it is directly impacting their child (hitting, biting, etc). Whether or not your child goes to preschool is a decision that you and your dh make, not the daycare families. Your child was tired and fell asleep. Should you have woken her up to entertain the other child? NO!

Yeah, I know. My dcfamilies are great (for the most part...the one that had the issue with dd going to grandma's and falling asleep is starting to take advantage of pick-up times and needs reined in, if I could get the backbone to do it) but have some really strong opinions about things sometimes. Even great parents can be annoying at times.

[rjskids]

Right now my dd is going into 5th grade. So she takes care of herself. If she is up when I'm making something special for the daycare then she eats with us but I won't remake it for her when she wakes up (she snoozes..she loses :. As for my ds...not sure how I will do that. I understand the whole "it's his house he should get to do what he wants" but I think there still needs to be "daycare rules" he has to follow while he in "in my daycare". So maybe the mornings can be a little lenient in the summertime and then after my husband is home from work then he can technically "go home" to the upstairs and do what he wants but I feel that from morning snack to afternoon snack he follows the same rules as the other ones. I just think it is a part of teaching my son that he needs to respect me as a teacher during those hours, just as my daughter did when I was her teacher in the center I used to work at.
On a side note (so I don't sound like such a mean mom), I was always raised that while you had company over you always offer whatever it is you are doing or eatting to your guest. If your guest can't do or eat it then you don't do or eat it while they are there. So when friends would come over with there kids I would not allow my daughter to eat candy and snack on junk food if the other kids could not.

[SilverSabre25]

Right now my dd is going into 5th grade. So she takes care of herself. If she is up when I'm making something special for the daycare then she eats with us but I won't remake it for her when she wakes up (she snoozes..she loses :. As for my ds...not sure how I will do that. I understand the whole "it's his house he should get to do what he wants" but I think there still needs to be "daycare rules" he has to follow while he in "in my daycare". So maybe the mornings can be a little lenient in the summertime and then after my husband is home from work then he can technically "go home" to the upstairs and do what he wants but I feel that from morning snack to afternoon snack he follows the same rules as the other ones. I just think it is a part of teaching my son that he needs to respect me as a teacher during those hours, just as my daughter did when I was her teacher in the center I used to work at.
On a side note (so I don't sound like such a mean mom), I was always raised that while you had company over you always offer whatever it is you are doing or eatting to your guest. If your guest can't do or eat it then you don't do or eat it while they are there. So when friends would come over with there kids I would not allow my daughter to eat candy and snack on junk food if the other kids could not.

Oh I totally understand where you're coming from, and DD does have "Daycare Rules" that she has to follow during daycare and even at 3 she understands the difference. If she forgets I just have to remind her "Daycare rules..." in that almost sing-songy tone of voice and she toes the line again quickly. She is allowed to go play in her room though, and she doesn't nap (but has quiet time with shows streamed from netflix in her room) so she can have whatever snacks I allow during naptime.

[PitterPatter]

When your own kids sleep late (whether it's normal, or a one-time thing, or whatever), what do you do about getting them ready for the day when they finally wake up? I'm talking kids under 5 here.

I ask because my 3 yo routinely sleeps until 8 or so and my first dck gets here at 7, and this morning she slept until twenty after 9! (May have something to do with being out at fireworks until very, very late last night ). She's very independent and can do most things to get ready on her own, but she still needs breakfast and I haven't figured out how to feed her without having to feed everyone else again, too.

The only way I avoid double breakfasts is to have my son eat at the table alone while I keep the kids busy. Sometimes I feel bad so I just serve double everything.

During school months I have my son up and get breakfast at 7am. My DCKs come at 8:00 just after I get my son to school so I just have to cook again but no double servings to worry about.