Where Are You Buying Your Day Care Supplies??

[Candy]

Where is everyone going to buy there daycare items like swings, high chairs, walker etc. I went and looked at some thrift stores and they have really nice baby items that just neex to be washed off. Also what about food? I plan to buy everything from sam's club.

[Starburst]

I got the smaller preschool stuff (boarder, calenders, books/coloring books, simple toys/crafts), educational CD's, bottles, cleaning supplies, and storage things at the $1 store (my major weakness). I got a few things like daiper changing sheets, bowles, recipt/invoice pads, folders, potty training seats (I got 1 blue and 1 pink for $1.25 each!) at these two little oreintal stores in my town. I got a little play kitchen for ages 2+ for only $7 at taret (normally was $26). I have gotten some disney videos and books at Good Will. I keep looking at the websites for Walmart, K-mart, target ( family joke) for ideas of what I want in my future nursery but haven't bought anything yet. You can't resell or buy used strollers, cribs, or car seats because they may not follow current safety codes.

I have 3 laundry baskets (from the $1 tree ) full of daycare stuff in my closet! I cannot wait until I get to finally use it! happyface

[Starburst]

And Ill proably get the food from Super Walmart or Costco

P.S. I saw a really cool Winnie the Pooh ABC rug for only $25 at one of those cool local oriental stores I mentioned. The only thing is it is kinda big and just don't have a car right now and the store is about a 1/2 hour - 45 minute walk from my house . So I need to find out how to get it home.

[Candy]

I went to the local teacher supply store for boards and stuff but was only in there for about 5min after getting some bad news on the phone. Looked like some good stuff in there though.

[Starburst]

They have a RAFT (Resourses Area For Teachers) store in northern California- it's a big warehouse were you can buy a bunch of little random supplies and it is for members only- you have to work with kids at a school or daycare/FCC to shop there (membership fee is about $40 a year). I went their for an ECE class field trip (bummer it was on a Saturday ) like 2 Autumns ago and got a lot of interesting stickers, craft, and activities for my daycare. Everything is donated and recycled so it is super cheap (you can get a big bag of blank CD cases for like $.50 - $1). And they even have curriculum work shops or little activities sheets to show you what you can create with those items.

[Patches]

I went to an auction (two daycares closing) and got some great stuff there. (I lucked out finding this, but if you ever see one in yor area, GO TO IT) I got 3 diaper changing stations (the ones that mount on the wall like in public restrooms for $10-TOTAL! I sold 2 of them and make a good profit. I got 10 large plstic cots for $50 and sold 4 of them right there at the auction to the person that wa bidding against me (They also threw in 25 plastic baskets that were sitting there nest to the cots). I got 3 rocking chairs for $10 each and also sold 2 of those at the auction. Got a lot of other awesome stuff there, too, but I'll move on. I traded some PlayStation games for a pack n play through a local group on Facebook. I got some adorable rugs online at rugsusa.com BUT I got a Groupon for them so I got 5 rugs worth about $250 for $95. I also got some cots at the flea market- 5 smalll plastic cots for $20! They looked brand new and I looked them up online and they sold for about $40 EACH.

[Starburst]

Wow! Those are some awesome prices! I will defenately look into any local auctions when I start up. I have been looking into getting changing stations online and they usual cost between $150-$200. And rocking chairs are usually $50-$150 each. There should be a show like 'extream couponing' for child care providers. It could be called 'extream thrifting' or 'extream daycare shopping'.

[Candy]

I always hear about daycare and teacher conventions in my area but i can never find out when they are and when i do its always to late

[Starburst]

Try going to garage or school rummage sales or look into joining a local family child care association (if your area has one) and see about getting newsletters for upcomming child care related sales and events.

[HomeMADE]

I got almost all of the things I have off of Craigslist and Consignment sales. I have 4 kids so I had quite a bit already, like stroller and outdoor equipment. But I got a swing set ($50 steal), play table ($20), a portable crib and two pack and plays ($90). I lot more.

[Starburst]

I saw a brand new pack n play at good will the other day for $50 I was almost tempted to buy it but I don't have a car and my house is a 1/2 walk from the store. Another good place to look for decent priced items- Big Lots! I wish we had one close by.

[tratliff]

This makes me so sad.. I haven't started buying yet, but a few months ago, a huge daycare in my area closed their doors and sold everything. They had some awesome stuff but this was before I was planning to start my own FCCH so... I won't be taking infants or at least not when I start. I will mainly need furniture and toys. We have two small tables and chairs now in different rooms and some cheap shelves, but will eventually upgrade... DC toys it is!

[LadyK8]

I was jsut stressing so much about not being able to purchase as many supplies as I'd like. I'm so happy I saw this thread.

Five Below has good stuff too. Nice Pre-K type curriculum for $2.50.

[Starburst]

I've never heard of Five Below... is it a store or a website (like oriental trading)? I'm getting closer to graduation and am starting to freak out because I didn't think that I have much stuff for starting (books, bottles, toys, preschool stuff) but then I went through some of my daycare stock pile bins and relized I have a pretty good amount of starting stuff (about 7 18-gallon bins worth of stuff and 1 48-gallon worth of stuff- I have LOTS of books for all ages!). I also have a really cool antique (and sturdy) wooden changing table and one of my moms friends (out of state) found a crib and high chair for free and is holding it in storage for us until we move. I still need to inspect it myself since it was free and check with the states crib regulations. I'm just really bummed because our $1 store burned down a few months ago so I have to go out of town for cheap preschool items.

[Starburst]

Score! I was walking around town and found a Lego tray for absolutely free! Just need to finish sanitizing it but otherwise it's in good shape and very sturdy, no cracks!