Daycare moms

Just wondering and pardon me if any of the questions or the thread all together is too much...

1)How many children do you keep? Yours & daycare kiddos?

2) Age combnations?

3) About how many hours do you dedicate to it?

4) How do you structure it and conduct all the business you need to keep up w/ to run your own household?

5) What car(s) do you drive and what car seat combinations? Are the seats yours or parent provided? What would you say to a parent who insited you use theirs but you knew your seats were safer?

6) Your house or their house? Is their a difference in what you can charge depending? If at your ouse whats the set up...living room? basement? All over? What areas do you use?

7) How about food...do you provide or parents? At what age do you start if so/ What kinds of things do you normally serve?

8) Do you have any type of license or permit? Are there regulations or is it just considered "babysitting" to a certain # of kids or a certain # of hours or is there any type of regulation?

To exlain a bit i've been workingat a special education school since I left college in '04 and have started to get this feeling that i realy need to pull out of there! Two months ago I started w/ a single mom of 4 who I help in the evening s and on weekend (per my post on small misbehaved kids needing carseats after being in nothing!) but even though I'm comfortable that that is a stable position I continue to think i should take on some kids during the day reg 9-5 M-F you know and I've been setting up and have one family fairly garaunteed to start in June but just got word from another family, but that would make 5 kiddos under 3 during the day and though i think I could handle I just don't have a clear knowledge of the regulations regarding this and wonder from folks that are doing it NOW as to if I'm being over abitious?

Please any info/experiences/ideas/suggestions are ALL welcome as I need to email the latest family ASAP Gracias

Each state has different laws. Every county in NY is supposed to have a sort of "oversight" council which helps people become providers, supply resources to area families as well as providers, etc. Your state website probably has your state child care regulations posted. The NY website (Office of Children & Families) also has the necessary downloadable forms. Regulations here include number of kids at certain ages, provider health & safety training, adherance to nutrition guidelines, emergency plan (for hospital/doctor + fire escape), documation of the location inside & outside, schedule of routine right down to how many times & when everyone will wash their hands....

PHaley said:

Just wondering and pardon me if any of the questions or the thread all together is too much...

1)How many children do you keep? Yours & daycare kiddos?

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Currently 4 daycare kids...three 3yr olds and one 14mo. My kids are older (16 & 10), but we'll also be adding foster babies (up to 2) to the mix.

PHaley said:

2) Age combnations?

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See above.

PHaley said:

3) About how many hours do you dedicate to it?

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My stated hours are 6am-6pm, but the kids I have now come around 8:30 and are usually gone between 3pm-4pm. I LOVE my hours!

PHaley said:

4) How do you structure it and conduct all the business you need to keep up w/ to run your own household?

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Consistency during the day w/the kids. They thrive on it.

As for the household...I clean before the kids come. P/U throughout the day. And save laundry for the weekends for the most part. I also mop at night.

PHaley said:

5) What car(s) do you drive and what car seat combinations? Are the seats yours or parent provided? What would you say to a parent who insited you use theirs but you knew your seats were safer?

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I have a Suburban. I provide the seats. In my 3rd row, I have 2 Britax DC's outboard and a MA in the center (all ff). In the 2nd row I have a rf MA outboard and a SS1 in the center. I also have a RA and a couple of boosters. I wouldn't use a seat the parent provided simply because I'm not going to install seats on a daily basis and most of the parents here have bad bad seats. Being a tech helps (although that just came about recently)...I've never had one insist.

PHaley said:

6) Your house or their house? Is their a difference in what you can charge depending? If at your ouse whats the set up...living room? basement? All over? What areas do you use?

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I do it in my house. Doing it in theirs...you'd be more of a nanny vs daycare as you'd only be caring for one families children. Nannies are paid more per child, but because you have less kids, the income may be less. Although some nannies make REALLY good money.

Oh, and while it's primarily in my living/dinning room...there isn't a room in my house that hasn't been affected in some way! LOL

PHaley said:

7) How about food...do you provide or parents? At what age do you start if so/ What kinds of things do you normally serve?

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I provide the meals from the beginning. If you are on the food program (HIGHLY recommend it) you have to offer formula, so all my kids go on the program. You can't offer it to kids over 1, but not under. It's discrimination. The parents can refuse it if they want, and most do (the formula that is).

PHaley said:

8) Do you have any type of license or permit? Are there regulations or is it just considered "babysitting" to a certain # of kids or a certain # of hours or is there any type of regulation?

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Yep. I'm licensed. And yep, there are tons of regulations. The basic ratios for my state are as follows:

If 4 or more under age 2, I can have 5 kids.
If 3 under age 2, I can have 6 kids.
If 2 under age 2, I can have 7 kids.

Seven is the max a home daycare can be licensed for here, with one provider. You can get another license called a 'large childcare home' and their numbers are different.

HTH.

i wasn't the OP but thanks for the info. I want to open up a day care after school as well so that helped thanks

PHaley said:

Just wondering and pardon me if any of the questions or the thread all together is too much...

1)How many children do you keep? Yours & daycare kiddos?

4 daycare kids, 2 are mine



2) Age combnations?

1 7 month, 3-15 month olds, 1-22 month old, 1-27 month old

3) About how many hours do you dedicate to it?

Hours of operation 7:30-5:30, try to clean up as I go otherwise gets out
of hand REALLY FAST

4) How do you structure it and conduct all the business you need to keep up w/ to run your own household?

My DH takes care of all the business and even docs visites (that was part of the deal when I started daycare. Also set a schedule and give a copy to the parents and stick to the schedule or UTTER CHAOS REIGNS.

5) What car(s) do you drive and what car seat combinations? Are the seats yours or parent provided? What would you say to a parent who insited you use theirs but you knew your seats were safer?

At this point I am not transporting any kids but I might start transporting to daycare in the fall.

6) Your house or their house? Is their a difference in what you can charge depending? If at your ouse whats the set up...living room? basement? All over? What areas do you use?

DItto what previous poster said on this. We use dining room, living room, and kitchen primarily. Because of the young age range I have at the moment, I have a portacrib/crib in every room at the moment.

7) How about food...do you provide or parents? At what age do you start if so/ What kinds of things do you normally serve?

I am a state food program and highly recommend it. The state regualtes what you can serve at what age and how much.

8) Do you have any type of license or permit? Are there regulations or is it just considered "babysitting" to a certain # of kids or a certain # of hours or is there any type of regulation?

I am licensed. In the state of Georgia it is illegal to keep more than two children ,not your own, for pay. I would suggest getting in touch with your state program and requesting a packet. It will contain LOTS of information on all the things you are asking here.

To exlain a bit i've been workingat a special education school since I left college in '04 and have started to get this feeling that i realy need to pull out of there! Two months ago I started w/ a single mom of 4 who I help in the evening s and on weekend (per my post on small misbehaved kids needing carseats after being in nothing!) but even though I'm comfortable that that is a stable position I continue to think i should take on some kids during the day reg 9-5 M-F you know and I've been setting up and have one family fairly garaunteed to start in June but just got word from another family, but that would make 5 kiddos under 3 during the day and though i think I could handle I just don't have a clear knowledge of the regulations regarding this and wonder from folks that are doing it NOW as to if I'm being over abitious?

Please any info/experiences/ideas/suggestions are ALL welcome as I need to email the latest family ASAP Gracias

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It is a really rewarding nd lucrative experience if you use your state resorceses

Just wondering and pardon me if any of the questions or the thread all together is too much...

1)How many children do you keep? Yours & daycare kiddos?

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I am certified to have 6 kids... I have 3 of my own and 3 daycare kids and I'm always full. In WI, if you're certified through the county you can have up to 6 kids and if you're licensed through the state, you can have up to 8 kids, but you have to count your own kids for both of those. 6 is plenty for me! It varies by state...

2) Age combnations?

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My own: 5 yrs, 3 3/4 yrs, 2 3/4 yrs
My daycare kids: 5 1/2 yrs, 2 1/2 yrs, 1 1/4 yrs.
During the summer I have a part-time school age kid that is 9 yrs.

3) About how many hours do you dedicate to it?

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I have kids for about 50 hrs a week, but are you counting the extra time put into cleaning & paper work after the kids go home? Technically, my hours are 6:00 - 6:00, but my right now my earliest doesn't come until about 8:00, which is SO nice!

4) How do you structure it and conduct all the business you need to keep up w/ to run your own household?

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I have a definite routine that we follow during the day... regular meal times, nap times, activity times, etc.... I think it is a must to have a regular routine. Like a pp said, the kids thrive on it, and it's good for me too! As far as how I get everything done that needs to be done around the house, the simple answer is, I don't! My house is a mess all the time, I rarely have time to pick up (I know I need to make the kids pick up, but I just don't), laundry is always piled up even though I do 2 loads a day, and dishes are also frequently piled up even though the dishwasher runs 2-3 times per day! It would definitely be easier if I didn't have 3 young kids myself... then I wouldn't have as much laundry or dishes and I would have more time to dedicate to cleaning when the daycare kids leave, but for now, I just live with the mess (not dirt, but mess!)

5) What car(s) do you drive and what car seat combinations? Are the seats yours or parent provided? What would you say to a parent who insited you use theirs but you knew your seats were safer?

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I have a '96 Windstar. I provide the seats, which right now are: FF Radian in center row bench seat (X's primary seat), RF WZ next to the Radian (E's primary seat), FF Intera w/out the base (it's skinny and sits low this way) middle back bench seat (R's primary seat), RF Touriva outboard back bench seat (extra - I put that kiddo in from the back!), Cosco Protek HBB outboard back bench seat (extra). I would love to swap the Intera out for another Radian! I can only fit 5 kids in the back of my van, so we can rarely go anywhere since I have 6 kids on most days! I've never had parents want to provide their own seats. I always ask them things like, "Is she rear facing or forward facing?" (of course they're all always forward facing in their own vehicle) I think from the questions I ask they get the feeling that I know what I'm doing with car seat safety!

6) Your house or their house? Is their a difference in what you can charge depending? If at your ouse whats the set up...living room? basement? All over? What areas do you use?

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My house. What you can charge really depends on where you live. It varies everywhere. The whole house. I thought, at first, that I'd keep it to the living room/dining room/kitchen area, but that didn't work well for me because my own kids wanted to have run of the whole house (we have 4 bdrms and a family room, too), so now it's the whole house.

7) How about food...do you provide or parents? At what age do you start if so/ What kinds of things do you normally serve?

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I provide food. I participate in the food program, which is wonderful. They reimburse you for the cost of food, in WI, it's like $2 per lunch per kid, and $1.60 per breakfast per kid (those aren't exact amounts because I don't remember the exact amounts!), and because I am low income, I can claim my own kids too. Also, in WI, it is mandatory that all kids in care be on the food program unless parents specifically decline it. I haven't had any parents decline it, though!

8) Do you have any type of license or permit? Are there regulations or is it just considered "babysitting" to a certain # of kids or a certain # of hours or is there any type of regulation?

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See #1

I also provide home childcare. I have my ECE and have worked in daycares for years but I am not licensed. After I had my DS I did not want him going to daycare so I decided to take kids in. I still don't want my DS going to daycare and do not run my home like a daycare, it is a home. I want the home enviroment not a daycare enviroment. I sit and play with the kids, we read stories, play playdough, play games, do crafts (most of the time, not always) etc. What I do with my own DS I do with the other kids as well. We don't have a list of daily activities but do most of the same routine everyday with flexibility in it. I try to arranage any appointments around my extra kids but sometimes they have to come with me if I can't work around it. I still want to make it feel like a home not a daycare.

I am allowed to have 4 kids including my own, so I currently have 2 2.5yr olds and 1 1.5yr old plus my own 2.5 yr old. The kids start arriving at 7:45 and are all gone by 5:30 but I don't have them all everyday and somedays don't have any at all (well except my own ). My DH comes home at 5 so by then 2 of the kids are gone, and I will start supper before my last one leaves. If I need to do laundry I do that at nap time which used to be at 2ish but I have a recently new 2.5yr old that needs to go down a bit earlier. I use my living room and a playroom in the basement but usually most rooms in the house get used by the kids, especially for nap time.

I provide meals and snacks for the kids, they all bring their own sippy cups of milk. I do do some cleaning (not much though) while the kids are here, mostly it is just picking up after them, but after lunch I usually vacuume the kitchen and sometimes I can dust the living room while they are playing.

My question for other providers, do you do a craft everyday? What sort of crafts do you do with the kids? I get stuck in a rut with this and would love some ideas! For mothers day we are going to make stepping stones with their hand prints in it

I have 2 girls that come in. I am not licensed. We were friends through our husbands because they worked together. The mom needed/wanted to go back to work since DH's plant was closing in the year. She approached me about watching her kids and I said sure as it kept me home with my 2. I would like to take on one more, but since not licensed I don't advertise for it. We don't have a set schedule, but do have a routine as far as when snack/lunch and naps are, I do drive them most days, to pick up P from kindegarden and my DD from preschool, they alternate days with school. I drive an Oldmobile Silhouette with my 2 in the second row and the daycare in the back. I provide the Cargo for the 3 yr old and the parents provided a backless booster for the 5 yr old. They don't come everyday usually 2-4 days depending on the mom's schedule. I have been thinking about getting licensed, it just looks like a lot of hoops you need to jump through.

Since I got permission, here is a picture of my daycare

Jewels said:

I also provide home childcare. I have my ECE and have worked in daycares for years but I am not licensed. After I had my DS I did not want him going to daycare so I decided to take kids in. I still don't want my DS going to daycare and do not run my home like a daycare, it is a home. I want the home enviroment not a daycare enviroment. I sit and play with the kids, we read stories, play playdough, play games, do crafts (most of the time, not always) etc. What I do with my own DS I do with the other kids as well. We don't have a list of daily activities but do most of the same routine everyday with flexibility in it. I try to arranage any appointments around my extra kids but sometimes they have to come with me if I can't work around it. I still want to make it feel like a home not a daycare.

My question for other providers, do you do a craft everyday? What sort of crafts do you do with the kids? I get stuck in a rut with this and would love some ideas! For mothers day we are going to make stepping stones with their hand prints in it

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That's exactly how it is at my house. I worked in big daycare centers for years and don't want to run my home daycare like that. We are much more flexible here and definitely much more child-led. We do activities, but most of our day is made up of free play time because that is what is most important in young children's development.
As far as crafts go, I actually try to avoid them... most of the time. Free art is much better for young kids. In my ECE art class, I learned that there should never be adult standards placed on kids' art and that the process is so much more important than the end result. We were even told never to show kids a finished product and say, "this is what it will look like when you're done" (or "this is what I want it to look like when you're done"). Now... with that being said, we do crafts occasionally because the kids love them so much! I just always encourage the kids to add their own little creative touch to the crafts we do. Like, with the stepping stones, I would let them put their hand print on it if they wanted to, but I wouldn't require it, and then I would let them decorate it with those little glass beads and stuff like that, however they choose to do so. Some kids might not want to decorate it at all and that's fine! Or some kids might cover it with marbles and not want a handprint, and that's fine too. So, I guess, what I'm saying is... crafts are fun, but they're not art. Be sure to include plenty of free art opportunities, too.
Oh, and I wanted to add that to do home daycare, in most states, you have to have a minimum of educational hours in early childhood education. In WI, I think it is 40 hrs to begin with, but you can even do those through the mail. I'm not sure, though... I didn't have to worry about it since I have a bachelor's degree in early childhood studies, and you probably won't either since you say you've been working in an special sd school for a few years... you must have an educational background to work there, right?

stayinhomewithmy3 said:

That's exactly how it is at my house. I worked in big daycare centers for years and don't want to run my home daycare like that. We are much more flexible here and definitely much more child-led. We do activities, but most of our day is made up of free play time because that is what is most important in young children's development.
As far as crafts go, I actually try to avoid them... most of the time. Free art is much better for young kids. In my ECE art class, I learned that there should never be adult standards placed on kids' art and that the process is so much more important than the end result. We were even told never to show kids a finished product and say, "this is what it will look like when you're done" (or "this is what I want it to look like when you're done"). Now... with that being said, we do crafts occasionally because the kids love them so much! I just always encourage the kids to add their own little creative touch to the crafts we do. Like, with the stepping stones, I would let them put their hand print on it if they wanted to, but I wouldn't require it, and then I would let them decorate it with those little glass beads and stuff like that, however they choose to do so. Some kids might not want to decorate it at all and that's fine! Or some kids might cover it with marbles and not want a handprint, and that's fine too. So, I guess, what I'm saying is... crafts are fun, but they're not art. Be sure to include plenty of free art opportunities, too.

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Yes this is what we do most of the time. Free art activities, I should have clarified this but I do sometimes have a end product in mind with a name of what we are making not a expectation and I almost never (I don't think ever) show them a end product. We did do a paperchain for a Christmas countdown and they decorated and I stapled them together when they handed them to me (this is likely the most organized craft we've done). I just get tired of making a college all the time. Oh and with the stepping stones they will get to decorate them how they want, it is just my name for the craft idea.

stayinhomewithmy3 said:

Free art is much better for young kids. In my ECE art class, I learned that there should never be adult standards placed on kids' art and that the process is so much more important than the end result. We were even told never to show kids a finished product and say, "this is what it will look like when you're done" (or "this is what I want it to look like when you're done").

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I too was taught that too, but I don't always agree with it. I think that if a child never sees a snowman how is he to know what a snowman is? Or if he is never shown how to make one then how is he to learn? I don't disagree with free child led crafts and sometimes do a more organized craft but it is still how they want it not me. I even let them use colouring books Which in school was a big no-no but most of the time it is colouring on blank paper.

When I talk about schedule, I mean, Breakfest at eight, lunch at 11.30, Nap at 12.30, Outside Play 3:30, It is not set in stone but it seems to help move the day along.....Also it helps the parents with drop off times. i.e, if I drop Amelia off at 1:00 she will miss lunch and need to go strait down for a nap. Naps are manditory. While you stay with me, you take a nap. You would be shocked, once the kids get on a nap schedule, they will drop whereever they are at that specific time and go to sleep with out you telling them, it is their internal clocks.

We do not do crafts like you mean. We do art. As in, I give them paper and crayons and then try to make sure they don't eat the crayons. I am sure when I have older kids it will become more complex.

Jewels said:

Yes this is what we do most of the time. Free art activities, I should have clarified this but I do sometimes have a end product in mind with a name of what we are making not a expectation and I almost never (I don't think ever) show them a end product. We did do a paperchain for a Christmas countdown and they decorated and I stapled them together when they handed them to me (this is likely the most organized craft we've done). I just get tired of making a college all the time. Oh and with the stepping stones they will get to decorate them how they want, it is just my name for the craft idea.



I too was taught that too, but I don't always agree with it. I think that if a child never sees a snowman how is he to know what a snowman is? Or if he is never shown how to make one then how is he to learn? I don't disagree with free child led crafts and sometimes do a more organized craft but it is still how they want it not me. I even let them use colouring books Which in school was a big no-no but most of the time it is colouring on blank paper.

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Jewels - then I definitely consider what you do to be free art! My interpretation of crafts is when they all end up looking the same. The stepping stones are a good idea. We have painted flower pots for mother's day for too many years now, so I'm thinking I might steal your stepping stones idea this year! As far as the snowman thing goes, obviously they're going to see snowmen... books, Xmas decorations, neighbor's yard, etc... I know what you mean, and we do crafts, too, sometimes, but if we were making a snowman craft, the kids would be able to make it whatever color they chose. My art teacher was pretty nutso, honestly! She drove me crazy! And at the end of the class, I so wanted to tell her that I loved crafts when I was a kid and would do them with any kids I had in the future just because they're fun, but I was a chicken, so I didn't! If you're like me, you have so many art supplies that you don't even remember what you have. It's pretty ridiculous, but I love ordering from Discount School Supply and I seriously forget what all I have! We have coloring books, too! Because, again, the kids like them, but we have plenty of plain paper, too. Enough of the arts & crafts talk, though. I have just seen TOO many preschool classrooms decorated with the kids craft projects, all the same, from pre-cut construction paper shapes, with no personality, and they call it art and parents think it's great, but, you know... okay I'm stopping now, really!
Oh, and Arly - you are SO right about the naptime thing. I love it when parents bring their kids in on the first day and say 'he doesn't take naps anymore.' and I say, 'we have naptime here, so he'll at least have to rest' and then a couple weeks later the kid is in such a naptime routine, taking those nice long naps and in such a good mood all the time, the parents are shocked to think that I could actually get their kid to nap! I actually don't understand how parents can think that a 2 yr old has outgrown their afternoon naps?!
I don't have any other daycare providers close to me to get together with or to talk with about this stuff... it's nice to be able to chat & compare notes with you guys!

stayinhomewithmy3 said:

Oh, and Arly - you are SO right about the naptime thing. I love it when parents bring their kids in on the first day and say 'he doesn't take naps anymore.' and I say, 'we have naptime here, so he'll at least have to rest' and then a couple weeks later the kid is in such a naptime routine, taking those nice long naps and in such a good mood all the time, the parents are shocked to think that I could actually get their kid to nap! I actually don't understand how parents can think that a 2 yr old has outgrown their afternoon naps?!
I don't have any other daycare providers close to me to get together with or to talk with about this stuff... it's nice to be able to chat & compare notes with you guys!

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I wouldn't be happy if you made my 2yr old nap! He stopped at about 22months and very occasionally napped until 2.5yrs but if he naps now we are up until midnight So I don't want him napping It was the struggles at bedtime that we stopped the afternoon nap because it was a struggle to get him to nap and then it was a struggle to get him to go to bed and we were up until midnight It just wasn't worth it, but he does have a quiet time :thumbsup:

Now yall know why my spelling is so bad, I am watching the kids and typing at the same time...

Jewels said:

I wouldn't be happy if you made my 2yr old nap! He stopped at about 22months and very occasionally napped until 2.5yrs but if he naps now we are up until midnight So I don't want him napping It was the struggles at bedtime that we stopped the afternoon nap because it was a struggle to get him to nap and then it was a struggle to get him to go to bed and we were up until midnight It just wasn't worth it, but he does have a quiet time :thumbsup:

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What I've found (and again, this is just my personal experience) is that almost all 2 yr olds have nap/sleep issues at some point. With my oldest, when he was 2, it was such a power struggle to get him to nap, but I stuck it out for months, and now at age 5, he still naps, and he's a happier kid for it. If I would've done what my brother & sis-in-law did with my neice (for example) I would've given up too. They just say that they can't get her to nap and they don't think she needs it anyway, but, trust me, if you were around her, you'd know that she still needed her naps, too! I've had parents that don't want their babies to nap (1 yr olds!) and that's just ridiculous, right? And then a mom of a 2 yr old told me that she didn't want him to nap because he goes to bed at 6 and sleeps through until 6 in the morning and she doesn't want him staying up any later than that at night because she needs her quiet time. Ummm... after he's been with me all day, she picks him up and puts him to bed an hour later, then gets him up in the morning and brings him right back to me. So, I told her that it wouldn't work, then... if he was going to be at my house, he would have to at least rest. And, that's just it, they have to rest, and usually they end up falling asleep. I've never had a kid that didn't naturally turn into a good napper after being here for a few months and having to lay down at rest time. Kids are different with parents, though... Jewels, that could be because he's your's, don't you think? I've always had more naptime/bedtime issues with my own kids than I've ever had with daycare kids. And I remember when my oldest was in daycare as a toddler and I was having a hard time getting him to sleep at naptime, so I talked to his daycare provider about it and she told me that she didn't have any problem with him at all at her house... she just layed him down on his mat and he went to sleep! So, that's when I realized he was just doing that for me! Gotta love 2 yr olds! And then, I read some sleep books and learned that most kids, when they have a really hard time falling asleep or staying asleep, it's actually because they're not getting enough sleep, and that once you add in a nap or make bedtime earlier, they start sleeping so much better and longer. It worked for my kids, at least. I know all kids are different, though...

So, this thread has gotten a little OT...
PHaley... do you think you're going to give it a try?
Oh my... I have to get these kids outside now!

Stayinhomewithmy3- I agree most 2yr olds do need naps and when we have melt downs all day I do try. My MIL tried, my mom tried even friends have tried and it just wouldn't work. He sometimes would fall asleep in the car or stroller but then again we are up until midnight. He has always been a great sleeper and still is at night. He is usually in bed at 9 and gets up around 9/9:30, if we've had a rough day sometimes it is between 8/9 he goes to bed and if we've had a late night the night before then it is usually a bit earlier then 9. I feel after having kids all day (7:45-5:30pm) I need time to myself and I don't think that a 9:00 bedtime is unreasonable so if there is only a quiet time and no nap then I am okay with that.

Sorry for getting your thread off topic!

So if I'm not registered/licensed am I not allowed to advertise?
I've been using Craigslist to advertise as a babysitter NOT a home daycare as the state regulations here from what I've read so far say that you can't use "home daycare" in your advertisement with out a state id #.

I tell parents I'm flexible about my house vs theirs but right now I'm looking to have 2 families children in my home which will be the 18 mo old and 3 wk old from family A and 1 1/2 yr old and 2 1/2 yr old from family B. Then in Oct. family B will have a new addition and in the evenings I have to go pick up the big kids from school by 6-6:15(but the babies should be gone at or right before 6). Hopefully other than school closings I wouldn't have all 9 kids but that is a possibility I've made everyone aware of.

I'm considering dropping the idea of the Volvo wagon I've been wanting so desperately for months and going for an Excursion and adding the 4th row seat! I will have to have 6 car seats installed!

I have a very small apt (think studio or just larger than efficiency lol) so they will be in the living/dining room only and have access to the bathroom on the other side of my bedroom. The dog is normally crated either in the kitchen or my room during the day (I may enroll her in a doggy day program one or 2 days a week while she gets use to the new schedule) and I am trying to work this all out in my head so bear with me.

I'm so happy to hear all your stories and how you manage. I would love to build up my families and save up and in a year or less be able to buy a house where I can dedicate more space and become licensed :thumbsup: If any of you could tap out a typical day it would be great. I'm all about routine, live in an area prime for walking and going to the park/playground and love to take field trips which is why I'm insistent they are in safe seats I want it to be a comfortable home environment and be relaxed yet packed with learning opportunities and experiences. I often advertise letting parents know that I operate pretty much like extended family.

I'm thinking 2 Marathons, a Regent, a Companion to be replaced by a Roundabout, a Radian 65 and a new Recaro Signo(sp?); Then on the 4th row since its rear facing I guess everyone would just have to sit there and behave Do any of the vests Ride Safer or EZY80 or the like work if the vehicle seat is RF or not necessary anyways?

Please keep it coming I need to process a lot through my head in the next week or so.