Today was hard

[torontokids]

Today was the first day I really thought that I'd made a mistake opening a home daycare.

New dcg I was warned woke up super early this morning (I am trying to wean her from her morning nap). No problem, we're going for a walk, she'll fall sleep. She did and woke up naturally. However she was just miserable today. Not eating, super tired. At afternoon nap, they were all super tired and have been all week so I out them down earlier. New dcg woke after 1.5 hrs and screamed wakng everyone up. I left her to go back to sleep but she didn't. At the end of nap I now had 3 super cranky kids (my girls sleep upstairs and were unaffected). Dcg screamed the whole afternoon. Took them all for another walk so dcg could go back to sleep if needed but she stayed awake. At 4 I put her in a pnp out of desperation and she slept for 20 blissful minutes. Mom was also arrived right at close, 1 hr past all my other kids had gone. She wouldn't stop screaming. Took her outside again hoping the fresh air would do the trick but no dice...feel my night is ruined. I am exhausted, my daycare is a mess as I couldn't bare to clean it tonight.

[sunnydays]

Hugs to you Torontokids! I hope you are relaxing with a nice glass of wine...the cleaning can wait...take care of yourself. I am sure parents would rather have you rested and ready to tackle another day than a spotless daycare and an exhausted provider ;) My house is a bit of a mess right now too and I am relaxing with a glass of wine because it's been a long day for me too. We've all had days like you've just desrcibed...especial ly in the first year or two! It will get better. Just go easy on yourself and do what you have to in order to stay calm and make it through. Is there any way you can separate the new dcg until she learns to sleep at naptime? That way the others would not be woken too? Naptime is so crucial to our sanity!!! Hang in there :unsure:

[mimi]

She is still adjusting. I think the key is to have her sleep separately. Try to make that possible so she will not disturb the others. Big hugs to you and try to relax...most have us have had that same kind of day where we question the sanity of opening a daycare. LOL

[Artsand crafts]

When new ones join in sometimes things get kind of crazy. 3 infants started about 3 weeks ago and up until a couple of days ago for the first time I have not heard anybody crying or screaming. Everybody is now napping in the same room, but one of the new ones (my current tougher sleeper). He is just starting to get the hang of it and I think next Monday he will start sleeping in the nap room. Just hang in there. Cleaning is not a high priority when we feel that stressed.

[torontokids]

Yeah, regardless of why they're crying it's hard. I was unsure if it was due to her transition or not as last week went really well but then she was sick over the weekend and Monday so I figured it was a combo of both these factors. This baby unfortunately is dropped off fairly early and picked up last (still within my operating hours). I don't know if she can handle these long hours. Has anyone ever asked a parent to try and make arrangements for an earlier pick up for the first couple of weeks to help their baby transition to the longer days? The mom kind of did this the first week and last week went better. The lack of a decent nap played a huge factor yesterday but even when she naps well she seems pretty much "done" by 4 pm.

[Sassygirl]

Hugs! I have gone through this with all of my kiddos. They are all now gems and arrive with big smiles and open arms in the mornings. However, their first few weeks were pure HELL. I won't lie. I also have a newbie starting now at 3 days a week and all she does is CRY. Same thing, cries out in the backyard, cries on our walk, doesn't want to eat, cries in her high chair... All she wants is to be held and I can't do that. Her crying has at times, upset my other little ones. I can't hold her more than a few minutes because then my other kiddos want to be held OR they start getting into things that they know they shouldn't be because they see I am busy.
I do what I can. It helps when Mom and Dad are on board. I have a playpen right outside my playroom so I have been keeping her in there with toys and her bottle so she can see me. She STILL cries. I bring her back into the playroom for a few mins at a time. She STILL cries and clings to me. If it starts getting bad and setting the other ones off I put her back upstairs with the sound machine on. Its too much on my sanity to listen to it and too much for the other ones. I know from experience that it DOES get better. Some take longer than others but with the other kiddos I have its been 2-3 weeks of this.

[Fearlessbaby]

I have a new dcg who started a week ago- 1 year old and she cries all the time- the only time she stops is when I hold her, so it's been super hard,,, thnx for the advice-I've already talked to mom about it and I hope she's not offended but I was so emotional yesterday