Stairs

[Lee-Bee]

Well ladies. I think you, as fellow providers can fully appreciate this.

I opened 3 months ago. I have lost 10lbs. (5lbs was final baby weight) some was my pre-baby weight. I am by no means in a position to lose weight as I always hovered at the lowest weight for my height.

Anyways, I have been exhausted and binging in the evenings and lately find I am just eating sugary foods just to eat more as my body is screaming sugar.

Well...I did the math and today I went up or down 94 flights of stairs. The majority of these flights I had a 23lb baby strapped to my back (my newly, highly separation anxiety daughter who is hyperventilating-screaming if I leave the room and freaking everyone out) AND a 20-23lb child in my arms. So, for the most part I am carrying 20-45pounds for those 94 flights of stairs.

Naps are 24 flights of stairs (nap rooms are 2 flights up from daycare) and they nap twice a day (only 3 sleep upstairs). Outside time is 16 flights of stairs. Plus the numerous runs I make to bring dishes, laundry, food etc., up and down before/during/after the daycare day. Plus my own flights for outside of daycare hours.

Is that ridiculous! I need to start having the kids go up and down on their own but they are 12-16months, the ones that nap upstairs are 12-13months old and it takes sooooo long for them to do it I would be leaving the other children alone too long. To go outside they are in snowsuits and barely mobile so I do not let them do the stairs.

It will get better in the coming months, they will be steadier and faster and will lose the snowsuits. I can start having them go up together for nap then put them in their rooms. But, for now I will continue my nearly 100 flights of stairs a day and I will increase my food intake and will enjoy some extra 'treats' guilt free.

OHHH and in a couple weeks my last daycare child starts...so my stairs count will go up by about 20flights a day!! I need to make a t-shirt with these stats.

I wonder how many days it takes me to do enough flights to have climbed the CN Tower...

Anyone else done the math on their end?

[5 Little Monkeys]

Wow!!! You go girl!! LMAO That is a lot of stairs and a lot of exercise!

I have stairs but thankfully all my current kids do them themselves and even if they don't when they start, they learn quickly! I have back issues so I only carry kids when need be no matter how slow they are lol. I have my daycare all downstairs so at the most, we are only on them 4 times a day (come down, go up for outside, come down, go up for home time) with the occasional day that we go up once more for an outing or something.

[torontokids]

My worry for you (which is the same worry I had when you first mentioned carrying your daughter on your back) is you tripping/falling down the stairs with two children in your arms. The toll on your back as well. I try not to carry kids much at all and they learn to do the stairs however when they are younger I do carry them (one at a time). I ask the parents to also practice the skill at home to help male my day easier.

[Polkaroo]

I also try not to carry them. My youngest is 12 mths and she’s now the quickest at stairs, going up and down! I go up and down a lot. I do that because it gives the kids exercise and myself, tires them out! I eat upstairs, change diapers and naps are all upstairs. They are pros in no time!

But I've never kept track of how many times. I'll try that today. Unlike you, I have LOTS if weight to lose and It's not helping me at all! Lol

[gravy_train]

I start teaching them to climb stairs at 12 months or so.

[bright sparks]

My worry for you (which is the same worry I had when you first mentioned carrying your daughter on your back) is you tripping/falling down the stairs with two children in your arms. The toll on your back as well. I try not to carry kids much at all and they learn to do the stairs however when they are younger I do carry them (one at a time). I ask the parents to also practice the skill at home to help male my day easier.

In our job we are prone to repetitive strain injuries, take the advice of those of us with the years experience and injuries as proof. I would urge you to teach your 1 year olds to climb the staires themselves regardless of how painfully slow they are. They have to learn some time and the sooner they get it and become confident, the quicker they will become. Not only is it not good for your body to be constantly carrying a child of any age, let alone multiple, but the ramifications of falling with a child in your arms on the staires is bad enough but to fall and have one attached to you could be horrific.