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Has anyone provided care for a infant? I have someone inquiring about care for her 4 month old. Just wondering what other people experiences have been with caring for a baby this young? Does it interpurt your schedule by having a baby this young? Thanks
I started one at 6 months.......it was tough, she wasn't crawling so whenever we went anywhere in my arms she had to be. She took a VERY long time to transition in and it put some stress on our schedule as she was still on two naps for quite a while. She is now two and is a wonderful little girl........would I do it again......no way!!!!! But that's just me and I would think it would depend on how many and the ages of the ones currently in your care.
when I started daycare all of my kiddos started at around 4-6mths because of the 6mth mat leaves. i loved it! i find it created a really strong bond between you and the child and the child was less likely to have separation issues. The child also "grew up" with your rules and schedule so there was a lot less issues with the child being uncomfortable in a "group" setting
Same as Giraffe - always started kids at 4 months and so wish we could go back to those days - hate kids starting after a year. Mostly it will tie you to home if you want to do the best for the child in the sense of letting them nap in the morning in their playpen and not stuffed into a carseat or stroller. But for the next 6 months they may very well sleep two hours in the morning and two hours in the afternoon which means a lot of your program won't change. The younger they are when they start care the better they tend to adapt to care because they group up thinking it is normal.
My group is pretty active and always outside so I wouldn't be able to accommodate a morning nap. But if your house is set up that you can be outside with the older ones in the backyard while the little one sleeps it could work for you.
I do worry about the liability with SIDS though.
I had a baby that young one time and I kept the baby swing in the corner of the room to put her in when I had to set her down to do other things. It was very sturdy and I knew she was in a safe place where the other children couldn't run into her or over her while I was busy. I also kept a playpen set up at all times so I had another option if she fell asleep. There are a lot of great strollers that lay down in the back seat with a cover to protect the child from the sun when you are outside. I also want to say that when I had this young baby that all the other children in my care were around a year of age but if you have 3 & 4 year old children in your daycare you may run into problems. Think about it seriously.