Anyone continued daycare after having baby?

Good morning ladies!

Long story short, I began doing a home daycare when my daughter was 1 so I could stay home with her and earn some money while my husband was in full time university. It was a struggle financially and I entered this job with the mindset that once he graduated we would have another baby and once that baby arrived, I would close the daycare and focus on my little family.

Well, I am due end of April and while I will definetely be done with one of my familues(apparently they no longer discipline but 'talk') I find I am at a crossroad. I am wondering how my 5 year old girl will adjust/feel about always just having mommy and a newborn to hang out with? Will she be lonely or bored? Am I doing her a disservice by not bringing back any playmates? She is very excited about baby but I know it will be a shock once baby arrives at just HOW different things can be.

I am currently debating taking 6-8 weeks off postpartum and then bringing back one family. Their kids are 6 and 4 and very well behaved. Parents pay on time and I know they absolutely have very flexible schedules so of was thinking of also modifying drop offs slightly to make sure I have time to get ready, nurse baby, etc. My worry is how will it be if baby has kept me up all night, etc. I also worry about them bringing illness into my home and making baby sick. Thinking of possibly hiring an assistant or someone a few hours a day if I find I am exhausted. As for my third family , my daughter loves those kids but the 2year old is a handful and I feel it may end up being too stressful with that one as well. She is very babied and even refuses to self feed sometimes.

Anyone else in the same boat? Or have you been her before? What was your experience doing dayhome with your newborn? What was your experience closing either temporarily (and for how long) or closing for good (and how did your older children adjust).

Any and all feedback is very appreciated! I know it is ultimately my decision but I feel like I need to hear about other peoples experiences as well.

Is your 5 year old not in school? She would not be at home all day every day so wouldn't be bored and at age 5 I would have thought she would be at a developmental stage where she was able to play independently without constantly being entertained. IMO I think it's more of a disservice in the long run when we entertain our children constantly and don't give them the opportunity to experience boredom and just be provided with the materials and prompts to cure that boredom themselves. If we constantly look to do this for any child, then along comes age 10 and they don't know how to play. Just like with daycare children, it is not our job to play with them, but to teach them to play and by age 5 this should be a solid skill already acquired where little and infrequent guidance is needed. Don't misunderstand me for being someone who doesn't play with my daycare kids or my own children because I do, but if I was in your shoes and ready to call it a day with daycare and the only reason to carry on was for fear of upsetting my child, I'd think long and hard about who this really benefits. Her ACTUAL needs or our insecurities as parents constantly wanting to erase any glimmer of guilt that we are not good enough, especially when a newborn comes along. I had two within 19 months and my son, number 2, was a high maintenance, non sleeper, long feeder. Fortunately my daughter was very placid and easy going and was very happy playing independently. Obviously your daughter is older, but as long as she gets her mummy time then she will be fine.

Make a list of other things you could do with your 5 year old if for instance she is not in full time school. OEYC have a phenomenal amount of programming which would benefit her socially and also give you the opportunity to interact with other parents and get out and about with your newbie.

Library programs, community centre groups, etc etc.

You are considering taking only a select few on and the ages 6&4 are not going to provide your daughter with a playmate for long as they will be in school too. And then hiring an assistant....makes me think that you would be better off financially WITHOUT doing daycare and would free you up to work your schedule around your newbies sleep pattern and give you the opportunity to immerse yourself exclusively in your two children which in my opinion would be more beneficial for your 5 year old when complimented with other social activities like what I suggested.

Seems like a no brainer, if I was in your shoes my doors would close and stay closed.

Busydaycarelady - personally I can't wait to have another baby, close the daycare and focus only on my children. I'm not sure where you're located but there are so many free play groups, resource centers, library groups, etc that as long as you look for things like that to do your daughter will be plenty stimulated.
A bit off topic but are you registered for EI?

I opened my daycare when my youngest was 3.5 months old and my oldest was 2 years old. Before that I was working in a daycare since my oldest was 7 months old, so I was not to worried about his reaction of me starting a daycare as he grew up in the daycare setting. Now, I am expecting number three at the end of April and plan on taking off 2 weeks, then I am right back at it.