Handling multiple one year olds...

[loads'o'kids]

I am a new home daycare provider and very much appreciate the advice you ladies with multiple years of home daycare experience can give me! I am currently looking after 2 - 12 (almost 13) month olds and am thinking of taking on one more at the end of next month. So I would have 2 - 14 month olds and a 12 month old. Just wondering how you manage 3 kids who can't yet walk well when you only have 2 arms!! Thinking specifically about getting them all out the door into the car, etc. I also am wondering about a triple stroller. Does anyone know of a good triple stroller at a reasonable price? Thanks for any help you can give a newbie!!

[apples and bananas]

I took on 2 one year olds at the same time. One walked well, one didn't at all. He caught on quick when he realized I wasn't willing to carry him everywhere. I've recently taken on another so now I have 2, 17 month and 1, 12 month. It's not too bad. The first month was rough with the 2, but you've already gotten through that. They develop so quickly at daycare I wou ldn't worry about it. Most kids are walking around the 1 year age anyways.

As far as a stroller, I use a choo choo wagon. I only take 2 at a time and never venture out with all three though.

[kidlove]

Thats the nature of the job! multiple children of any ages would be dif to get ready to go to the car and other crazy times of the day...lunch,hand washing, diaper changing etc. You just take it in stride, and I always remind myself "in another couple months they will be more independent". That IS alot to take on though...three at that age. Are you ready to sweat?

[sunnydays]

I had three 12-13 month olds this past winter. For getting them out to the car or stroller etc, I had them strapped into booster seats and then took them one by one...that way I knew the others were safe while I was taking one out. I also had two exersaucers in my backyard that I used when we were going outside to play...I had them right by my door and I would put the first two in there while I got the others out and then they wouldn't be roaming around the yard while I got the other ones out. It's all about developing systems like this to keep everyone safe. Otherwise, i actually found it harder when they all hit 16-18 months as they all started testing me behaviourally at the same time and feeding off of each other! Good luck!

[Momof4]

Welcome to the daycare world and our forum. We are always happy to help.

I started out with all babies and I loved it! You're doing the right thing by adding one at a time and starting slowly because you get better and better as you practice. When I started with the 5 babies I called it ASSEMBLY LINE DAYCARE, change them, feed them, sleep them, start again!

But the best part is that they are all 2-3 together, then 3-4 together and they have the same interests and it's so much easier to plan food, field trips when they start walking well beside the stroller and teaching and crafting. When you have a big age range you find you can only craft with the older children while the babies just colour or something simpler.

For travelling I bought the cute animal backpacks for toddlers with ropes that attach to my hands and taught the older ones to walk beside the stroller and always keep the smallest 2 in my double stroller. Right now I'm having a turnover with the oldest going off to JK and I'm about to have all 5 children under the age of 2.5 for the winter. We aren't going to be very mobile this winter, but I'm already practicing my two smallest children, 20 & 21 months old, on the backpack/walking system and they are slow but doing very well. By spring we'll be going all over the place again even though we will have two smaller babies joining us.

[apples and bananas]

I hate started them at 12 months. I much prefer 18 months, but it's the nature of the business. In order to fill you have to start at 12 months most of the time and you have to have a good business plan to stagger them in. I find it rare to get requests for older kids. Then they come with another providers habits... not always good ones. I started 2 at once against my better judgement, and I said I'd never do it again... then both moms got pregnant at the same time.... LOL ... Looks like I'll be doing it again after mat leave.

I have to remind myself daily... it will get easier as they develop and you have to have lots of patients.

[monkeymama]

I have 3 one year olds and love it! They dont talk back, they eat whats on their plate and they are entertained for hours with their own hands lol all joking aside I do quite enjoy watching the little ones grow and change so much each day. When going outside, I usually have two in my arms and have the other one (who is the better walker of the 3) hold my hand and my dd hand (who is 4 and dck adores!). Make sure your place is completely baby-proof, thats one thing Im glad I did. Ive looked at triple strollers but dont really have the $ at the moment so I have two in my double and one in a carrier. It works well.

[Bookworm]

I started my daycare in January and I had 4 11 month olds (one being my own son) and a 2 1/2 year old (my daughter) and I had to transistion them all at the same time. It was crazy for a bit, but once I got my routine down, it became quite easy. Now that they are 18 months old, I find new challenges are arising as they are testing me, but they are learning quickly that I'm still the boss. It is doable, you just need to have a solid routine.

[Bugaboo]

I have had 4 12 month olds in care before. Diaper changes especially are a bit like an assembly line and you will change A LOT of bums in a day when they are that little (some days I changed up to 25-30 diapers). Personally I think its all in your preference and what you can handle. I LOVE babies!! I love training them young so that when they are older and still in my day home they are not horribly behaved. I also just generally love that early toddler age. When I START children in care that are 3ish I find that challenging, especially if they have developed some behaviours that are unacceptable. I would be less inclined to transition more than one older child into care than I would a younger one but thats just my preference. Lots of providers love older children and won't even accept an under 2 into care.

[jec]

I don't take my daycare kids in the car but if I was, just do it one by one with your car in the garage. Once they are buckled in, in a locked garage ...they are only waiting a few moments before you come out with the next.
I just started up my daycare again after moving cities and I have all young ones. You just take it one step at a time. LOL bugaboo- I have an assembly line too as mine are all in diapers
We go out for walks all the time and I have a Step two Choo Choo and they are all strapped in and away we go. I have our Choo Choo in the garage and just take one at a time and then when back from our walk, take them in one by one. They are in a locked garage for just a few moments before I come back to get them one by one and I've never had any of them get upset. My daycare parents are aware of it and also fine with it.

have fun on your new venture! It's a rewarding job- just don't sweat the small stuff but as kidlove says; prepare to sweat !!!