First day tomorrow

[Momof4]

Congratulations and I hope your first clients are wonderful to you. My first year was sheer hell and that's sugar coating things! But I learned so much and since my second year things have been flowing smoothly most of the time.

It does take practice and experimenting with routines and methods in your home to figure out what is best for you and for the children. I started out by taking my cue from the children because I started slowly with a few children and then added them slowly until I was full. That sounds like how you are doing things. I let them dictate the naptimes and feeding times in the beginning until I learned their body rythyms. Then as they grew a little older I developed my schedule and program with outside & inside play and learning.

Right now my days go something like this:
7:30 - open
8:30 - breakfast
9:00- 11:00 - outside play at parks 2-3 days per week, library 1 day per week, 1 inside learning/crafting day per week
11:00 - prepare lunch while children freeplay in the toyroom
11:30 - lunch
12:00 - circle time
12:30ish - naptime til about 3pm
3:00 - afternoon snack
I have children picked up between 3:30 - 4:45 so it's a long drawn out process and freeplay is our best bet.

Of course there are diaper changes in there and I have a new baby starting in the morning who may need a morning nap, but his Mom worked to make sure he naps at about 9am now so that he will sleep in the stroller as we travel. My best advice is to always ask the parents to get the child onto your mealtime & naptime schedules for at least a month before starting daycare so it's an easier transition for the child. Good luck!