I'm kind of like Kidlove in the sense of if I am going to go to all the trouble to do meals and stories and "work" my daycare I might as well get the maximum pay for it - hence all spaces need to be filled. As far as my own kids they were always just extras that hung around with my daycare all day. The more you have make sure you take some of the income to make it go easier such as using part of it to treat yourself or ordering pizza and a movie on Friday nights or buying a new piece of equipment or toy that makes the day go easier. Even something as simple as extra bibs and washclothes or changes of sheets so you can put off laundry if you want to can help make that extra child easier to fit in.

Age mix of course is the biggest control on how many kids is ideal in the sense of how much of the time they rely on me and how much they can do for themselves.