First let me say I've been doing daycare for years. Having said that my crew consists of 2.5yrs - 3 yrs of age. The last time I cared for an infant that young was when I first started my daycare. This was almost 4 years ago and my own dd was 12 months and I had another little dcg who was 13months. So...it's been awhile.

My crew is very active. I'm wondering how other providers handle a mixed age group? My crew aged up together and when one left I always replaced with a similar aged child. However, it's getting more difficult to find 2 and 3 year olds. I was swamped with requests for infant care as moms are coming off maternity leave. As it is, I have a waiting list for September and October with 3 moms looking for care.

I've avoided infant care (under 18 months) for as long as I could, but decided to take on this 12 month old for purely selfish reasons (I looooove babies ) Parents seem like a really good fit, the child is very easy going and loves her sleep. Sounds great!

How do you other providers mix up an age difference in your crew? I'm going to have to invest in some age appropriate toys, but other than that? Do you gate off a section of your daycare during freeplay?

Ackkk....I'm nervous. Lucky for me my sister in law is now working 3 days a week at my daycare until September 2015. this will help tremendously.