Basement vs. Main Floor

[Secondtimearound]

Basement ! Although I saw an ad for a dayhome that said , " no dingy basement "' ugh ! Mine is 1200 sq ft of playmats ! Lol a bathroom and a set up sleeping room ! I love having it downstairs ! Our dcks never go upstairs !!! My dd has a full playroom for her only and I love being able to keep my furniture and items dc free !!
My dcps love my playroom , we have little tikes forts and 2 slides ! Great place to have fun and space to get energy out !
I'm pretty OCD about how clean and organized I am so downstairs !! I have lunch pretty much prepared the night before so a quick run upstairs to grab it !
Bonus is laundry is always done lol ��

[cfred]

I used to do mine in the basement at my old location. We had large, above ground windows, so it was bright enough. Now that I've bought a townhouse, the main floor is all daycare. I find it much more convenient as kitchen, bath and yard are right there. It's never bothered me having it here. Our basement was renovated last spring for our family space and doesn't feel like a basement at all. I will say that every person I've interviewed has said they prefer the daycare on the main floor. So yes, Ttremble, I do think it sets you apart a bit for some families. For me, I don't care if I see my daycare in the off hours. I love it and decorated it nicely (not super cutesy) and it's very organized, so it's not a big deal. I've found it to be a very good change for my business....plus, it's nice to be in a bright, sunny room all day and not dealing with stairs. To each his/her own and both options are fine....this has just been my experience.

[5 Little Monkeys]

Our basement is set up as a suite so there is a full kitchen, bathroom, living room (which is now a play room) and bedroom down there. My whole basement is daycare except for the laundry room which is actually more daycare space than laundry lol.

I love that it's all down there, the parents comment on how nice it is that everything is done down there and how it's sorta set up like a mini dc centre. For the first year, I had nothing upstairs but I do now have one toy box upstairs and we play upstairs if it's a lower number of kids or for a change of scenery. I will often greet the first parent upstairs and than say goodbye to the last parent up there as well. The kids like coming up here to play with the different toys from time to time but my other half MUCH prefers to have it all downstairs. I can't blame him...he works evenings so he doesn't want to be around kids all day long and see the mess. I would say we spend 90% of the time downstairs and the other 10% upstairs throughout the week.

If/when we move, I would love to find a house that I could do daycare on the main floor for the sole purpose of not having to take the kids up and down stairs every time we want to go outside. If we could find a space that we love the basement enough for us to live in, I would take it in a heartbeat!!

I think there are pros and cons to having the dc all throughout the house, in the basement only or on main floor only. Whatever works best for you and your family is what is the most important!! Dcparents will enjoy a quality dc no matter where the space is. I know my other half is much happier when we are downstairs LOL. Yes, I work here but he lives here and I do take his feelings into consideration. Today for example we were upstairs quite a bit but he was fine with it and has been playing with the kids

[kassiemom]

My hubby was the same way, he wanted his space back. We did a year using the whole house but this past Feb we finished the basement and I love my space. It is nice and cool in the summer too!!! Basically we are in the basement for the majority of the day however we still can and do use the rest of the house occasionally. We do baking activities on the main floor or hang out there if I have to use the stove. I have toys up there but a limited easy to tidy selection for transition to outside time. I still have the children sleeping in the bedrooms upstairs. It is sooooo nice to have the space in the basement though. I have my house back, I can throw in laundry while down here and at the end of the night i can just shut the door and leave it. Plus it is a great place to host playdates with friends and their kids, good for holiday parties (the kids can tear it apart down here!) and its safe. and my daughter can use it as a playroom!