It is really hard for a provider's children to share their home and their toys with random strangers. Especially at such a young age when they cannot withdraw for the endless intrusion into their own space.

Imagine how you would feel if your husband showed up with another person to share your home, who was there for most of your waking time, and were told to be polite to this person after they had been in your home endlessly for a month. That's how your children are feeling.

It will get better but only if you can see it from your children's view point and put in place something to make it easier for them.

Day care toys and day care equipment should never be your children's possessions. So making sure your children's toys stay in an area that is not used for day care, is important. If at all possible, their bedrooms should also remain as their private space. If that means setting up cribs and cots in your room, so be it. Your children must be allowed to retain the possessions they had prior to your business venture and they must be allowed to retain their personal spaces prior to your business venture too.

Next recommendation - at the end of the business day, when the last client child goes, then you have to be their Mommy. This means giving your children your undivided attention for a period of time. Put down the supper prep items and do something with your children. A quick visit to the local play park, but something where you are exclusively theirs for an hour or so.

It is not your 3 year olds responsibility to entertain your 3 year old client. I know it's easy to lump them together based on ages but the reality is, if they were both clients, they might not want to play with each other. There would be times they don't get along, and you would have to deal with that by letting them have their own space at times. It's really hard to step back from the day care provider role in the day time and remember that your daughter still sees you as a mom, and it's really hard to step back into the mommy mode at the end of the day and give your children a break from being with their day care provider.