You Know You're A Childcare Provider When...
 

I often find myself doing little funny things that only my fellow childcare providers can understand.

One thing I do is keep electric plug protectors in my purse. I will go places where little children play such as libraries or doctors office waiting rooms. It drives me crazy to see children playing around "naked" plugs. So I will still a cover in it.

Only a provider does that.

So can you fill in the blank?

You know you're a childcare provider when you....

You go on vacation and are constantly aware that the outlets are not capped.

You have a tendency to cut people's meals into bite-sized pieces before serving.

You meet a new baby (not at an interview) and immediately calculate when your next infant opening will be.

Originally Posted by Unregistered:

You have a tendency to cut people's meals into bite-sized pieces before serving.

You meet a new baby (not at an interview) and immediately calculate when your next infant opening will be.

This is soooo me.:D

Mine is more when I see parents and kids interacting in public. Such as at the grocery store and a kiddo is screaming for candy and the parent hands it to them. That is when I think "I am glad I don't have THAT family".

When I'm out driving around, I'll scope out people's backyards and imagine how I'd set it up for dc if I lived there.

Originally Posted by Thriftylady:
Mine is more when I see parents and kids interacting in public. Such as at the grocery store and a kiddo is screaming for candy and the parent hands it to them. That is when I think "I am glad I don't have THAT family".

Originally Posted by Josiegirl:
When I'm out driving around, I'll scope out people's backyards and imagine how I'd set it up for dc if I lived there.

I definitely do both of these!

When we're at the pool I keep an eye on ALL the little kids to make sure their parents are watching them, and when the local childcare is there I keep counting their kids.

Originally Posted by AmyKidsCo:
When we're at the pool I keep an eye on ALL the little kids to make sure their parents are watching them, and when the local childcare is there I keep counting their kids.

That's me !

When you go to the library by yourself and walk into the kids section out of habit.

In public you automatically match kids to parents.

You're at the store and grab wipes and cleaner "just in case".

When I am in someone's house and it is larger than mine I can't understand why they need all that space - but you don't run a daycare??? Its like brain can't handle someone would just have space...

It stressed me a neighbor doesn't have a fully fenced backyard...they don't have kids...but licensing

The outlet one!

I say things like "who's tickling my butt" it was the 15m old :D

People without gates by their stairs...I can't get my mind around living like that, in constant fear of falling down them :lol: I really assume grown adults are going to fling themselves down headfirst like a hyper toddler.

Originally Posted by AmyKidsCo:
When we're at the pool I keep an eye on ALL the little kids to make sure their parents are watching them, and when the local childcare is there I keep counting their kids.

I know rite!

I always seem to zero in on those children whose parents aren't paying them any attention. Especially those who are running away from where their moms are standing. I will swoop around the corner to intercept that child and say to them, "Go back to your mom right now and don't leave her side." The mom's never know what happened.

When you realize that the reason you are so hungry is because the only thing you have ate today was a handful of Cheerios and a carrot stick. The Cheerios weren't part of breakfast, they were actually from the craft hour.

Originally Posted by AmyKidsCo:
When we're at the pool I keep an eye on ALL the little kids to make sure their parents are watching them, and when the local childcare is there I keep counting their kids.

This is definitely me! Drinking by the campfire or out at the cottage? Nope! I am too worried about watching all the kids and who will drive to the hospital if one of the kids gets hurt :rolleyes::cool:

I can't seem to go to the bathroom without announcing to those around me that I have to go potty.

Asking toddlers and young kiddos to sit down in the grocery cart because it's dangerous.

Originally Posted by AmyKidsCo:
When we're at the pool I keep an eye on ALL the little kids to make sure their parents are watching them, and when the local childcare is there I keep counting their kids.

This so me! We had a tragic incidence of a little girl drowning at our local pool that we frequent a lot. I know it is a "what if" situation, but I am constantly monitoring the pool and ALL kids when we are there that I sometimes wonder if I had been there that day (we go ALOT, but not that day), would I have been able to prevent it? Still makes my heart clench thinking about it.:(

Originally Posted by Josiegirl:
When I'm out driving around, I'll scope out people's backyards and imagine how I'd set it up for dc if I lived there.

I do this when I see a house on a corner lot with an entrance on the side. I always imagine the door opens into a big beautiful room that of course would be the daycare room!

Originally Posted by Josiegirl:
When I'm out driving around, I'll scope out people's backyards and imagine how I'd set it up for dc if I lived there.

I do this too! There is a perfect house for sale right now, it used to be an insurance brokerage office. Would be PERFECT for a daycare. I would love to run something offsite like BlackCat does.

Originally Posted by Ariana:
I would love to run something offsite like BlackCat does.

I would have quit the first year if I didn't have that separation.

There are 7 providers in my county that own separate homes.

Offering to wipe random children's noses while out and about, not realizing how creepy it must seem to other adults! :ouch:

Originally Posted by Rockgirl:
I do this when I see a house on a corner lot with an entrance on the side. I always imagine the door opens into a big beautiful room that of course would be the daycare room!

likethis

I have been known to occasionally check the mls site to see what's available close by. :p

I catch myself spelling certain words in conversations like I do with my assistant each day. :eek::eek:

My first aid kit is first rate. Every thing you can imagine for kids or adults. When I camp with friends, they bow to my kit :D
My license person gets irritated with all the stuff and would prefer that I have a separate one for daycare.

When you hear kids crying and there is no kids here or carrying wipes everywhere .

Hottie, I swear I'll hear kids crying too!

Originally Posted by Shawn:
I know rite!

I always seem to zero in on those children whose parents aren't paying them any attention. Especially those who are running away from where their moms are standing. I will swoop around the corner to intercept that child and say to them, "Go back to your mom right now and don't leave her side." The mom's never know what happened.

I do this at the store. I had one lo run towards me that I stopped, she had ran away from the adult, they could not catch her. Later I saw them chasing the child again.
I asked one child that had stopped walking with the adult, where was their mom? The adult on the other end of the aisle turned around when she heard me ask.
Both of this kids where toddlers.

Originally Posted by Josiegirl:
When I'm out driving around, I'll scope out people's backyards and imagine how I'd set it up for dc if I lived there.

I look at backyards and can tell when it is a daycare vs family backyard. There this one yard that must have coupe car races with the kids, they have about 6 of those cars.

Originally Posted by JackandJill:
Offering to wipe random children's noses while out and about, not realizing how creepy it must seem to other adults! :ouch:

I did that as a teen, little girl behind me in line needed help, her mom was not paying attention so I offered to help. Mom gave me a wired look when she noticed I was helping her daughter.

We have a lot of new house developments nearby. Most are way out of price range. My husband and I love to go to the model homes and explore (as do our children). I can't help but imagine how to set up each house for daycare, determining some are perfect and some are unfit.....:lol: as if I would be doing daycare in a $600,000 house with an RV garage and 5300 square feet :lol:.

You know you're a childcare provider when you....
hear kids in your house even when everyone has left! LOL

Originally Posted by Thriftylady:
Mine is more when I see parents and kids interacting in public. Such as at the grocery store and a kiddo is screaming for candy and the parent hands it to them. That is when I think "I am glad I don't have THAT family".

Unfortunately I think I do have those families. :p

Originally Posted by thrivingchildcarecom:
You know you're a childcare provider when you....
hear kids in your house even when everyone has left! LOL

Oh that is me, too. I hear echoes long after everyone has left. :lol:

Offer to hold the fussy 9 mo old of the lady who's doing your pedicure. :D

Originally Posted by AmyKidsCo:
Offer to hold the fussy 9 mo old of the lady who's doing your pedicure. :D

I am right the opposite....I NEVER volunteer to hold anyone's baby anywhere:ouch::lol:

Originally Posted by thrivingchildcarecom:
You know you're a childcare provider when you....
hear kids in your house even when everyone has left! LOL

I do this whenever I get in the shower! As soon as I turn it on, I swear there is a baby crying!

When you're about to purchase something and you run through this mental list of criteria before you buy: For. Every. Single. Purchase.

1. Can I write it off?
2. It is toxic?
3. Is it a choking hazard?
4. Does it make electronic noise? If yes, how easily can I remove the batteries?
5. Will it withstand a horde of stampeding rhinos?
6. Does it fit in my dishwasher/washing machine?
7. On a scale of 1-10 (1: not really, 10: my ears are bleeding) how annoying is it?
8. On a scale of 1-10 (1: not really, 10: Lego) - if I step on it how painful is it?

When you go to the store and you grab a daycare item that you really didn't need, so you can write off the mileage for the whole trip.

When you develop small pet peeves/ocd of having a clean table. Even when you visit someone, you feel the urge to wipe down their table.

When you go to a gathering or family function and you somehow always manage to be the only one surrounded by all the kids.

Originally Posted by LindseyA:
When you go to the store and you grab a daycare item that you really didn't need, so you can write off the mileage for the whole trip.

When you develop small pet peeves/ocd of having a clean table. Even when you visit someone, you feel the urge to wipe down their table.

When you go to a gathering or family function and you somehow always manage to be the only one surrounded by all the kids.

Kids gravitate towards me at the store!!!! LOL. And I'm always like, nope there's your mommy, I'm done for the day(JK) but they always get a kick out of me for some reason.

When you are in the middle of a kindle book but keeping coming back to Daycare.com because it is not fast paced enough to keep your attention.

You know you're a childcare provider when:
your freezer is filled with frozen baggies of bugs.

when you talk the store clerk's ear off about making fairy gardens just because she mentioned the seashells you bought.
Or it could be the 100 other things you have in your cart in multiples of 8.

:rolleyes::D

Bugs!?? What are you doing with them?

(Mine is filled with dinos frozen in ice chunks. Couldn't figure a way to freeze them in eggs. Wighout breaking the eggs.)

Originally Posted by Josiegirl:
You know you're a childcare provider when:
your freezer is filled with frozen baggies of bugs.

when you talk the store clerk's ear off about making fairy gardens just because she mentioned the seashells you bought.
Or it could be the 100 other things you have in your cart in multiples of 8.

:rolleyes::D

I bought several bottles of hair gel at dollar mart once to make sensory bottles and the store clerk asked what I was going to do with my hair...:lol::lol:

Originally Posted by Unregistered:
Bugs!?? What are you doing with them?

(Mine is filled with dinos frozen in ice chunks. Couldn't figure a way to freeze them in eggs. Wighout breaking the eggs.)

They're plastic of course. Hope you didn't think I meant real bugs? :D My younger group have been so into bugs, fish, snakes, and all those little packages of things you can find at the dollar stores. So I bought 3 more packages today and froze them to use outside in the water table this week. Our sandbox is filled with them too and they're always either playing with those or dinosaurs.
I also bought 3 of those plastic tube thingies that you whirl around and they make this cool sound. They didn't have 8 of those. :( Not sure how my dogs are going to like them though; I had to try them out and they went insane.:ouch:

Originally Posted by Josiegirl:
They're plastic of course. Hope you didn't think I meant real bugs? :D My younger group have been so into bugs, fish, snakes, and all those little packages of things you can find at the dollar stores. So I bought 3 more packages today and froze them to use outside in the water table this week. Our sandbox is filled with them too and they're always either playing with those or dinosaurs.
I also bought 3 of those plastic tube thingies that you whirl around and they make this cool sound. They didn't have 8 of those. :( Not sure how my dogs are going to like them though; I had to try them out and they went insane.:ouch:

I was thinking ... for extra protein :D

Originally Posted by Annalee:
I bought several bottles of hair gel at dollar mart once to make sensory bottles and the store clerk asked what I was going to do with my hair...:lol::lol:

Hahaha!
I need to make some sensory bottles! How did you do yours? Have made them in the past but they've all be discarded now. :(