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Daycare Center and Family Home Forum>Many Infants...Can This Be Done??
MommyMuffin 04:32 AM 12-01-2010
I am due July 31st.
I am taking 2 weeks off and hoping to have my hubby home the 3rd week.
This is what I will have then:

(2) 3 year olds...fulltime, one is my own
(1) 2 year old....2 days a week
(1) 10 month old...afternoons only
(1) 5 month old...fulltime
(1) my own newborn

I was going to try to convince my sister to help me while she is on break from college. Maybe a few hours a day...how much should I pay?
Any advice for having many infants?
Also I am going to buy something to carry my baby...know of any good carriers..no slings though..they scare me. Thanks!
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BentleysBands 04:40 AM 12-01-2010
if your nerves/patience can take it then sure it can be done

only thing , if you can, is take more than 2 weeks off.

i always took my full 6wks off to recharge and enjoy our newest member.

save a bit now each week so it wouldnt be a huge shock finance wise.
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momofsix 05:26 AM 12-01-2010
In MI we can't have more than 2 infants w/o an assistant, which is actually one rule i agree with. I can hold 2 infants at once if I need to not 3. In an emergency it will be pretty hard to carry 3 infants out. I think if you can get help when you have the 3 babies you should be fine, but wouldn't do all three alone. BUT-that's just me!
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laundrymom 05:33 AM 12-01-2010
Here I love having infants. I keep 3 at a time. Normally 2 but I have one started yesterday, one in february and another in April I think everyone is different as to their limits. I could so the ages you mentioned. If there was an emergency 3 or 5 kids isn't much different. My drills are about the same times for 3 kids as they are with 9. And I'm sure adrenalin would kick in to help a bit.

Originally Posted by MommyMuffin:
I am due July 31st.
I am taking 2 weeks off and hoping to have my hubby home the 3rd week.
This is what I will have then:

(2) 3 year olds...fulltime, one is my own
(1) 2 year old....2 days a week
(1) 10 month old...afternoons only
(1) 5 month old...fulltime
(1) my own newborn

I was going to try to convince my sister to help me while she is on break from college. Maybe a few hours a day...how much should I pay?
Any advice for having many infants?
Also I am going to buy something to carry my baby...know of any good carriers..no slings though..they scare me. Thanks!

Reply
SilverSabre25 05:38 AM 12-01-2010
I'm sure it can be done! It might be rough, and you might be in for some noisy times, but you should be able to manage.

As for a carrier, I've heard wonderful things about the Ergo or the Babyhawk. Ergo is pricey, but from what I hear it is very, VERY worth it. Easy to use, comfy, safe for baby.
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SunflowerMama 05:45 AM 12-01-2010
As far as a carrier goes I LOVED my Beco carrier. It can carry from newborn to larger toddler and is the most comfortable carrier I ever tried (and I tried them all ). Again it's a little pricey but completely worth it. I always got mine used from either diaperswappers.com or ebay and even sold it on CL after my kids outgrew it.
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boysx5 05:49 AM 12-01-2010
we are only allowed two under two here in MD as well
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jen 06:29 AM 12-01-2010
How many are allowed by licesning? Here we can't have more than two infants and one toddler or 2 toddlers and one infant.


Originally Posted by MommyMuffin:
I am due July 31st.
I am taking 2 weeks off and hoping to have my hubby home the 3rd week.
This is what I will have then:

(2) 3 year olds...fulltime, one is my own
(1) 2 year old....2 days a week
(1) 10 month old...afternoons only
(1) 5 month old...fulltime
(1) my own newborn

I was going to try to convince my sister to help me while she is on break from college. Maybe a few hours a day...how much should I pay?
Any advice for having many infants?
Also I am going to buy something to carry my baby...know of any good carriers..no slings though..they scare me. Thanks!

Reply
MarinaVanessa 07:11 AM 12-01-2010
It all depends on you. I LOVE infants!! Here in CA we can have 3 infants and 2 toddlers as long as we have 1 SA (which I do, 1 being my own infant and 5 yo DD that is in Kinder) but if I could I would do nothing but infants. I think they're so much fun. Some don't like them so much and avoid them like the plague lol. It doesn't seem too bad by looking at the ages that you'll have since they aren't all super young.

The 2-3 yo can do simple activities and play on their own alot or at least with little guidance, the 10 mo should at least be crawling and then walking soon after, the 5 mo should be sitting up on his/her own already and if not then soon so the only child that will need a lot of activity is your own newborn.

Just as a thought though, I know you want a baby carrier for your baby but you may want to be careful not to have the baby in it too much or you may just get him used to being carried all of the time, which can make it difficult for you. I have my own 3 week old and I get through the day with him by alternating him from a pack'n'play (when he's asleep), to a swing (when he's awake) to my arms or being held occasionally while we do activities (I hold him facing out so that he can look around and see what's going on around him). This works really well. When he gets to the point of needing tummy time I'll just section off a little area for him with his own mouthing toys. It's what I do with the DC infants and it works well.
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laundrymom 08:40 AM 12-01-2010
I use a ring sling the first week or so then a pnp and my arms and the floor.

Originally Posted by MarinaVanessa:
It all depends on you. I LOVE infants!! Here in CA we can have 3 infants and 2 toddlers as long as we have 1 SA (which I do, 1 being my own infant and 5 yo DD that is in Kinder) but if I could I would do nothing but infants. I think they're so much fun. Some don't like them so much and avoid them like the plague lol. It doesn't seem too bad by looking at the ages that you'll have since they aren't all super young.

The 2-3 yo can do simple activities and play on their own alot or at least with little guidance, the 10 mo should at least be crawling and then walking soon after, the 5 mo should be sitting up on his/her own already and if not then soon so the only child that will need a lot of activity is your own newborn.

Just as a thought though, I know you want a baby carrier for your baby but you may want to be careful not to have the baby in it too much or you may just get him used to being carried all of the time, which can make it difficult for you. I have my own 3 week old and I get through the day with him by alternating him from a pack'n'play (when he's asleep), to a swing (when he's awake) to my arms or being held occasionally while we do activities (I hold him facing out so that he can look around and see what's going on around him). This works really well. When he gets to the point of needing tummy time I'll just section off a little area for him with his own mouthing toys. It's what I do with the DC infants and it works well.

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MommyMuffin 09:41 AM 12-01-2010
omg...I knew I could have 3 under 2years old but I forgot that I can only have 2 under 12 months...what am I going to do? Im freaking out here because I really need the money. I havent told any parents that I am pregnant yet. What should I do...ask my afternoon guy to leave for 2 months and then come back??
I could try to get a helper but then of course I have to pay them.
If only I could have waited 2 more months to get pregnant.
Maybe I can ask my sister to come in the afternoons until my september baby turns 1...that would only be like 2 - 3 weeks.
Reply
jen 09:57 AM 12-01-2010
Originally Posted by MommyMuffin:
omg...I knew I could have 3 under 2years old but I forgot that I can only have 2 under 12 months...what am I going to do? Im freaking out here because I really need the money. I havent told any parents that I am pregnant yet. What should I do...ask my afternoon guy to leave for 2 months and then come back??
I could try to get a helper but then of course I have to pay them.
If only I could have waited 2 more months to get pregnant.
Maybe I can ask my sister to come in the afternoons until my september baby turns 1...that would only be like 2 - 3 weeks.
So, if I'm reading the correctly, your afternoon guy turns 2 in a couple of months? If so, you may want to try contacting licensing and ask for an exception.
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Blackcat31 10:12 AM 12-01-2010
Originally Posted by MommyMuffin:
omg...I knew I could have 3 under 2years old but I forgot that I can only have 2 under 12 months...what am I going to do? Im freaking out here because I really need the money. I havent told any parents that I am pregnant yet. What should I do...ask my afternoon guy to leave for 2 months and then come back??
I could try to get a helper but then of course I have to pay them.
If only I could have waited 2 more months to get pregnant.
Maybe I can ask my sister to come in the afternoons until my september baby turns 1...that would only be like 2 - 3 weeks.
In Mn we can have 3 under 12 months and 1 toddler (1 yr old-2 yr old) WITH 2 adults. Since you have plans to have another adult, and you only have 3 preschool age kids, I'd call my licensor and ask for a short term variance. A variance allows us to have children that don't fit into the right age catagories if we can show that we have a lesser amount of kids in other catagories and have a 2nd adult...just so long as we do not go over total licensing capacities.
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DancingQueen 10:25 AM 12-01-2010
Connecticut - 6 full time kids and ONLY 2 of them can be under the age of 2. The under 2 spots are in high demand too. I already have my under 2 spot lined up for the next 2.75 years LOL
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MarinaVanessa 10:46 AM 12-01-2010
Originally Posted by MommyMuffin:
omg...I knew I could have 3 under 2years old but I forgot that I can only have 2 under 12 months...what am I going to do? Im freaking out here because I really need the money. I havent told any parents that I am pregnant yet. What should I do...ask my afternoon guy to leave for 2 months and then come back??
I could try to get a helper but then of course I have to pay them.
If only I could have waited 2 more months to get pregnant.
Maybe I can ask my sister to come in the afternoons until my september baby turns 1...that would only be like 2 - 3 weeks.
I would call your licensor also and request a varience. Because of the fact that there will only be a couple short months. I would find it a little shocking if licensing turned you down when it would only be temporary and then you would be within your quota again. Good luck. You may want to take care of this now or soon at least just to get it out of the way. That way if they deny you, you can appeal and have plenty of time to do so or at least to figure out a concrete way to have someone come in and help you. Keep us posted.
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MG&Lsmom 10:52 AM 12-01-2010
Going to chime in on a carrier. I know you said slings scare you but they shouldn't! If you use them correctly they are not dangerous. Find a local group of moms that use carriers and get some instruction on how to use them. My preference for a newborn is a stretchy wrap, most easily found as a Moby or Sleepy Wrap, but there are better ones out there. Mobys are hot! You can even get by with a few yards of jersey from the fabric store.

I'd stay away from a soft structured carrier (Ergo, Beco, Boba) until your baby is older. Some people can get them comfortable with tiny babies, but not many. A mei tai (Baby Hawk and others) could be an option, but you really need to learn to use them correctly so that the baby is supported correctly and their airway is open and clear. This goes for all baby carriers.

FWIW, bouncy seats, car seats, and swings can also be misused and compromise a baby's airway. Beware of baby head slumping with chin against chest in any of these baby items. There's a study out there somewhere that shows when infants are in carrier style car seats they only get like 1/3 the amount of oxygen they need.

Getting off my soapbox now, but if anyone wants more details or a great website to learn more about carriers PM me.
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