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Daycare Center and Family Home Forum>Baby Zone Blues
Heidi 06:55 AM 10-13-2011
2 weeks ago I created a lovely "baby zone" for my toddlers. It is an 8x11 area on one end of my playroom, with a patio door view of the outside. There are 3 shopping baskets filled with toys, plus a low shelf with about 8 larger toys like sorters, pounding benches, and such.

The older kids love it. They can talk to the babies, yet can build duplo towers to the sky, train tracks, and set the table in the dramatic play area.

I sit down on the floor in the baby zone a few times a day during indoor free play time, which usually amounts to about 20-30 minutes out of the two hours total indoor free play. Of course, I also give one-on-one at other times, like diaper changing and tucking into bed.

One of the 14 mo twins loves the baby zone. If in there alone, he will play happily for quite a while. Twin #2, however, prefers to stand at the gate, screaming and crying. "XX, go play with toys..." sometimes I go in and set a toy in front of him, and stay for a minute.

When they are in there together, it usually goes from playing alone to fighting over a toy or excessive hugging that turns into wrestling and hair pulling.

Do I need to spend more time in there or does he need to get over it? Any other ideas?


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nannyde 07:24 AM 10-13-2011
I think the area is too big and may have way too much in it.

I also would never use play areas for infants where I put more than one kid in the area. I use superyards that are six foot by three foot and they all have their own with their own toys. We can expand that to six foot by six foot if our numbers of infant/toddlers is lower and we have the space.

I don't use any bins, baskets, or shelves. I don't use any push toys or anything heavy that can be tossed overboard and harm someone.

It's okay if they don't like it. Baby/toddlers don't know what's best for themselves, you, or the group. Just keep reinforcing that they need to go play and don't worry about getting in their zone. If you are in the room and supervision them... if they have time out of the zone to eat, get their pants changed, and go outside then the time they have in there will be good for them whether they like it or not.

If you go in and out of the zone with them it sets the standard of happiness THERE. Their happiness needs to be with them playing toys. No need to set the bar higher than that.
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Heidi 07:32 AM 10-13-2011
Originally Posted by nannyde:
I think the area is too big and may have way too much in it.

I also would never use play areas for infants where I put more than one kid in the area. I use superyards that are six foot by three foot and they all have their own with their own toys. We can expand that to six foot by six foot if our numbers of infant/toddlers is lower and we have the space.

I don't use any bins, baskets, or shelves. I don't use any push toys or anything heavy that can be tossed overboard and harm someone.

It's okay if they don't like it. Baby/toddlers don't know what's best for themselves, you, or the group. Just keep reinforcing that they need to go play and don't worry about getting in their zone. If you are in the room and supervision them... if they have time out of the zone to eat, get their pants changed, and go outside then the time they have in there will be good for them whether they like it or not.

If you go in and out of the zone with them it sets the standard of happiness THERE. Their happiness needs to be with them playing toys. No need to set the bar higher than that.
Thanks, Nanny. I keep telling myself that I am not one of those people that thinks children NEED to be happy ALL THE TIME. That a little discomfort is an opportunity to learn. But, then he's standing there yelling and there is an element of guilt.


I do have a porta crib inside the zone, because honestly sometimes I need to "divide and conquer" the twins. I usually give them a chance to play together, but as soon as they wrestle, I seperate them, alternating who goes into the smaller space. I put new toys in each time, but when he throws them out, they don't go back in.

I don't have the space for 2 baby zones, not even if I split up the current area into two. We wouldn't have access to the outside if I did, and there is no other space in the room.

In the future, when enrolling infants, I will train them to play in a baby zone from the beginning. It's a little tougher at this age, I think.
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2ndFamilyDC 07:57 AM 10-13-2011
Originally Posted by nannyde:
I think the area is too big and may have way too much in it.

I also would never use play areas for infants where I put more than one kid in the area. I use superyards that are six foot by three foot and they all have their own with their own toys. We can expand that to six foot by six foot if our numbers of infant/toddlers is lower and we have the space.

I don't use any bins, baskets, or shelves. I don't use any push toys or anything heavy that can be tossed overboard and harm someone.

It's okay if they don't like it. Baby/toddlers don't know what's best for themselves, you, or the group. Just keep reinforcing that they need to go play and don't worry about getting in their zone. If you are in the room and supervision them... if they have time out of the zone to eat, get their pants changed, and go outside then the time they have in there will be good for them whether they like it or not.

If you go in and out of the zone with them it sets the standard of happiness THERE. Their happiness needs to be with them playing toys. No need to set the bar higher than that.


I needed to read this, thanks.
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caligirl 08:09 AM 10-13-2011
I have one baby in my 'baby zone'....oh my goodness, she is ALL OVER the place otherwise! And into everything....climbing over things, taking toys from the big kids, smacking the other baby..... and she is oh-so-cute about it all! Everything is funny to her. She cracks me up, but wears me out!! So into baby zone she goes......and she is perfectly happy in there..playing with her toys or standing at the gate dancing.....she is such a doll!
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2ndFamilyDC 08:11 AM 10-13-2011
Originally Posted by caligirl:
I have one baby in my 'baby zone'....oh my goodness, she is ALL OVER the place otherwise! And into everything....climbing over things, taking toys from the big kids, smacking the other baby..... and she is oh-so-cute about it all! Everything is funny to her. She cracks me up, but wears me out!! So into baby zone she goes......and she is perfectly happy in there..playing with her toys or standing at the gate dancing.....she is such a doll!


Yep that is what the little ones do..........nice to have a place to put them. Right now I do not have a baby zone but am getting one soon! But I picture my 12 mth old standing at the gate crying.
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Unregistered 09:29 AM 10-13-2011
Thanks so much for this idea! Why I never thought of it I have no idea.
I just let my littles have free roam all over the daycare area.What a disaster!!!!
They constantly put toys in their mouth,throw stuff on the floor,just make a disaster of the whole room.I just put up my octagon play yard(it's pretty big) Put about 8 toys in there that I'll sanitize whenever I see them mouth them and at the end of the day.
Just saved myself hours of cleaning and constantly saying "no toys in your mouth"
Of course,they are all crying in there but they don't even play with the toys when they're not in the playyard.Just walk from thing to thing making a mes.This will actually teach them how to play.You guys are so smart!
Added bonus-the big kids won't get there toys taken,knocked over or slobbered on anymore.
Can you tell I'm excited about this?
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Heidi 10:26 AM 10-13-2011
Originally Posted by Unregistered:
Thanks so much for this idea! Why I never thought of it I have no idea.
I just let my littles have free roam all over the daycare area.What a disaster!!!!
They constantly put toys in their mouth,throw stuff on the floor,just make a disaster of the whole room.I just put up my octagon play yard(it's pretty big) Put about 8 toys in there that I'll sanitize whenever I see them mouth them and at the end of the day.
Just saved myself hours of cleaning and constantly saying "no toys in your mouth"
Of course,they are all crying in there but they don't even play with the toys when they're not in the playyard.Just walk from thing to thing making a mes.This will actually teach them how to play.You guys are so smart!
Added bonus-the big kids won't get there toys taken,knocked over or slobbered on anymore.
Can you tell I'm excited about this?
Yeah! That IS exciting!

We have some changes going on in our house, my oldest son may be moving out sometime soon. When that happens, my hubby gets that room as his man cave. Then the dc room becomes all mine (well, theirs). I will move my baby zone, then step it up a notch. Something to climb through, perhaps, and some things mounted on the wall like the latches board. Things they can fiddle with but not throw out. That is a problem, currently. If I had the money, I would do this:

http://www.communityplaythings.com/p...Roomscape.html

maybe someday!
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blueclouds29 10:33 AM 10-13-2011
how old up to do you put them in the baby zone? I have a play yard that just snaps together. A while ago i put two todders in there and they push it around and can end up unsnapping it to get out. So i don't use it anymore but would love to! They even ended up pushing it through a door way! Quiet funny but agravating too!

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Growing1atime 10:46 AM 10-13-2011
Originally Posted by nannyde:
I think the area is too big and may have way too much in it.

I also would never use play areas for infants where I put more than one kid in the area. I use superyards that are six foot by three foot and they all have their own with their own toys. We can expand that to six foot by six foot if our numbers of infant/toddlers is lower and we have the space.

I don't use any bins, baskets, or shelves. I don't use any push toys or anything heavy that can be tossed overboard and harm someone.

It's okay if they don't like it. Baby/toddlers don't know what's best for themselves, you, or the group. Just keep reinforcing that they need to go play and don't worry about getting in their zone. If you are in the room and supervision them... if they have time out of the zone to eat, get their pants changed, and go outside then the time they have in there will be good for them whether they like it or not.

If you go in and out of the zone with them it sets the standard of happiness THERE. Their happiness needs to be with them playing toys. No need to set the bar higher than that.
The parents I have here would never have come to my daycare if they saw that I keep the infants in gated area's as small as you are suggesting. One of the things that have brought them here is the fact that the children have space to roam and play. An area 6x3 ft. is smaller then my sofa.

I just make sure all of the toys are washable, throw them in tubs in the backyard and hose, wash and dry.

But I have a small daycare compared to some of the others here. I usually have only 2 to three kids a day so it works for me.

The older children here are my own and they just play in their rooms with their toys.
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hoopinglady 11:21 AM 10-13-2011
I have used a baby zone with success with 2-3 babies. At about age 18 months I get confused...they seem too old to cage but too young to play without disturbing the preschoolers' play.

I now have 4 2's that need their own space. (all the slobber...ewwww) but I suspect if I put them together it would be a lot like cage fighting.
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Heidi 11:23 AM 10-13-2011
Originally Posted by Growing1atime:
The parents I have here would never have come to my daycare if they saw that I keep the infants in gated area's as small as you are suggesting. One of the things that have brought them here is the fact that the children have space to roam and play. An area 6x3 ft. is smaller then my sofa.

I just make sure all of the toys are washable, throw them in tubs in the backyard and hose, wash and dry.

But I have a small daycare compared to some of the others here. I usually have only 2 to three kids a day so it works for me.

The older children here are my own and they just play in their rooms with their toys.
I really didn't want to just put them in playpens all day, although honestly, I know parents used one with me when I was little. They had a very tiny apartment, and it was the olden days before everything was baby-proofed.

I created my baby zone because I have 4 children from one family, and the family dynamics were taking over my house, basically. They are a very physical bunch, and there was no play going on, just wrestling from morning until pick up. It was divide and conquer or I would have to go jump off a bridge! A very tall one!
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Heidi 11:24 AM 10-13-2011
Originally Posted by hoopinglady:
I have used a baby zone with success with 2-3 babies. At about age 18 months I get confused...they seem too old to cage but too young to play without disturbing the preschoolers' play.

I now have 4 2's that need their own space. (all the slobber...ewwww) but I suspect if I put them together it would be a lot like cage fighting.
lol! too funny!
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MommyMuffin 11:28 AM 10-13-2011
Originally Posted by Growing1atime:
The parents I have here would never have come to my daycare if they saw that I keep the infants in gated area's as small as you are suggesting. One of the things that have brought them here is the fact that the children have space to roam and play. An area 6x3 ft. is smaller then my sofa.

I just make sure all of the toys are washable, throw them in tubs in the backyard and hose, wash and dry.

But I have a small daycare compared to some of the others here. I usually have only 2 to three kids a day so it works for me.

The older children here are my own and they just play in their rooms with their toys.
Having a baby zone is a must to keep the little ones safe. But that is because I have more children. It is easy to keep 2 - 3 kids safe but even if I only had 2 - 3 here, I wouldnt dare not have an infant only area because of safety. Safety is above all else. I have had parents scoff at the baby play area.."they are in a cage" ...ect..but then I tell them it is so that they are safe from the big kids. The next day when the parent comes for pick up I place their child in the bigger area and let them see how unsafe (im still right there along with the parent) it is to be out there.

I dont talk to the parents about it other than, "yes so and so has to play in this area to keep him/her safe." Most parents dont say anything else after that. It is just the way it is in a group care setting. If they dont like it, they can find another provider. I will not take the risk.

I can see how you would with such low numbers....but accidents can happen anytime!!
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nannyde 12:22 PM 10-13-2011
Originally Posted by Growing1atime:
The parents I have here would never have come to my daycare if they saw that I keep the infants in gated area's as small as you are suggesting. One of the things that have brought them here is the fact that the children have space to roam and play. An area 6x3 ft. is smaller then my sofa.

I just make sure all of the toys are washable, throw them in tubs in the backyard and hose, wash and dry.

But I have a small daycare compared to some of the others here. I usually have only 2 to three kids a day so it works for me.

The older children here are my own and they just play in their rooms with their toys.
Having a small day care of two to three kids is quite different than having eight.

I had the opportunity in June to go back to the house I was raised in in South Dakota from nine to about fifteen. I shared it with five siblings and two parents. It was TINY. Even as a teenager ... I promise you I didn't have eighteen square foot of dedicated space just for me to play in.

My Dad was one of eleven kids. He was raised in a house that had about five hundred square foot on one level and about three hundred upstairs.

Our ideas of space now are very different than our ancestors. My grandmas life would have been dramatically different if she had the ability and money it would take to give her little stair step kids their own 18 square foot play area filled with awesome toys. Her parents crossed the US by covered wagons. I believe she was one of fourteen total kids. When they settled in Kansas they lived in a tiny little cabin where they slept toe to head and the big kids shared a mattress in a tiny loft.

It's a very new concept to think these kids need so much space.

We have rotational grazing here. Every baby has their own play yard, bouncy seat, high chair, and seat in the stroller. We also have our room divided between "little ones" and "big kids". We rotate the babies through each "activity" every twenty minutes or so. They have full reign of the floor when the older kids are eating lunch or doing a craft.

Once they can fully walk then we GRADUALLY introduce them into the little kids side and teach them the play rules. It takes a few months of small incremental increased exposures to work directly with them to show them our way. If they are able to free play and stay in their area without constant redirection then we increase their time of that play cycle until they are fully integrated with the other kids.

Sometimes that takes a couple of weeks... sometimes it takes six to eight months. It just depends on the behavior of the baby. Once they have about a year under their belts of good behavior on the little side then we start over again and gradually introduce them on the big kids side.

We have the older .. competent... leader kids work with the babies by playing alongside of them to teach them our ways. They do it again when we introduce them to the big kids side of the room.

It's all a gradual process but it works FABULOUS for us. I have NO hitting, biting, fighting, arguing, hoarding, selfishness, or aggressive play. Slow... but sure they learn the rules and I end up with a house full of little angels who play lovely with each other and require little to no adult involvement in their play.
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2ndFamilyDC 07:35 AM 10-18-2011
Originally Posted by 2ndFamilyDC:
Yep that is what the little ones do..........nice to have a place to put them. Right now I do not have a baby zone but am getting one soon! But I picture my 12 mth old standing at the gate crying.
Today is my first day with my baby zone. I put my 12 mth old in there and she is crying. I feel bad, but it is not fair to the other 6 kids that she destroys what ever they build, or grabs their toys. There are many things put away so she does not get it and then the big kids cannot play with what they want. I am just hoping she gets used to it.
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Tags:age appropriate, age appropriate - zones, playing area, zones
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