momneedscoffee 11:52 AM 12-28-2015
I will be introducing a 3 m.o. into my home daycare soon. I am looking for any/all advice on how to keep things running smoothly. I have two 3 yr olds, a 10 m.o, and a 19 m.o. Do you keep a separate space for the newborn? Other than a pack and play? My kids are pretty rowdy and my main concern is that the baby would accidentally get hurt. Another concern is how to get the little one started on a consistent nap routine? I haven't asked the parents about her schedule at home yet, and I know she is a bit young to have much of one. I appreciate any advice! Thanks!
Indoorvoice 12:36 PM 12-28-2015
I started the infant I have here when he was 3 months. I kind of threw our routine out the window when he first started and only kept general meal times and nap times. I had activities that the older kids could do independently without much set up. A LOT of free play! I also enclosed an area with a gate just for him so he wouldn't get hurt by the older kids when I needed to set him down because I don't use swings or bouncers. I put him down when he was sleepy and fed him on demand. I didn't worry about a sleep routine with him until he was about 5 months. By then he was naturally getting accustomed to the flow of our day and was able to fuss a bit when I put him down at the time I wanted him to sleep without me worrying about him. Make sure you talk to mom about how you will be putting baby to sleep so she can do the same at home.
Blackcat31 12:42 PM 12-28-2015
Originally Posted by momneedscoffee:
I will be introducing a 3 m.o. into my home daycare soon. I am looking for any/all advice on how to keep things running smoothly. I have two 3 yr olds, a 10 m.o, and a 19 m.o. Do you keep a separate space for the newborn? Other than a pack and play? My kids are pretty rowdy and my main concern is that the baby would accidentally get hurt. Another concern is how to get the little one started on a consistent nap routine? I haven't asked the parents about her schedule at home yet, and I know she is a bit young to have much of one. I appreciate any advice! Thanks!
Absolutely keep a separate space for baby.
I do NOT allow ANYONE near/around/next to a non-mobile infant. Especially a newborn. No touching, nothing.
Baby however, NEVER leaves my site. ever.
As for rowdy kids...I think if you are going to have a newborn in care, you may want to curb that. My kiddos are very well behaved indoors. Outside is the ONLY place they are allowed to be rowdy.
Safety trumps ALL else when it comes to caring for babies and when it comes to liability for someone else's child(ren).