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Cozy_Kids_Childcare 05:40 PM 07-10-2012
Hello everyone, I started doing daycare about 15 months ago when my youngest was a little less than 2 months old. I have to share my daycare space with my living room.. My husband is tired of looking at the kid posters on the wall. He suggested I cover them with art that can hang over top and I can remove them in the morning before the kids get here. He is tired of people coming over and we have all these colorful 123, ABC, days of the week posters all over the place. It is not only the posters I have the toys in here as well. Does anyone else have this problem of having a small area to do daycare in and having to share the space with your living-room for all to see. I have thought about putting the posters in frames and hanging them as well and just switching out the posters and art work when our friends come over.
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DaisyMamma 05:56 PM 07-10-2012
It's not easy to live in your workplace and work in your living space. But it is a decision to do so. To me it seems like a lot of work to change pictures everyday, but if thats what works for you then that's perfect. I wonder if there are any double sided frames somewhere that you could have kid artwork on one side and home art on the other! That would be great!
You can even change things out on Friday to be more "home-like" and change it back to "daycare" Mon. AM.

I'm lucky enough to have a daycare room, but it used to be a dining room and its the room you enter when you come into my home. I have no problem with friends or family not wanting to see it. They know I have a daycare business and expect to see it. But I can see where having your living room also be a playroom as really really tough.
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cheerfuldom 06:16 PM 07-10-2012
Its very hard to share a small space. I wouldnt do any posters hanging on the wall, its not a necessity. I also did a lot of concealed storage like this former coffee table of mine
http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o...m/DSC03074.jpg
in order to tuck the toys away.

here is some cubbies with baskets to keep more stuff contained that we had in our living room
http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o...m/DSC02491.jpg

I think you can get creative and try to accommodate the fact that you all share the space. You dont have to make everything super colorful or kid themed in order to be usable. You can rotate toys in and out and store in rubbermaid totes in the garage or closet when not in use. Its important that you and your husband dont feel shoved out of your own home because of the daycare situation!

feel free to post pics of you space and we can comment with other ideas!
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Crazy8 06:26 PM 07-10-2012
That would be too much work for me. I have enough to do to get ready for my daycare days - taking down frames, etc. would not be something I'd want to do daily.

I think your DH has to come to terms with the fact that this is your home business and since you don't have a separate area to dedicate to it you are going to have to look at much of it during off hours. If he can't this may not be the best line of work for you. I once had an older relative come over and looking at my playroom (dedicated space) said "its such a shame you have to give up this room for the daycare" and my response was "that one room pays the mortgage on the rest of this house, I have no problem with using it for my business".

Now, there are definitely ways to make it not look so daycare-ish but I would do it that way for 24/7, not take things on and off the walls. Do you NEED to have those posters on the walls??? Me and my kids had painted canvases that hung on the walls in my daycare a while back (I've since painted and redecorated). Those 4-5 canvases were all that hung on the walls - I didn't do the ABC posters, etc. We purposely painted in colors that matched the rug in the room (which was a "normal" geometric area rug, not a kid-ish rug) not in primary kid colors. You can see one of the canvases in this photo:


I'm sure you could also get some toy storage solutions that would cover up some of the toys. I remember a pic from here one time where someone had big baskets under their big round coffee table. You can also utilize ottomans, etc. for toys.
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Truly Scrumptious 06:57 PM 07-10-2012
Buy some science boards to display all of your day care stuff, like ABCs and 123s and pop them open during the day and fold them up and tuck them under or behind the couch after day care. You can also make place mats and lay them on the table for display and take them up when finished. You can even make message boards for parents on science boards as well and display you license or any other important papers.
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Nickel 09:01 PM 07-10-2012
i too have those cubes!!! i love them i originally had movies and books in them but I just bought a huge bookshelf for my office, but everything on that and now I use them for toy storage They completely match the room decor but there's just bright spots of toys. And I too was going to use those elmers trifold poster boards for things like my calendar etc. I'm just going to use clear contact paper to "laminate" them and then use round velcro patches from the craft section and then cut out my squares and laminate those and tada. A moveable, hideable inexpensive calendar that can be used over and over again.

I will have to post pics when my room is all set up. My husband came home to the set up and he wasn't overly thrilled, but the big toys will all go in the garage on fri and comeback out mon. Those would be the little tykes coup, the zebra jumpy thing. a big doll house, etc....
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DBug 04:11 AM 07-11-2012
I use two bulletin boards (you can tape/velcro stuff to them to avoid using tacks) and I have those hanging on nails right in the visual center of my living/playroom. The parents can see our calendar, our sign language cards, etc. right when they walk in, and I refer to them every day with the kids during circle time. I have two large canvas prints that I can swap with the bulletin boards for when we have company over. Besides that I have a few decorative shelves that hold special books and toys up high out of the reach of the kids. When company is coming, I can swap out the kiddie stuff for knick knacks.

The other thing I did that made a huge difference was that I completely changed the colour scheme for my toy shelves and furniture. I did all neutrals (BIG change from my previous primary colours!). My toy shelves are 2x3 cubby units (like the Rubbermaid ones) and they are dark brown and my couch and chairs are a cafe au lait colour. The walls are a beige-y colour too. I use artificial plants to add greenery and colour, and to make it look more grown-up too.

I've tried to go to mostly wooden toys to avoid the toy-store-explosion look, and and the toys can all be tucked away off of the floor. I do tend towards minimalism, so I probably have less toys than most (but not so few that the kids are bored), and that makes it easier too.

It's very definitely a playroom during the week, but just knowing that I can switch it back to a living room makes a big difference in my whole outlook on working at home. And, I feel much more comfortable about having people over on the weekends or evenings.
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mac60 04:35 AM 07-11-2012
Another idea for out of sight storage is a bookcase shelf with a curtain panel on the front that compliments your decor. Or a chest of drawers to store things in.

Here is a link for ideas. http://www.google.com/search?q=bookc...iw=981&bih=558
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Kaddidle Care 04:37 AM 07-11-2012
Originally Posted by Crazy8:

I think your DH has to come to terms with the fact that this is your home business and since you don't have a separate area to dedicate to it you are going to have to look at much of it during off hours. If he can't this may not be the best line of work for you. I once had an older relative come over and looking at my playroom (dedicated space) said "its such a shame you have to give up this room for the daycare" and my response was "that one room pays the mortgage on the rest of this house, I have no problem with using it for my business".
What she said and she has a lovely space set up. I'm not sure if you have the kid's artwork displayed but that is something that can go home as soon as it is dry so that it can decorate their own homes.

I'm sure hubby likes the income so he needs to consider the alternative.

Tell him the Man cave is in the Garage or outside!
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mac60 04:54 AM 07-11-2012
I also have 2 storage cabinets with doors on them. I can store tons of stuff in them. They are double doored cabinets.
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Cozy_Kids_Childcare 07:14 AM 07-11-2012
Originally Posted by Nickel:
i too have those cubes!!! i love them i originally had movies and books in them but I just bought a huge bookshelf for my office, but everything on that and now I use them for toy storage They completely match the room decor but there's just bright spots of toys. And I too was going to use those elmers trifold poster boards for things like my calendar etc. I'm just going to use clear contact paper to "laminate" them and then use round velcro patches from the craft section and then cut out my squares and laminate those and tada. A moveable, hideable inexpensive calendar that can be used over and over again.

I will have to post pics when my room is all set up. My husband came home to the set up and he wasn't overly thrilled, but the big toys will all go in the garage on fri and comeback out mon. Those would be the little tykes coup, the zebra jumpy thing. a big doll house, etc....


I love the idea of putting the big stuff in the garage on Friday and pull it out late Sunday for Monday morning. So then I don't have to look at it all weekend.
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DCBlessings27 07:34 AM 07-11-2012
Originally Posted by Crazy8:
I think your DH has to come to terms with the fact that this is your home business and since you don't have a separate area to dedicate to it you are going to have to look at much of it during off hours. If he can't this may not be the best line of work for you.
I like to compromise with my husband instead of just wanting him to be happy just because I'm running my own business and helping to pay the bills. I want him and my children to feel as if this is their house first and daycare is secondary. I had my daycare in our living room for the first 2 of my 3 years doing daycare. My husband got tired of the toys and missed his living room. So, we compromised. We have an eating area in our kitchen, so I moved our table out of our formal dining room to make the dining room my daycare area. The kids love it because they have their own space. My husband loves having his living room back. We did buy one of those storage cubes with the canvas drawers and place it behind the loveseat. I keep the diapers/changes of clothes there, but it just looks like a storage shelf. The kids do nap still in the living room, but I just put everything away so it's like they weren't there. I was lucky that I did have my large dining room to dedicate to the area. We can even "de-daycare" it to make it a dining room again when guests come over. We did so for my baby sister's bridal shower. We just took down the kid stuff from the walls, rolled up the rugs, and put the large toys in the basement. Then, we moved our nice table back in. The guests couldn't tell that it was my daycare area. However, if we ever move, we will want a house with a basement I could do daycare in.
I like the ideas of keeping the big stuff put away outside of daycare hours. My sis-in-law had a very small house until she moved last year. She just used the storage cubes and shoe cubes to "hide" the daycare so that it seemed she still had a living room.
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Cozy_Kids_Childcare 07:49 AM 07-11-2012
Originally Posted by DBug:
I use two bulletin boards (you can tape/velcro stuff to them to avoid using tacks) and I have those hanging on nails right in the visual center of my living/playroom. The parents can see our calendar, our sign language cards, etc. right when they walk in, and I refer to them every day with the kids during circle time. I have two large canvas prints that I can swap with the bulletin boards for when we have company over. Besides that I have a few decorative shelves that hold special books and toys up high out of the reach of the kids. When company is coming, I can swap out the kiddie stuff for knick knacks.

The other thing I did that made a huge difference was that I completely changed the colour scheme for my toy shelves and furniture. I did all neutrals (BIG change from my previous primary colours!). My toy shelves are 2x3 cubby units (like the Rubbermaid ones) and they are dark brown and my couch and chairs are a cafe au lait colour. The walls are a beige-y colour too. I use artificial plants to add greenery and colour, and to make it look more grown-up too.

I've tried to go to mostly wooden toys to avoid the toy-store-explosion look, and and the toys can all be tucked away off of the floor. I do tend towards minimalism, so I probably have less toys than most (but not so few that the kids are bored), and that makes it easier too.

It's very definitely a playroom during the week, but just knowing that I can switch it back to a living room makes a big difference in my whole outlook on working at home. And, I feel much more comfortable about having people over on the weekends or evenings.

I was just telling my husband the other night that I might change out my neon green and pink fabric bins for the brown wicker ones that I have in my front foyer under my bench to hold shoes. My wall colors are also a beige color and my accent wall is a much darker brown. I have been on pinterest to try and get some ideas too. If you can post pictures I would love to see your setup because it sounds like what I am trying to do. I am going to look into the boards because I have two places I can put them and it would be easy to change them out with canvas art. I actually just got two canvases from A.C. Moore to do some melted crayon art with my older two kids this weekend. The wheels of creations are slowly creaking into motion.
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Cozy_Kids_Childcare 07:59 AM 07-11-2012
Originally Posted by katieica:
I like to compromise with my husband instead of just wanting him to be happy just because I'm running my own business and helping to pay the bills. I want him and my children to feel as if this is their house first and daycare is secondary. I had my daycare in our living room for the first 2 of my 3 years doing daycare. My husband got tired of the toys and missed his living room. So, we compromised. We have an eating area in our kitchen, so I moved our table out of our formal dining room to make the dining room my daycare area. The kids love it because they have their own space. My husband loves having his living room back. We did buy one of those storage cubes with the canvas drawers and place it behind the loveseat. I keep the diapers/changes of clothes there, but it just looks like a storage shelf. The kids do nap still in the living room, but I just put everything away so it's like they weren't there. I was lucky that I did have my large dining room to dedicate to the area. We can even "de-daycare" it to make it a dining room again when guests come over. We did so for my baby sister's bridal shower. We just took down the kid stuff from the walls, rolled up the rugs, and put the large toys in the basement. Then, we moved our nice table back in. The guests couldn't tell that it was my daycare area. However, if we ever move, we will want a house with a basement I could do daycare in.
I like the ideas of keeping the big stuff put away outside of daycare hours. My sis-in-law had a very small house until she moved last year. She just used the storage cubes and shoe cubes to "hide" the daycare so that it seemed she still had a living room.
We looked into converting the garage but that would cost 10K, so we decided to just get carpet in the house since we had hardwood floors for so long and they were not nice hardwood either. I just cleaned out our hall closet that just had stuff we don't need or use. I can't even tell you what all is in the large plastic totes that i moved into the garage. I am going to make it my personal mission this weekend to get some organization going in the garage and make a space for my large daycare items to call home during the weekend. I wish we had a dinning room it would be so much easier. My dinning room and kitchen are just one big open room. I really haven't took my daycare business seriously until recently. I just pretty much flew by the seat of my pants before.
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