Hello All,

I figured I would come to ask this question here, I am wrecking my brain trying to decide how to set my home up for daycare but not take everything out. So I'm in the process of rearranging my living room and dining room for daycare. I can't decide on what to keep and what to put in storage or my basement. Originally I was going to empty my entire living room and dining room, but figured where would my family eat and just sit around at. So for those who use their living room and dining how did you set up, starting out? I have a small home but I want it to be able to pass inspection for 8 kids. I'm sure I have enough space, just too much furniture lol. I have a sectional sofa so I can remove pieces. I thinking of getting rid of one piece, my coffee table, end table and Fish Tank. This will open up enough space to spread out Cots.

Also, where do you all store the kids things (coats, pampers, clothes, etc)? I don't want to buy too much expensive stuff, if I can use a couple ideas and DIY type things.

Please Help, Pics, Ideas, anything. I'm stressing before I even start lol.

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For coats, I bought over the door hooks. Clothing and other supplies: Each child has a $6 clear, locking tote with their name on it that I keep stacked in a closet. Diapers: extras go in the tote, I have a decorative 3-drawer chest in my living room that stores all of my diapering supplies (about a week's worth of diapers per kid), bibs, and blankets.

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They way my living room is, if you can picture this, you come in the front door and you are right in the living room. To the right is the stairs. I have a opening there where I may be able to hang coats if its not a probably with licensing. I will hang them myself since I have to block the stairs off. I did plan on using my VERY TINY closet for clear bins of some sort. I emptied it out so there is room. I wanted to be able to roll things back in the closet on the weekends lol. Do you store toys and other things in the clear bins? I was thinking of buying the wider stacked bins 6 total draws or so and putting things like blocks, smaller toys etc in there and labeling that instead of buying all sorts of cubby type things that are sold in Ikea. Would that be tacky? Lol! I was also thinking of creating a small relaxing area with little bean bags or something with books, and carpet for just that area. IDK I'm stressing. I can't seem to find any pics online of home daycare setups.

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My living room and dinning room are set up normal. The only thing I got rid of was the coffee table. so basically I have an open living room with a couch and tv and book shelf. What I did was put the tv on the wall, and anchored the shelf. I have "daycare bins" and I bring out the ones I need for the day every morning, and the kids aren't not allowed on my couch. but we do fun stuff all day. Then at nap time, I have everyone on there mat in the middle of the living room for there quite time. I do have 3 babies. (under 1) and they nap in a crib in my kids rooms with the doors open. That is the only thing I leave set up all the time. I have a crib in every room and my kids are just used to it. Then when everyone leaves, I put the bins up. I don't have enough space to not have a living room or dinning room. To be honest, even my dinning room has a china cabinet, and My house looks like any normal house form the outside looking in. I do have my own kids, but they keep there stuff in there rooms because they know that if its out in the living room, its fair game for the daycare kids.

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Oh and I will add that I keep the bins in the garage and the shelf I have in the living room has doors on the bottom two shelfs that I keep diapers and things I use all the time. Then I have a board in the entry way with my stuff on it. The bathroom has a closet that I put a lock on it and I keep changing things for diapers, the diaper pail and anything you are supposed to keep put up with kids. I also store all the meds in there.

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Your house sounds so much bigger than mine lol. Do you have things on your wall? (pics, kids art work, letters, numbers, etc) I'm trying to make sure everything fits right for the inspection. Unfortunately I'm scared the cots will clutter which will make it not pass. So that's why I'm thinking of getting rid of some stuff. I was going to empty out everything but changed my mind. With the right set up I'm sure it will work. Its just super small in here. Ugh. I don't have my bedrooms on there because my daughter takes up two bed rooms, one just toys and the other her room. So then I don't know where I would put 2 pack n plays. Even though I don't really want infants. I can get license for them so I'm going to just set up as if I had them. I do want to keep my house like a home too lol. Not just all daycare stuff. My goal is to get a center.

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Could you use one of your daughter's bedrooms as a nap room or even a playroom? Or you could always store the cots in a bedroom and get them out for nap. I bought two of those white cube storage cubbies and fabric bins to store coats, shoes, etc... and then I hung a coat rack above that.

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Just because the room is upstairs and I'm using my living room and dining room I didn't put my bedrooms on the plan when I submitted my application. And as small as that room is lol, It probably would only fit 2 cots in there lol She has 3 doll houses taking up all the space. I think I will use it for some type of storage if I can't fit everything in the downstairs closet. I'm trying to not go over board buy stuff. She did help out because I don't have to buy any girl toys, I just need boy stuff and baby soft toys. One of my friends gave me some boy stuff. We have plenty of books as well. I feel like I'm over thinking this and I just want to buy everything new, when I know I shouldn't and could probably Do A lot myself. This board will help me save lol.

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No I don't have anythings on the walls. It looks like a normal house unless you know I do daycare care. My house is only about 1100 square feet so my living room and dinning room are 1 long room. Then my bedrooms and bathroom are right off the living room. So everything is right here. I had bought stuff to hang on the wall, but decided not to at the last min. I don't use the cots, I have 8 of the kinder mats that fold up. Each kid has there cot and there bedding that goes with it. I do have a book shelf where each kid has there own shelf for there things and there mat and bedding. Its out in the garage also. could you space the play pins out like in the kitchen or dinning room? as long as you are in sight and hearing I think you would be fine.

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This is what it looks like. Also there is a decor group you can join on this forum with lots of pics.

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I am such a fan of the command strips so I was going to just create a small wall for daycare. I love teaching and doing circle time so I was going to create an alphabet, number, etc wall. Unless I use some type of roll out board where I can make this stuff and just put it away over the weekends.

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I can't make the picture big, but from I can see. I like that. I don't even have that much wall space. This house driving me crazy now. Lol! I have a little wall space but right next to that is my TV on the wall and the stand directly below it on the wall. I have to be really careful so that the children won't bust their heads. My daughter already know to watch out for this but other people children have to be taught to stay away from that area.

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http://www.mummymusingsandmayhem.com...-tips-for.html

This link has pictures of a home dc that is in the living area. My personal preference is that this is WAY TOO much dc in my personal space, but maybe I would be more tolerant if I still had little kids of my own at home.

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I opened the pic, Thanks. Also, how do I join the group and find it?

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I did see this, unfortunately that's too much for me too. I don't want my home over ran with DC things. There is no way I would survive lol. If I keep looking at something I will end up throwing EVERYTHING out. lol. Its too crowded in her home too. I can't take that. I want to be able to still walk around and enjoy my space. Even with my own child, she don't have her toys all around the house. NO WAY lol.

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I think you just click on Community at the top of the forum page then click Social Groups and join from there. There are a few groups you may be interested in joining!

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If you click the "playroom layout" tag below there will be many threads with photos to look at.

Also the "living room" tag has a few posts with the same concerns.

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Ok I will look at this now

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You don't have to open each thread to look at the photos. Just click the paper clip icons on each thread title (a pop up will appear) then choose each attachment individually. They will open in separate page, easy to close out and stay where you are in the forum.

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That looks awesome! I may see some re decoration in my future

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Thanks very helpful

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Thanks! The kids love that they can get their blanket or extra clothes or whatever from their own cubbies. The younger dck's never really get into them either, (they do every once in a while) I thought for sure they would constantly pull the bins out. It's a cheaper alternative to the preschool cubbies that I would love to have, but cost a fortune and are hard to come by used.

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