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Daycare Center and Family Home Forum>Your "Age Group"
thetoddlerwhisper 10:45 AM 01-22-2014
sprouting from a conversation we had at our center today...what is your age group? not what you have but the group you just click with? i personally love 2s. im most at home with them and the least stressed most of the time. while 3s drive me bonkers and infants tend to overwhelm me.
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coolconfidentme 10:47 AM 01-22-2014
1 to 2 year olds..., they learn so much during that time. I love it!
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Cat Herder 10:47 AM 01-22-2014
Same as yours..... except for the infants
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butterfly 10:49 AM 01-22-2014
Originally Posted by coolconfidentme:
1 to 2 year olds..., they learn so much during that time. I love it!
- the age where they haven't learned to talk back yet.
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thetoddlerwhisper 10:51 AM 01-22-2014
Originally Posted by butterfly:
- the age where they haven't learned to talk back yet.
thats why i like my 2s when they start talking back its time to move to the 3s room
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Luna 10:51 AM 01-22-2014
1 to 3. It breaks my heart when my sweet, funny two year olds turn into bossy, demanding, defiant three year olds .
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melilley 11:11 AM 01-22-2014
Infant to just before 3.
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coolconfidentme 11:15 AM 01-22-2014
I prefer parents over 30. The 20-something feel they know more about childcare than I do, lol. I want to say, "Pleeez...., I have kids older than you!" (giggle, snicker, snort)
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Happily_wed 11:16 AM 01-22-2014
Newborn to three. Once they hit three I find that they get the attitude and the smart mouth. Not all of them of course and maybe it's because I have had mostly girls lol. Out of four girls I have one that was still as sweet here once she hit three as ever. Now at home.....that was another story!
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thetoddlerwhisper 11:20 AM 01-22-2014
Originally Posted by coolconfidentme:
I prefer parents over 30. The 20-something feel they know more about childcare than I do, lol. I want to say, "Pleeez...., I have kids older than you!" (giggle, snicker, snort)
i prefer parents with more than 1 child. otherwise they treat me like i dont know snot. 8yrs in childcare is alot longer than your yr and a half of being a parent
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cheerfuldom 11:22 AM 01-22-2014
I do not like caring for infants. I am not the kind of person to rock babies and coo over them all day, I didn't even do that for my own kids. I like crawling age through 3 years old. After that, it depends on the 4 year old but a lot of 4 year olds are needing more activity and structure than I can provide and some of them don't nap anymore. I do not like screamers (who does?!) or kids that don't know how to play on their own. I would rather open the back door and turn them loose to get dirty, than deal with a kid that stands by the backdoor and doesn't play with anything.
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thetoddlerwhisper 11:25 AM 01-22-2014
Originally Posted by cheerfuldom:
I do not like caring for infants. I am not the kind of person to rock babies and coo over them all day, I didn't even do that for my own kids. I like crawling age through 3 years old. After that, it depends on the 4 year old but a lot of 4 year olds are needing more activity and structure than I can provide and some of them don't nap anymore. I do not like screamers (who does?!) or kids that don't know how to play on their own. I would rather open the back door and turn them loose to get dirty, than deal with a kid that stands by the backdoor and doesn't play with anything.
thats part of my thing with infants theyre cute a little when theyre newborns but then i dont have time to sit and coddle all day.
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KidGrind 11:27 AM 01-22-2014
3 and under. I love, love, love babies.
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jenboo 11:39 AM 01-22-2014
I love up to 12 months, but when we are talking about a group of them, Ill pick the 4 yr olds.
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Happily_wed 11:41 AM 01-22-2014
Originally Posted by cheerfuldom:
I do not like caring for infants. I am not the kind of person to rock babies and coo over them all day, I didn't even do that for my own kids. I like crawling age through 3 years old. After that, it depends on the 4 year old but a lot of 4 year olds are needing more activity and structure than I can provide and some of them don't nap anymore. I do not like screamers (who does?!) or kids that don't know how to play on their own. I would rather open the back door and turn them loose to get dirty, than deal with a kid that stands by the backdoor and doesn't play with anything.
I don't coddle the babies. I hold them while feeding and after changing and pick them up and play with them at times throughout the day but I don't sit and hold them all day. I think they need to lay and watch and listen and kick and explore their hands etc.
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Tdhmom 12:03 PM 01-22-2014
Originally Posted by butterfly:
- the age where they haven't learned to talk back yet.
2's are my fav!!!! This reason and they learn SOOOO much!!!
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craftymissbeth 12:03 PM 01-22-2014
2's and 3's. I only have infants and toddlers usually, but I would love only older toddlers/young preschoolers. I dream of the day we can just play in the backyard all day exploring rather than staying inside because of naps and bottles.
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blandino 12:09 PM 01-22-2014
I enjoy caring for infants, IF that is all I have. I don't manage balancing infants and activities for the older children.

Ideally, I like 1-2 year olds. 18 months is by far my favorite age.
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spud912 01:14 PM 01-22-2014
I love 3-5's! I especially love the 4's....they are my FAVORITE!!
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SilverSabre25 01:40 PM 01-22-2014
I LOVE 2. I enjoy babies too. 1-2, not so much. But love, love, love 2.
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cheerfuldom 01:49 PM 01-22-2014
Originally Posted by Happily_wed:
I don't coddle the babies. I hold them while feeding and after changing and pick them up and play with them at times throughout the day but I don't sit and hold them all day. I think they need to lay and watch and listen and kick and explore their hands etc.
Oh I agree with you. i just find that most infants these days are not raised with that philosophy and it makes for a long hard day for the daycare providers. I will rarely take an infant but only if I know their parents and I are on the same page. I am so sick of first time parents that smother their kids, never put them down, overload them with activities, classes and toys. ugh.
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e.j. 02:08 PM 01-22-2014
I have a tough time picking any one age group. Right now, I have some really wonderful kids that make me love each of the age groups they're in! In general, though, I guess I'd have to say 3-4 year olds are my favorite. I love doing arts and craft projects with them and since they're older, they can do them on their own with little help. At that age, most are used to having to pick up their toys and it's not as much of a struggle to get them to do it. They can feed themselves without making too much of a mess and most are potty trained by then!
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Maria2013 03:47 PM 01-22-2014
Originally Posted by butterfly:
- the age where they haven't learned to talk back yet.

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blandino 03:56 PM 01-22-2014
Originally Posted by spud912:
I love 3-5's! I especially love the 4's....they are my FAVORITE!!
Come work for me ! . Right now I have 4, 3.5 (almost 4) year olds - and I am counting down the months until they go to school. Which is in exactly 7 months !! I love them, but the age is ROUGH for me.
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Bookworm 04:16 PM 01-22-2014
I've worked with every age group, but the 4's are my favorite. They are so funny.
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TwinKristi 04:26 PM 01-22-2014
I prefer under 3 as well. 3yr olds are just full of sass and sneakies! Younger siblings to 3-4yr olds tend to pick up on those behaviors earlier as well! Blah!!
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daycarediva 04:45 PM 01-22-2014
Originally Posted by coolconfidentme:
I prefer parents over 30. The 20-something feel they know more about childcare than I do, lol. I want to say, "Pleeez...., I have kids older than you!" (giggle, snicker, snort)
Haha that's what I thought she meant, too. I like your answer.

2-5. I like 2 because of 1 nap, increased independence, developing verbal skills and personality. I love getting to know a kid that is learning to talk.

I like 3 because they're challenging, and starting to understand their place in the world. Parallel play ends and they make those first friendships, social skill practice is amusing to me. I could watch them play pretend all day. I find that if I give them set rules, consequences and limits on behavior they are pretty good for me. I have a tough group now, half of them I didn't 'raise'/have here from under 3 so they have NO social skills. The kids I have had longer term are amazing.

I like 4. Probably because I typically have good 4s. Nappers, eaters, good examples for youngers. They are HYSTERICAL. My 4yo dcg is all about jokes, always saves me her popsicle stick jokes. She also is picking up sarcasm (admittedly from dcm) when something bad happens she says "Great" or "awesome" and the 3's will argue with her that "NO IT IS NOT AWESOME WE CAN'T GO OUTSIDE BECAUSE IT'S COLD!" and says things like "Goodness gracious." when someone starts throwing a temper tantrum, I can look at her and wink and she knows I agree but won't say it. They are also SPONGES and you can get much deeper into topics and things with them. Dcg is working on reading, sounding out words, etc and it's fun to find clever ways to teach her. She is writing, draws pictures that look like things, has a long attention span, is VERY creative and helpful, I LOVE her. So was my own ds at that age last year.

Sa and under a year? Oh my goodness no.
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Bookworm 05:06 PM 01-22-2014
Originally Posted by daycarediva:
Haha that's what I thought she meant, too. I like your answer.

2-5. I like 2 because of 1 nap, increased independence, developing verbal skills and personality. I love getting to know a kid that is learning to talk.

I like 3 because they're challenging, and starting to understand their place in the world. Parallel play ends and they make those first friendships, social skill practice is amusing to me. I could watch them play pretend all day. I find that if I give them set rules, consequences and limits on behavior they are pretty good for me. I have a tough group now, half of them I didn't 'raise'/have here from under 3 so they have NO social skills. The kids I have had longer term are amazing.

I like 4. Probably because I typically have good 4s. Nappers, eaters, good examples for youngers. They are HYSTERICAL. My 4yo dcg is all about jokes, always saves me her popsicle stick jokes. She also is picking up sarcasm (admittedly from dcm) when something bad happens she says "Great" or "awesome" and the 3's will argue with her that "NO IT IS NOT AWESOME WE CAN'T GO OUTSIDE BECAUSE IT'S COLD!" and says things like "Goodness gracious." when someone starts throwing a temper tantrum, I can look at her and wink and she knows I agree but won't say it. They are also SPONGES and you can get much deeper into topics and things with them. Dcg is working on reading, sounding out words, etc and it's fun to find clever ways to teach her. She is writing, draws pictures that look like things, has a long attention span, is VERY creative and helpful, I LOVE her. So was my own ds at that age last year.

Sa and under a year? Oh my goodness no.
I have 6 4yro girls just like this. One of best quotes I've ever heard came from one of these girls. Backstory: We were playing balloon tennis and the rule is if you keep tossing up your balloon, I will pop it. Well you can guess what happened next. After popping 1 balloon for not following the rules, DCG said, "I don't know why you're crying 'cause she told you what she was gonna do".
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Patches 05:17 PM 01-22-2014
Infants. The younger the better. I love my babies. 1 year olds are my second favorite.
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Sunshine74 08:33 PM 01-22-2014
Originally Posted by daycarediva:
Haha that's what I thought she meant, too. I like your answer.

2-5. I like 2 because of 1 nap, increased independence, developing verbal skills and personality. I love getting to know a kid that is learning to talk.

I like 3 because they're challenging, and starting to understand their place in the world. Parallel play ends and they make those first friendships, social skill practice is amusing to me. I could watch them play pretend all day. I find that if I give them set rules, consequences and limits on behavior they are pretty good for me. I have a tough group now, half of them I didn't 'raise'/have here from under 3 so they have NO social skills. The kids I have had longer term are amazing.

I like 4. Probably because I typically have good 4s. Nappers, eaters, good examples for youngers. They are HYSTERICAL. My 4yo dcg is all about jokes, always saves me her popsicle stick jokes. She also is picking up sarcasm (admittedly from dcm) when something bad happens she says "Great" or "awesome" and the 3's will argue with her that "NO IT IS NOT AWESOME WE CAN'T GO OUTSIDE BECAUSE IT'S COLD!" and says things like "Goodness gracious." when someone starts throwing a temper tantrum, I can look at her and wink and she knows I agree but won't say it. They are also SPONGES and you can get much deeper into topics and things with them. Dcg is working on reading, sounding out words, etc and it's fun to find clever ways to teach her. She is writing, draws pictures that look like things, has a long attention span, is VERY creative and helpful, I LOVE her. So was my own ds at that age last year.

Sa and under a year? Oh my goodness no.
That's about where I am too. I would say that my favorite age group starts at about 2 1/2. That is when their personalities and imaginations really take off.

I think my least favorite is about 18months- 2 or 2 1/2. I worked with that group for a few years in the mornings, and moving to preschool in the afternoons. I was so ready for a change by the afternoon, I don't think I would have been able to do a full day in that room.
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SilverSabre25 09:02 PM 01-22-2014
Originally Posted by Sunshine74:
I think my least favorite is about 18months- 2 or 2 1/2. I worked with that group for a few years in the mornings, and moving to preschool in the afternoons. I was so ready for a change by the afternoon, I don't think I would have been able to do a full day in that room.
I flat out don't like 18mos-2, or sometimes it's 15-21mos, or wherever in that "1-2" year the worst behavior falls. They are very hard to work with, connect with, deal with. Sigh. I have a 20mo right now who is just starting to show signs of moving out of that phase, whatever it is. He's going to get fun in a couple months!
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Blackcat31 07:31 AM 01-23-2014
My "ideal" age group is the 2.5 yr olds to the new 5's.
Once they get accustomed to 5 though....the like factor starts declining.

I don't really "click" much with the under 2.5's and I will NOT deal with the over 5's.

As for parents.....I have great parents in their 20ies (younger than my own kids) and HORRID parents in their mid-40ies.

I do NOT think age has ANYTHING to do with parenting.

I think personality has MORE to do with it than anything. Basically just the kind of or type of person they are can make a great or horrible parent... I've seen both and for me age played NO role in that.
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Msdunny 07:53 AM 01-23-2014
My ideal age group is 1-3. I love seeing and helping their language skills develop and watching them make new discoveries in what they can do. They don't need me as much, but they still need me, KWIM?

I don't accept kids under 12 months...and I prefer around 15 months. There is just too much one-on-one needed at that age and I can't do that with all the others here. If I were to only watch one child, I would consider that age.

To be honest with you though, my own kids are all teenagers, and I love that age. We are slowly transitioning (keyword slowly!) from the "I'm the parent, so I'm the boss" stage into "let's make this decision together" stage. I am great friends with all my kids, even though they know there is a line they can't cross. But I really do enjoy them!
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Lyss 10:54 AM 01-23-2014
I like the 2-older 4 age group.

I love little babies but not to have in care, just visiting ones
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WImom 11:15 AM 01-23-2014
I love the 4's. Wish I just had 8 4 year olds. If they could all be girls too that would be even better!
I only care for 2-5y so it's not too bad but I just click with the 4 year olds best.
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WImom 11:19 AM 01-23-2014
Originally Posted by Bookworm:
I have 6 4yro girls just like this. One of best quotes I've ever heard came from one of these girls. Backstory: We were playing balloon tennis and the rule is if you keep tossing up your balloon, I will pop it. Well you can guess what happened next. After popping 1 balloon for not following the rules, DCG said, "I don't know why you're crying 'cause she told you what she was gonna do".
LOL...My almost 5y old DCG today made me laugh when a few of our markers were not coloring very well anymore. She told all the younger kids "Mrs _____ said I can throw these away. I know it's a going to big a big bummer, but they do not work anymore".

The choice of words from 4y old girls makes me laugh every day.
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spinnymarie 07:33 AM 01-24-2014
After teaching Kindergarten for 6 years, I am really enjoying preschool, and I have always loved the learning to talk age, from 1 - 3 too. I have a really hard time with infants, like under 6 months, and kids over about 7.
As for parents... I've never met a parent that had 3 or more kids that I didn't like. The closer in age the better - they know crowd control and doing things for the good of the group. The less kids they have, the less they seem to 'get it' although there are plenty of parents of 1 or 2 who do get it, of course. Just more likely with more kids
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originalkat 01:56 PM 01-24-2014
Originally Posted by spud912:
I love 3-5's! I especially love the 4's....they are my FAVORITE!!
This is me as well.
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