Do the after school kids with your own and what do you do with them when preparing dinner? Soon my 1 family will be switching hours and coming after school/being here longer than what we are used to. The bus drops off at 4 and normally my daughter changes to play clothes, has a snack, does homework if needed, then plays until supper. Do you have them play with your own or others while you start supper? We won't eat until after they are picked up. Also how do you handle the "I want more snack" after they've eaten their serving? I like kids to be hungry for dinner rather than stuffing themselves with snack but these 2 kids are bottomless pits when it comes to food if they like the snack. If not they will refuse to eat but then tell mom or dad they didn't get snack. I do tell parents they chose not to eat what I offered. Also with this being my home as well as my daycare, I have certain snacks (that are more healthy) that are snacks for daycare and certain snacks for my kids during non daycare hours (that aren't quite as healthy) and sometimes my husband will forget to put something in the cupboard and a dck will see the snack and want that and get mad when I tell them its not a daycare snack. The school age dcg is the worst about this type of stuff. I've had to teach her she cannot open my fridge and go through it same as my cupboards, but sometimes after long weekends its still a problem. They don't seem to understand that not everything in my home is offered to them. Does anyone else deal with this?

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Also I should ask, my lower level is just for my own kids and lots of times my kids play downstairs until supper when the weather is too cold to be outside. My kids keep their special toys downstairs and in there rooms while the daycare toys are in the living room. Do I need to make my children play upstairs with these dcks or do the dcks need to keep themselves busy like they do when my own kids aren't home.

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My SA kids are not there to be dck's playmates. They come home,have snack, do homework and then whatever they choose do do. I do not serve 2nds on snacks. I would say good then you will be hungry for dinner

I don't take SA dck's but it sounds like what you are doing is perfectly fine to me. Your daycare, your rules.

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Exactly this! I don't have SA kids or SA daycare kids, but I would not make your own kids change anything. It is still their house and your DCKs need to understand that daycare rules stay the same. Don't let them anywhere near your kitchen, let them know they can eat snack or not but it is what you serve and that's the end... set the boundaries and be consistent! That is so rude to be getting into your fridge or trying to tell parents you didn't "give them" snack when they refused. Your kids need down time after school too, and they should be free to choose what they do and where they hang out- regardless of DC.

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My kids also keep their personal toys in their rooms , dc kids do not go into their rooms . That is their private space and is a place for my kids to get away from the dck if they want to .

I do not force my kids to play with the dck , they can if they want to or go to their rooms alone .

I also have seperate snacks for my family and dck . My kids can not have a family snack in front of the dck , too much whining from the dck. I offer 2 choices for snacks on most days , they can choose one I put out or go without sna k that day . They only get one serving and I measure it out and tell them it is a serving size just like what is said on the package. If they choose not to have a snack I always mention it to the dcp at pick up .

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Thanks I wanted to make sure what I was thinking was okay. I didn't know if it would be considered rude for my kids to do their own thing. With this being a new change because of the daycare family I didn't feel as though I should make my children change what and how they do things. But I wasn't sure if it would be correct.

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