In home daycare

pregoagainYAY

I will be starting my own in home daycare and I was looking for some feedback from you mama's. What would you look for in a in home daycare? What would be a few top things you would look for when looking for an in home daycare?

LittleFae

What @nova said plus make sure they are certified, insured, are certified in cpr and first aid. How long they have been oporating

Kingsmama

I was always a fan of web cams so parents can see their lo's while at work. (no offense to u but also to make sure my child is being cared for right. I've heard too many horror stories about abusive sitters. Plus it gives u insurance if a child does fall and gets a bruise u can show the parents so they know how it happened. Let's face it kids fall down, but at least u would be covered!) For newborns I'd like the sitter to keep a log of feedings poops and pee diapers so I would know if the baby is sticking to a schedule. Also for older kids Id like the sitter to get them out of the house sometimes, maybe to a park or the zoo or aquarium (granted u can handle it if u have more than 1 child). I also would like to see educational game time to help them learn. And I wouldn't mind paying more each week for food that u would provide so I wouldn't have to bring food and snacks everyday before dropping my baby off. ill think of some more too.

pregoagainYAY

Thank you ladies! This is all wonderful and a lot of it I already had lol (I am a mommy too) I plan on getting certified because lets be honest it makes parents and myself feel much more comfortable....That was one of my main reasons for not doing an in home daycare because a lot of these people are not certified....I want parents to feel comfortable leaving there kids with me......

bigtalkingtori

Bleh. People who aren't licensed give me the creeps. There's always a reason they aren't.

I was chatting with you on the contact tree. I want to enunciate that my mom didn't take care of babies. I think that's why it was easier to care for so many kids.

I agree with background checks for any adults around the kids... including parents. We had a problem with one child's father. He wasn't allowed to go near the little boy, but tried to pick him up a few times and my mom had to turn him away/notify authorities, etc. A little alarming! Off topic, there was an incident that involved the father pulling the boy's mom into an oncoming train, and they both died. She was a super nice woman, and was always involved in helping out when it was needed (like on trips to the zoo and such). Not saying that type of thing happens everyday, but you have to take note of what's going on when it comes to parents as well.

pregoagainYAY

@bigtalkingtori you are absolutely right! That was one of the top things on my list....it is important to know the parents just as much as it is to know me. I will probably only have 1 baby other than my own and leaving it at that....I will then look to care for toddlers and school age kids to provide after school care too....I agree with the not certified people giving the creeps....I ALWAYS felt uneasy and that is why I opted to have my son in a state monitored daycare facility...but now that I am not going back to work I feel like I can provide all of those things I looked for back then but at a reasonable price because lets be honest daycare is ridiculously priced......

bigtalkingtori

You shouldn't have trouble finding 4 kids to look after. It is cheaper and more focussed. Good on you for wanting to do something at home. I'm a FTM and don't think daycare is right for our living situation. Maybe someday I'll do it. I really want to be the mom who stays home with the kids. Lol.

Do you have time frame you're trying to start by?

loveourlittleone

Bump. I'm planning to start an in home as well.

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Mybabe

References from people who actually know you and you have taken care of there kids... just because someone has a license doesn't mean they are good caregivers.... so someone who can vouch for you!!!

jay_brad

Safety locks
Outlit covers
Clean clean clean!
Appearance of the people that will be taking care of my children.(*child*)
I would also like to know a list of activities that my child will be doing throughout the day..

jay_brad

Much much more... but I have to start getting ready for my doctor appointment

babynumber02

Fenced in yard with outdoor toys. My sons old sitter went on Craigslist and got swing sets and bikes and cars, toy lawn mowers, stuff for the kids to feel like there at the park. I felt very good knowing my son could play outdoors and not worry about strangers. She had little picnic tables so the kids could eat outside. On rainy days she would have puppet shows, music time, circle time... tons of stuff. It was really important that he had things to do, I wasn't worried that he was sitting infront of the tv all day.

I agree with all the safety this everyone else was saying, references, cleanliness, parent to child ratio. I was just adding to the list

mommyo3soon2b4

I Have a home daycare and have been in business for over 7 years. I am not state certified so I think its kind of offensive that not being certified gives people the creeps and means they have something to hide. I have a background check, references from past and present parents, and my church, CPR and first aid certified. I provide hot nutritional meals and care for the children as I Do my own. Most of my families bring their child as an infant or toddler and they stay until child goes to school. I am not state licensed only because of my states policies...which include visits at anytime...even non daycare hours. I have a husband and 3 children that deserve my full attention during non-work hours just like anyone else. Also, as to being state licensed...there are many certified home and facility daycares that have been caught doing horrible things including but not limited to medicating children to make them quiet or sleep, husband exposing his penis to children, 16 kids in care of 1provider, facilities having sex offenders working for them, putting infants in a car seat and placing them in a dark closet for hours while they ran errands, to neglect resulting in death of the 9 month old infant. So...saying that non licensed daycares are creepy and bad is ridiculous. I would also like to point out it was in the majority of the examples listed above, the parents Not the state that caught the providers. A good and trustworthy daycare is going to have many references, an open door policy which means a parent can come at any time during business hours, have a clean home or facility, etc. So please don't think that just because someone has or doesn't have a piece of paper by the state makes them good or bad. Parents need to be totally involved in keeping on top of where their children are...not expect state workers that are most of the time overworked and underpaid to do it for them.

loveourlittleone

@mommyo3soon2b4 how many kids do you watch, besides your own?

mommyo3soon2b4

BTW...things I would expect from any daycare:)
Cleanliness with daily disinfectants
parent and community references
background checks on all adults
safety measures such s cabinet and door locks and outlet covers as well as emergency plans
Play and sleep equipment safety (daycares are not allowed to have drop side cribs)
fenced play areas
up to date contract that clearly states all rules and policies to protect both your family and provider
sickness policy
medication policy
field trips
child to adult ratio
discipline policy
daily schedule
menus
Activity schedules including allowed TV time

mommyo3soon2b4

@loveourlittleone I keep 4...my 3 children are in school and Maddox wont be here till end of Oct. I only keep 2 under the age of 2