can I cope? advice please

[youarewhatyoueat]

I currently mind 2 16 month olds on mon,tues and weds I have 4 children of my own,I will have 3 after schoolers on a mon and tues and have been asked to have a 1 year old on a tues and fri.

So will have 9 on a mon,and 10 on a tuesday.OMG that sounds like a full house!

We don't have a seperate play room so will need to be very organised with activities, the summer doesn't bother me, its the wet nights coming home from school,its only a 10 min walk, but thats a lot of shoes and wet coats and I don't have a triple buggy so am looking at one of those buggypod smorph things.

I shall also be giving up my fridays to minding, I still do cleaning as an extra on thurs and sat. Does anyone else do this much and is it worth taking on the 1 year old when I will have to get another travel cot,triple buggy etc.

advice please,all comments welcome

[Sarahbelle]

Ok, can I just say one thing? WOW!

That's it. You must be doing a tremendous job to have this many. I think you must be very organised. Sorry, didn't want to read and run. Someone, like sarah nev will be along soon to give you more constructive adice. But if you have this many, you must be doing something right. So be confident. Good luck. I think you will have to be very organised. I don't know how big your house is. A friend of my mine has lots as well and she organises them well by splitting them up in to two's. Can you do this?

[Daddy Day Care]

I wouldnt be able to cope with that many children, but thats not to say you wouldnt. I tihnk only you can answer if it will be to much for you.

Good Luck

Gareth
xx

[Demonjill]

Hmmm you sound very busy but if you can organise that many another 1 prob not make much difference.:laughing:

But you never know whats round the corner and how long they are with you for etc so sometimes its better to take the work while you can - if you dont you will always wonder if you would have coped IYKWIM lol sorry for waffling on im fab at that!!!:rolleyes:

[LittleAcorns]

it can be done, there are some holiday days I have 11 kids in my house, and providing its not the same kiddies every day they tend to get on well....

my advice would be, if you took the new 1 yr old on is to have a strict settling in period of say a month and explain this to parents, then see if you could borrow some sort of triple buggy, do you have a lending library type place locally for childminders? a lot of the time you can borrow them for free, that way before you commit to anything you havent spent any money.

[FussyElmo]

It can be done before having my last two children I had about I used to have 10 in all. It is hard work. Must once I had my last dd i did cut right back to basics as it did get too much.

You will only have the three los together on the one day so thats a plus side.

Cetainly gice yourself the settling in period then you will know.

Used to be a saying in this house what's one more child then i went and had another child so we dont say that anymore incase someone takes it literally.

Go for it your already managing 9 children on a tues anyway.:)

[helenlc]

I would so as the others have said and try it out for your settling in period. Borrow stuff if you can rather than lay out money for things you might not need long term. Maybe a friend has a buggy board you could attach to a double?

I dont think one more will make that much difference given the numbers you have already. If you feel you can cope, then go for it.

:thumbsup:

[The Juggler]

sure you have heaps of practice with 4 of your own.

In sept, I will have 8 most days on morning and afternoon school run with a mixture from below, depending on day and usually down to 5 or 6 from 4pm and we don't get in from school until 3.50.

2 x 7 years
1 x 8 years
2 x 10 years
1 x 0
1 x 4 (reception)
2 x 2 years
2 x 5 years (Y1)

Think you are brave with 10 but I only have 2 of my own so you've more practice than me. 2 of them are my own and I have 11 on my books. Never have more than 6 in the holidays though - I'm not that brave - not like some of you heroines on here!


It is a mess on a wet day coming in from school but I've learned to live with it. Bought a big box for all the shoes and the bigger ones hang up their coats and help little ones. I keep a mop by the front door for the puddles.

Good luck!

[sweets]

i personally don't think a cjildmider should look after that many children, and i think as a paret it would put me off placing my child with someone caring for so many. how can they receive enough attention and what if there was an accident! Only you can decide if you can cope, i suppose it depends on how well behaved they are, and even then they have their off days!

[The Juggler]

I wouldn't have done it when I started. I only had 2 mindees and built up gradually. I also wouldn't do it if they were all really young but now nearly 5 of them are over 8 years.

2 of them I simply walk home from school and then they get picked up 10 mins later

I wouldn't do it if I didn't think I could cope or give them enough attention and I'm sure that no-one else would either. I think you have to give people credit for the years of experience and practice with lots of children, which does give you the ability to cope for a whole day with that number. I still couldn't do it in the holidays as I don't feel ready but as an after school for an hour I feel I can.

LOL

[youarewhatyoueat]

i personally don't think a cjildmider should look after that many children, and i think as a paret it would put me off placing my child with someone caring for so many. how can they receive enough attention and what if there was an accident! Only you can decide if you can cope, i suppose it depends on how well behaved they are, and even then they have their off days!

Thats what I think as well!! I just needed to be reminded I think,common sense seems to have woken up this morning, thanks.

[Ripeberry]

Get the older children over 8yrs old to help you with some of the little ones. Only you know if you can cope with so many, but i think most childminders are restricted by how many they can get in their car (I know i am) as both the pre-schools and primary schools in my area are on country roads with no pavements (for most of the way).
If i have little ones, i would rather restrict how many children i have as i would want to be able to fully care for the under 5's.