Help! how to manage younger and older childrens toys???

[lwilkins]

Hi,

I have been minding for 4 months now and am finding it very difficult to manage having very young children and older children. I find that i am having to say no to older children having some toys out in case the babies and toddlers get hold of the little pieces. I have a playroom with shelving full of the younger childrens toys for self selection but the older children's toys are in stackable crates......

I would really appreciate any advice from those of you more experienced childminders on how to manage the older and younger children's resources so that they can all play with what they want to........ /

[Cammie Doodle]

This is a problem of most of us in the holidays. What we usually do is when the babies are asleep we let the older children get out things that are impossilbe to have out with babies present . I also have a fenced off decked area that keep babies off the lawn area so this allows the olders ones a bit of their own space. The babies enjoy watching , but the cant touch

[khlwomitchell]

I can only say that my home rule or no 'big kid' toys when babies up!
They love the marbles, pogs and glass beads and have to wait unitl babies in bed and then put them away when babies wake up. or if you can put them in a room with the door shut or stair gate on and let older ones have their own space. thats a gap from 8mths to a 5yr old. don't know if your setting will allow it though.
The bigs kids appreciate the toys more anyhow when its limited.

[mushpea]

mine have things like lego at the table in the kitchen and I shut the stair gate, I also have things in the garden like moon boots which are sutible for the over 6yrs only and when the younger ones ask I simply tell them no,, there is so much that the younger ones can go on that the older ones cant i think its nice for the older ones to have stuff seperate too,, it also helps them feel responsible as I tell them you cna have the lego/hama beads out but only if you pick up what you drop so I know you are sensible enoug to use it.

[onceinabluemoon]

I have two Baby Dan hexagonal playpens which double as room dividers and can section off any part of my playroom to allow all age groups to play safely in the same room at the same time.(by using them as room dividers)

They are currently in the sale in kiddicare if anybody is interested.

They may be cheaper elsewhere but you can get the idea of what they are from the website.

[singingcactus]

I have my house set up so there is a big kid play room. The babies can use the lounge, hall, garden, etc, but only big kids are allowed in the playroom. If I am providing care for all ages then I like to have my house set up so all the kids get equal access to appropriate toys. It can be hard, but there are ways to do it.

[Dragonfly]

I have a baby dn playpen excellent room devider

[catlyn]

can I just ask...do the baby dans need any extra fittings to turn them into room dividers please?

[lwilkins]

Thankyou for all for your replies. They are very helpful. I think i will have to get the babydan room divider... my only other option is to change my playroom into a dedicated room for the older kids toys and have all the baby/toddler toys out in my lounge....not too keen on that idea tho! would like to keep my home as just that and not a nursery ideally! :0)

[grindal]

Thankyou for all for your replies. They are very helpful. I think i will have to get the babydan room divider... my only other option is to change my playroom into a dedicated room for the older kids toys and have all the baby/toddler toys out in my lounge....not too keen on that idea tho! would like to keep my home as just that and not a nursery ideally! :0)

Cpould you let the big kids take the crates of toys into the lounge to play and then return the toys to the playroom?

DS1 is my only biggie - so he gets free run of the front room if he wants to escape the littlies!

[lwilkins]

The only problem with that is that the lounge is between the playroom and the garden, so i would not be able to let the little ones have free flow indoors and outdoors if the big kids toys were out in the lounge... if you see what i mean? lol