Do any of you have a play room upstairs?

**Jelly Baby** · 25-04-2012, 08:33 PM

And how do you manage it?

We currently have a lovely 4 bed with basically 2 lounges so one for us and one is the kids playroom. Our landlord is selling the house so we are having to move. We are moving to a another 4 bed and so one of the rooms on the first floor is now going to be a playroom and im not sure how well it is going to work?

if anyone has one ide like to know how they cope doing dinner etc while little ones are upstairs playing?

Thanks

**Bridey** · 25-04-2012, 08:35 PM

I'm sorry but unless you had someone working with you then I really cannot see how that would work.

**bezi123** · 25-04-2012, 08:51 PM

My son went to a cm who had a playroom upstairs, she had a camera up in there and could watch the children whilst downstairs. tbh I think she left the kids to run riot up there without doing much supervising! My son only went for a month or so as he hated it and referred to her as the 'nasty childminder'! This wasnt because the playroom was upstairs though! she got awarded outstanding with Ofsted, so it is obviously ok with Ofsted if you can show how you will still supervise.

**ziggy** · 26-04-2012, 09:29 AM

I can only imagine you will lose lots of weight running up and down the stairs

.

I only have an upstairs toilet and children sleep in upstairs bedrooms, i seem to spend a lot of time up and down the stairs. Cant see how having playroom upstairs would work for me but i'm sure people do it

onceinabluemoon · 26-04-2012, 09:36 AM

Originally Posted by Jelly Baby

And how do you manage it?

We currently have a lovely 4 bed with basically 2 lounges so one for us and one is the kids playroom. Our landlord is selling the house so we are having to move. We are moving to a another 4 bed and so one of the rooms on the first floor is now going to be a playroom and im not sure how well it is going to work?

if anyone has one ide like to know how they cope doing dinner etc while little ones are upstairs playing?

Thanks

I think with some careful planning this could work very well. You'd have to think about preparing food, toileting, naps etc but I'm sure you could work it out if necessary. (for example you could pop a microwave high up on a cupboard or shelf and have a counter top fridge if the room was big enough but you'd have to check with EH if this was permissible in your area and of course risk assess it and make sure it was safe)

**Nikki125** · 26-04-2012, 10:58 AM

With planning it could work ok, choose the biggest room, i would make sure there is a baby gate on the door put a mini fridge,small microwave and sofa in there, little table and you have your own mini bedsit to work from. Gather snacks up in the morning and reheat precooked and frozen meals, the lo's can toilet/sleep upstairs so there wont be much need to leave the room. (and the rest of your house will stay tidy and clean) bobs your uncle.

toddlers896 · 26-04-2012, 11:05 AM

I have no toys downstairs, they are in a toyroom upstairs and are in boxes all labeled up. Downstairs in the kitchen i have a picture board for the children to choose what they want to play with and I bring them down as and when. With the younger ones i bring a couple of boxes down and alternate every day what she can play with, and the after schools i let them go and get what they want.
My dining room is used for eating and arts and crafts and all downstairs is freeplay.
It is working for me at the moment because i only have two but i do wish that i had a playroom. Ive thought about turning my dining room into one but once all the toys are in there , there wouldnt be enough room to play so to be honest its pointless as they would still use all down stairs anyway and also i know my husband like to eat his dinner in there.

**Jelly Baby** · 26-04-2012, 01:31 PM

Thanks for the replies.

never had to do this before as always had downstairs but seeing as we have an extra rom upstairs we have decided it would work better if they had thier own space. The same floor has a bathroom which they can use and when its time for eating they will all be downstairs anyway and i only feed in the evenings twice a week the rest of the time 90% we are out eating somewhere. Never thought of it being a prob really as my tutor when i first started had a house like this and always has, had outstanding so like you said with careful planning should work. Worst case scenario is that they have to play downstairs again but we like the nice tidy lounge at the end of the day!

Thanks

**AliceK** · 26-04-2012, 03:23 PM

What would happen at pcik-up time? You would either be downstairs talking to a parent and doing the hand over leaving the other LO's upstairs on their own or else you would have parents traipsing upstairs with you to collect their child? I know at the end of day when 3 / 4 parents all arrive within half an hour of each other hand over time is generally the time when all the kids can start playing up.
Just a thought

xx

**Bridey** · 26-04-2012, 03:29 PM

My children tidy up my lounge before they eat dinner. I put the toy boxes away while they eating and then after dinner its stories or tv (if there is any time left which is rare) before they go home. Result - tidy lounge for when I have finished ... they even plump up the cushions on the sofa for their exhausted childminder to sink into at the end of the day!!

**blue bear** · 26-04-2012, 07:06 PM

I'd be more inclined to make an upstairs lounge then it's totally separate from your business, not having to hear the door going and people coming and going etc.

How are you going to manage outdoor play from upstairs, they can't really have free access to the garden. And what about an emergency not just a fire but an accident involving calling an ambulance, would be so much easier to manage on the ground floor.

**Mouse** · 26-04-2012, 09:09 PM

It wouldn't work for me as I couldn't be restricted to just one room. I like to wander about the house, open the back door to let fresh air in, wander outside...usually with a couple of little people following me!

I'd find it too claustrophobic.

**Bridey** · 26-04-2012, 09:11 PM

Originally Posted by Mouse

It wouldn't work for me as I couldn't be restricted to just one room. I like to wander about the house, open the back door to let fresh air in, wander outside...usually with a couple of little people following me!

I'd find it too claustrophobic.

I'm with you on that, it would drive me mad! In my opinion home care shouldn't be confined to one room. What's homely about that?

**Jellyfrog** · 26-04-2012, 09:52 PM

Hi, I'm new to this forum but wanted to reply as I am currently converting our large spare room in to a playroom. I think it will work really well as all of my children can use the stairs (with supervision). I am
Going to have a cupboard with snacks, a camera with a screen in the kitchen and baby gates. For meals they will come downstairs and play with a box of toys in the living room. I don't plan to stay in the playroom all day; it will just be great to have the toys out of my living room!! Crafts etc will still be in the kitchen and I don't allow free access to the garden (it's all of us or no one)

Hth

**uf353432** · 27-04-2012, 07:32 AM

when I first started minding I set up my playroom upstairs and noone wanted to play in it - much less me. In the end I moved the playroom into the dining room and children will play on the whole of the ground floor which includes my lounge for quiet play, my dining room for ict, crafts, general playing etc, my covered deck and the garden. The children are free to roam where they like and I circulate around the ground floor where I am needed. The playroom is now my sleep room and children are able to sleep in the quiet and comfort away from the rest of the general hub bub. I have to admit I prefer it this way as well - I wouldn't like to be restricted to one room and I found neither did the kids.

**Shar** · 27-04-2012, 12:18 PM

I have a large spare loft conversion at the moment and was thinking about making it a playroom, but decided that it was not practical. Too far away from the kitchen, garden and front door. Let's face it, we would all love our living rooms free from toys but that's the downside of the job.

**Jelly Baby** · 27-04-2012, 01:59 PM

Thanks for the input.

Its really hard. We moved from our old house as the house always felt taken over by toys and children and at the end of the day i spent ages getting the lounge sorted out. We moved to this house which is really big with 2 lounges so we are lucky enough to have one as a playroom which i have to say the kids love and stay in all the time. The only time they come out is when its dinner time and tbh were out 90% of the time anyway!

We are having to move and have a 4 bed house to go to. Our bedroom is a loft room at the top of the house, the first floor is an office, dd's bedroom a bathroom and playroom, ground floor toilet kitchen lounge and garden.

I am setting it up as one and will see how it goes, if they want to play in the garden then its all of us anyway i am always with them for the supervision..if it doesnt work we will have to rethink.
Thanks.

**Chatterbox Childcare** · 27-04-2012, 02:11 PM

As long as the children are able to climb up and down stairs would there be a problem as they would be heard at all times.

**Jelly Baby** · 28-04-2012, 10:04 AM

Thanks for the replies.

I will try and describe the room. You walk in the front door and the stairs are directly infront of you. At the top is a room and directly next door is another which will be the play room. With a stair gate on they are not able to get out and i would shut it again obviously if the door went. There will be a phone in the room plus my mobile. When its dinner time they will come down with me while i do it and can play in the lounge or garden.

I can see it being fine as i have had my current children for a long time, the youngest are twins and ironically live in a very similar house 4 doors down (new build) but i worry ofsted will downgrade me? Would it be a good idea i got forms signed saying that parents allow their children to play upstairs?

Thanks

**Bluebell** · 28-04-2012, 07:26 PM

I have a playroom upstairs and to be honest I never use it - I now keep it as a separate area for my own children and hubby.

I have a travel cot so lo's can sleep up there but I don't use it as a play area because I can't monitor what is going on and also I worry about the stairs. Even older children can fall if going up and down the stairs a lot. (this happened to my son at his childminders and he was old enough that it shouldn't have been a worry - it was just one of those things) I have plenty of space downstairs and rotate the toys from the playroom. some of the children who came here when I first started know its there and ask for specific toys down so I let them up there to choose but apart from that I keep all the children together downstairs - its all pretty open so they can play in living area, sit at kitchen table for crafts or be outside where I can see them as I only have a small enclosed garden.

When I had older children or friends of my own children I would sometimes let them up stairs to play and friends are also allowed in my children's room as its useful to have the extra space - 3 in term time is great but 6 in holidays is a bit much if the weather is bad and we are all inside and they are all overexcited! Hard to explain who is allowed upstairs and who is not and hard to explain why allowed up sometimes and not at others so easier just to not allow them upstairs at all!!!

Also for my children now if they want some time on their own or just to watch tv they can escape up there so its useful!