I’m thinking about maybe starting a home daycare rather than going back to work full time in…

I wouldn’t choose to put my child in a home based daycare that was a small space and that had animals. I want my child to be in a facility that has adequate space for her to play both inside and outside with more than just a couple of children if I’m paying good money for it. Where would they sleep? Where would they do activities? How many children would you be able to take on with limited space?

@queenmeeks, I’m Ontario your allowed to have 5 children with only 2 being under 2. I definitely wouldn’t take on that many. I was thinking maybe 3 children. We have two bedrooms. The ones that nap could go into those bedrooms to nap. We have a big yard to play outside. And our living room is pretty big as well.

As far as the animals we have a dog who is so gentle. And a cat who just hides away by herself and doesn’t bother with people. And because we have animals I take cleaning very seriously.

It’s just a thought I’m considering.

@maddoxsmama oh okay. Yeah it still wouldn’t be for me. I’m not a fan of home based providers anyway because I prefer my child to be in a class with children in her age group only, not a mix. The animals in the home would be off putting for me because no matter how gentle a dog is, it is still a dog and can be provoked. A cat that hides away is still a cat that could be found and bothered that could scratch a child. Animals shed and their hair is everywhere no matter how much you clean, so that would be another issue for me. There are plenty of people that wouldn’t be bothered by any of this tho!

When i was a kid, my mom was sending me to a home daycare that had a dalmatian.. it was very fun. Bug i wouldnt send my kid where there is a cat because i am really allergic.. but if it wasnt for that i wouldnt really mind if the house.. it is fun for the kids (until they dont care no more)... as for the space it would all depend on how many children is there.. as long as they have each ones their spot to sleep, play, eat run a little... i mean in daycare they are in one room and have plenty of space to run.. how small can your house be. The more important things for me is what kind of food is being serve, how often are they outside, what kind of educational activities are there and what is the proceedure in case of emergency like fire.

I wouldn’t. If I were to be looking for a home provider I would want a large area specifically for the daycare, crafts, toys etc. The living room thing would turn me off, my old neighbor used to baby sit kids in her living room and would sit her ass on the couch watching tv all day. I also wouldn’t feel comfortable with my kids sleeping in essentially your bedrooms, there should be a designated sleeping area where they have their own little cots. The pets don’t bother me too much but I wouldn’t want the dog to have free range of an area where my children are playing, I have experience in training dogs and no matter how obedient and well behaved the dogs are I never fully trust them. I don’t even trust my own dogs alone around my kids, let alone other people’s. So it would not be for me, not saying you couldn’t find people who would be ok with it though.

I have a dog and it’s never been an issue for me with finding families. My cousin is in Thunder Bay and she has 2 dogs and a cat and her daycare is always full! Do you have a basement? The only problem I can think of is not enough room but if you take them outside a lot that would be fine I think! Making Maddox’s room into the place where all the kids sleep could work, as long as you had multiple playpens/mats on the floor. All my daycare kids sleep in the basement which is just one big room and I have them all on schedule so nobody wakes up the other kids...contact me for more help if you need. Been doing this for 5 years :)

@brynsmommie, good to know! We unfortunately don’t have a basement but our living room is a fair size. Maddox’s room is big enough to fit like one pack and play and my bedroom which would be free during the day has room for 2. I just don’t know if I’m ready to go back to work full time. That’s why I’m thinking about going this route

If I were you, I would rent a space close by or something and convert it to a daycare. I don't find the animals too off-putting. I have cats and dogs myself. BUT I would feel better if I knew that the cats and dogs were separated from the kids. I always keep an eye on my pets around baby but I wouldnt trust someone else to do the same even if they said they would.

That being said though, I think a daycare is a great idea!

My son will start at home day care in September,I personally like more home day care. We are from Serbia and this woman that has day care is from Serbia to so we know her,she finished school for this and she has 5 kids. I like more small groups. But for me the no would be the pets,I’m ok with dog but I really don’t like cats. 😁

@maddoxsmama, take on 2 toddlers to start and see how it goes!