Pros/Cons Of Infant Only Care

[Josiegirl]

I would love some insight from everybody. Right now we are allowed 6 FT kiddos, with 2 being under 2 yo. But we could opt to do infant only and have 3 under 2 yo.
If I chose to have 3 I would definitely need to raise my rates. The initial cost would be a bit because I'd need more equipment; right now I'm kind of set up for 1 infant at a time. But the cost would dwindle to much less, especially if I only take 3 up to a year. That's what one provider did and she always had a waiting list, was in high demand and everybody misses her greatly. She retired.
Is this just a matter of thinking 'the grass is greener' or would it be a wise choice??
It's sooooo exhausting dealing with 2 yos and up. Pushing, hitting, stealing toys, scratching, not listening, teasing, destroying things, screeching and screaming, kicking, etc. And then there are the school-age kids with their own set of issues.
Granted, it's not all negative and frustrating but......and I know babies bring a whole different set of issues. But.....
Is this a genuine wish of mine or simply the angst of winter shut-in syndrome? Can someone help me figure it out?

Thanks for any help!!!

[Annalee]

I would love some insight from everybody. Right now we are allowed 6 FT kiddos, with 2 being under 2 yo. But we could opt to do infant only and have 3 under 2 yo.
If I chose to have 3 I would definitely need to raise my rates. The initial cost would be a bit because I'd need more equipment; right now I'm kind of set up for 1 infant at a time. But the cost would dwindle to much less, especially if I only take 3 up to a year. That's what one provider did and she always had a waiting list, was in high demand and everybody misses her greatly. She retired.
Is this just a matter of thinking 'the grass is greener' or would it be a wise choice??
It's sooooo exhausting dealing with 2 yos and up. Pushing, hitting, stealing toys, scratching, not listening, teasing, destroying things, screeching and screaming, kicking, etc. And then there are the school-age kids with their own set of issues.
Granted, it's not all negative and frustrating but......and I know babies bring a whole different set of issues. But.....
Is this a genuine wish of mine or simply the angst of winter shut-in syndrome? Can someone help me figure it out?

Thanks for any help!!!

It would take an astronomical amount of money to make me even think about keeping only infants. I am allowed 12 with 4 under 24 months but only have one under 12 months and 1 that is 16 months. I do not have school agers for similar reasons. Babies are better in that you can train them and possibly keep them till kindy but this new generation are making taking babies very difficult.

[MrsSteinel'sHouse]

I would love to take babies only but at 3 babies only I would not make enough;( I would raise them to kindy though because I believe in consistent care. But then you come up with the issue of if one drops out etc.

Pros with babies only- they are easier! You could make a fabulous baby space and not deal with messy stuff, toys with small parts etc. Once you got them scheduled you could have a great day.

Cons- income. Potentially, crabby teething babies and lots of poopie diapers!

If I would do this I would do cloth diapers, organic homemade babyfood etc so you would a unique place that would draw high end babies. In my area this wouldn't be a draw. But if it was, I would so do it!! Other than "cribs" (I would buy portacribs), highchairs, and a triple stroller I wouldn't worry about too much "equipment" on the floor is best. Maybe I would get the foam steps etc to climb.

[racemom]

It would be like an infant room at a small center. Our state allows 4 to 1 ratio for infants, so it is about the same. I feel everyone has the age range they enjoy the most, and if infants are yours I would go for it if you can financially afford to drop to 3. I worked infant room for years and loved it. The only drawback is you can began to feel isolated, because the infants don't talk, but if you are an introvert and don't need much interaction with talking people, that is not a problem.

As far as needing equipment, the only thing you need more than one of is beds. Everything else is just a matter of moving infants around. When we started our infant room in a small bedroom, it was me and 4 infants, 4 pack and plays, 1 swing, and 1 bouncer.

Another advantage would be you could use only 1 room of your house, because infants don't need much room.

[LysesKids]

I would love to take babies only but at 3 babies only I would not make enough;( I would raise them to kindy though because I believe in consistent care. But then you come up with the issue of if one drops out etc.

Pros with babies only- they are easier! You could make a fabulous baby space and not deal with messy stuff, toys with small parts etc. Once you got them scheduled you could have a great day.

Cons- income. Potentially, crabby teething babies and lots of poopie diapers!

If I would do this I would do cloth diapers, organic homemade babyfood etc so you would a unique place that would draw high end babies. In my area this wouldn't be a draw. But if it was, I would so do it!! Other than "cribs" (I would buy portacribs), highchairs, and a triple stroller I wouldn't worry about too much "equipment" on the floor is best. Maybe I would get the foam steps etc to climb.

See I am a cloth diapering/breastfeeding friendly/organic homemade food childcare & I love it... I take 4 babes up to 18 months then age them out. I do get higher end clients & they are willing to pay by the month. I have done infants only for 7 years out of my 17 & wouldn't go back to taking older for the life of me... I use Montessori inspired infant techniques and child led weaning & the parents love it.

[jenboo]

My husband and i run an under 24 moth program. We can have 10 kids and usually have 6-8 per day. I really like it.
You don't have to deal with the older kid problems which is nice but right now I'm dealing with kids starting at one year old who nurse to sleep, co slept, etc which is rough.
Although as we get more established, we are having families put deposits down for the fall when most of our current kids age out. Starting a 3 month old is so much better than a 1yr old.

[Miss A]

I have 5 under 2, and I love it. It definitely does have it's own set of challenges, and you have to be able to tolerate crying, but in my mind it is so worth it.

I feel like my program is a little more relaxed, as we have a lot of free play and active time. I am using the Active Learning for Infants, Ones and Twos curriculum, and it is so simple and easy, it makes learning so much fun for them, and much less stressful for me.

I have everyone on the same schedule after 6 months, besides bottles. I feed on demand, but we organize our naps and table meals at the same time. We also do all diaper changes at once, unless a BM happens then that child is changed as needed.

[Sumshine]

My FAVORITE room when I worked in the center was the infant room! I would have 4 babies of different ages/ranges to myself when I closed. We only had 1 infant room so they stayed until 1 and sometimes later if they didn't hit the needed milestones to keep up with the toddlers. When I'd have to cover in the toddler or prek room I absolutely dreaded it! So much chaos! Even if all the babies were fussing at once or you had 1 particular one who was always fussing it wasn't anything compares to the toddlers and prek! It was calming. There were lots of snuggles and quiet playing! They all ate good! I didn't even mind the more frequent diapers because it's just baby poos and pees!

I couldn't afford to take only 3 kiddos without charging well over a center rate but you could have a lot to offer and hopefully make enough to where it'd be okay!

Selling points are you'll literally only have 3 babies at a time. Very small numbers, more 1 on 1 care, specialized space made JUST for babies development, no hazards, small items, etc! If I were a parent looking for infant care this would sound like heaven!

Cons for you would be potentially less of an income even with a raise on rates, you may miss actually "playing" like you can with older kids, you may feel more lonely with no one around to talk to, start up expenses, and you'll get the parents who won't want to have to find another daycare after 1 yo. With only taking up to 1 as well you'll have to be searching for babies/advertising frequently, having parents pull out early due to being panicked they need to find daycare by 1, dealing with lots of moms calling when they are 2 months pregnant trying to find care, you'll have to have a really firm policy about holding spots as well.

If you feel there is a demand and it's something you want to do I say go for it! Life is too short! Take a chance and try to find what makes YOU the happiest!

[Blackcat31]

In my state you can get a specialized license just for infant/toddler care. You can have up 6 kids (4 under 30 months and 2 SA kids).

There are a couple gals in my state that I know personally that do this and do it well. They are always full and have huge waitlists. They rarely have to advertise and seem to have callers looking constantly. I am sure it is due to the difficulty in finding infant/toddler care in my state.

The going rate for each space seems to be approximately $200 give or take depending on the area.

I definitely think it's worth looking into if you can set your rates to meet your financial needs.

I don't think its a huge deal when kids age out and families have to have two different care givers/environments for their kids (2+ drop off/pick ups) as it will be that way for many families when their children get into school anyways so I've never seen that issue as a drawback at all.

The only cons I can see is the fact that you do all the hard work for the first year/year and a half and then they age out.... !

[MrsSteinel'sHouse]

In ohio only 3 under 2 or I would do it in a heartbeat!

[Cat Herder]

Pro's :

1. Less $pace/equipment/$upplies required.

2. Easier to manage ASQ's and general paperwork requirements like lesson plans, assessments, observations, evaluation and "documenting improvement" (proving your worth to unaffected third parties through photos ).

3. Less child behavior management/redirection.

4. Fewer children to manage in general.

5. Less playground management. (Bathing off bug sprays & sunscreen, treating allergies/asthma/stings/splinters/sand in eyes, etc.)

Con's"

1. Fewer slots = Higher rates (mine would have to double) = Each family has more control over your finances (in effect holding 2/6 slots each). Most States are on a "lower the ratios" kick, so limited long-term income security.

2. More parent behavior management.

3. Increased risk of Provider mental stagnation and noise stress.

** Now, my views are very specific to my state (1/3 ratio infants) and my own experience as an infant only provider. I remember narrating my day as much for my sanity as the little ones vocabulary development. BEFORE they began to recommend it as DAP. :::::: Don't judge until you've been there.

[Claraskids]

I am so glad someone asked this question! I would love to go infant only. Honestly- even with all the crying - it is my favorite age. However, that is the age that drives my husband batty. So the few times that I've mentioned it to him, he goes pale white. No, he doesn't work with me, but does shift work so he is around the kids quite a bit.
My licensor has given me the nudge more than once to get the license for infant/toddler specialized care as I'm already geared that direction. Just haven't quite taken the leap.

[Conoad]

6 months ago I would've said you're crazy. 😀 Now I see the positives and think of doing it myself. I had a newborn starting and took placement of a foster baby in the same week. I thought it was going to be rough, but I love it. They are basically at the same stage so activities and equipment, feeding, etc are all similar. The only downfall is not having a chunk of free time during nap. They will eventually be on the same schedule.

[hwichlaz]

If I do infants only, I can only have 4 chilren. I'd have to double my fee....which no one would pay.

[lovemydaycare0912]

Do you live in your income alone? I can have 6 children with 2 under 2 but because DH is my assistant, all can be under 2. As of 3/24 I will have a 3m,4m,and 5m, two 1 year olds and a 2 year old. Also a 1 and 2 year old for drop in care. I love the younger ones, but they have to fit in with your group. If you can get a good routine going, it's not that bad. They just can't talk back . I have my two current infants on a good schedule wear they eat and nap at around the same time. Totally up to you and if you can make it work financially and mentally.