i will be at capacity...i think i'll be fine but how do you all cope?

[5uperduper]

For the first time since I started childminding I will have ...2 x 13months old children plus my own 2 year old son from 8 - 6 every day. I also do before and after school drop offs and pick up. This means that maximum I will have On Thursdays 3 littlies all day, 2 x 5 yr olds after school, 2 x 9 year olds, 1 x 7 year old plus my other 2 children.

Have I lost my marbles or will it be fine. I reasoned with myself that during the day will be good because they are all boys and will amuse each other and grow up to be friends. Do any of you have this many children. How do you do it, do you have any tips on how to keep it all together. Im actually seriously considering getting a cleaner as I dont know if I'll have time to do it justice.

The only other problem being...what if I ever need an appointment..I've got no free time, do parents sometimes let you take their kids with you for short appointments. E.g..I have a consultation booked in May that would only tsake about 20 mins. Or is that out of order?

Seriously, ten children? I'm a CM - in Scotland we're allowed six maximum, and that's inclusive of your own children. If your registration allows that many (and I do appreciate that Ofsted has different rules from the Care Commission) then fair enough, but personally, I think you're mad .
Appointments and stuff you may well just have to give your parents notice that you need the day off.
Good luck! Hope you have a big house!

I take mine to drs on occasion, as long as you are not hoisting your legs akimbo then it will be fine

Organisation is key

One exrtrea q - what about school hols??

How old are your 'other 2' I think that would impact on how I coped

Yes how about school hols!!!

fromgirders...i am allowed that many (unless ive made a serious error!) im allowed 5 under the age of 8 so Im within (just) my limit, over 8 youre not givena number but i think from an insurance point of view im allowed up to 12 children. it doesnt include your own children. katymac: My older children are 9 and 11, i have no worries about them, in fact they are very helpful.
boysarelike dogs and life inagoldfishbowl: school hols vary, i do have the other children during the hols but not all at once, not every day. usually they combine the hours they would have used all week and use it for one day or 2 days. i figure it out so im not too overstretched.

So how do you organise yourselves? Does anyone else on here have that many? How do you find it?

So
2x13m
1x2yr
2x5yr
1x7yr
3x9yr
1x11yr

Hmm you'll be having a lot of fun

Can you make meals in advance?
Will your 9 yos play together or do they fight?
When will you do your EYFS stuff?

Remember they all need to have experienced fire drill

Well this is how I see it. 8 am children arrive, breakfast those who need breakfasting, change those who need changing. Walk up to school, go on from school to morning activity (usually a playgroup or something at the library) if nothing on then come home and do an observation. Lunch, change babies, babies down for a sleep (they usually go at this time) tidy up and let my 2 year old veg in front of telly for a bit (perhaps have a cuddle up with him for a bit!) get afetr school snack ready, get babies (if ive been lucky enough for them to sleep that long) change babies, whack em in the buggy, trollup to school, pick kids up, come home, snacktime and rowdiness round the table till about 3.45. clear down. Kids freeplay for a bit. Do an activity if they want. Then some go home, those who stay have a quiet time, reading/homework etc! Phew. Im knackered already just thinking about it. Im only providing lunch and breakfast for the little ones. My daughter is best mates (lucky that!) with the other 9 year old. The other 9 year old mostly plays with his 7 yr old brother. My 11 yr old mostly skulks in his room on his laptop or outside with his mates in the street. The 2 5 year olds love each other. Im just hoping the 2 13 months old will love each other! My 2 year old just runs around playing with everyone really!

Lots lots lots of fun. Dont know when I'll do EYFS. Usually I do obs and scribble really roughly messy as they do it and then write it up nice later but I must admit I need to get better at this because its piling up a bit. I plan in the evening usually. Thanks for reminding me about the fire drill. I need to do 1 as Ive had a few new starters.

It sounds great, I love being busy like that (but not like that, that might be Too Much for even me !!)

make sure that you have RA'ed the walk up and down to school too

I think you are very brave, it is doable, been their, but very exhausting. katymac makes a good point re: EYFS, paperwork etc, the key for me when I worked alone was to have everything organised in advance so snacks prepared, lunches tea and activities. It helps but children being so unpredictable things rarely run to plan, this age are difficult, new to walking, learning how to play together and share as well as the teething issues. Also a consideration for me when I book mindees in now is how ages and numbers impact on getting out and about.

I work with assistant now at max capacity, with a que, and most of mine are similar ages have 4 x 2-3yr olds and 15 x 5-10 yr olds that are weekly and others that are holiday club only. I am lucky in that the mindees get on very well which makes things so much easier. But I still find if one isn't feeling so well and needs 1:1care then its still a handful.

Be careful not to knacker yourself out too much, its full on, day in day out and you will need to make sure you take time to chill out.

I have. Got on top of all that before my Ofsted inspection last May.
I dont have that many after schoolers every day. Tomorrow I only have the 2 5 year olds, and one of them is only till 4,and my daughter is at dance club. I gave you my Thursday list because thats the busiest worst case scenario. On a Wednesday, I dont have any after schoolers until 4 (pick one up from a club) and she usually gets picked up between half past and 5.

thats helpful awnw, thank you. do you have a very big house? how do you go about getting an assistant?

Can you give that many children the amount of attention they need and can you really take a handful of kids to the doctors/hospital with you?

You'll cope you have a nice spread of ages and the older ones will keep each other amused; just enjoy it!

I have taken 5 Dcs to the Drs, as long as you are prepared with snacks drinks and toys for each child there is no reason why you shouldn't attend consultant (but I wouldn't purely because I couldn't be sure of concentrating on what consultant had to say, but you may well be different )

Just seen your last post, I agree I prefer to be full on busy busy, it's much easier having loads than just 2 or 3 if that makes any sense as their is always something going on. Nice that some of the mindees are good friends, this makes things so much easier.

5 Eyfs profiles is a lot of extra work, I caught up on a few of mine yesterday, its so easy to say "I'll do it later" but seriously I thought mine were ok, was quite yesterday at how much needed updating. Also do you do day books as well, I find this time consuming too.

i wouldnt ever take them all to docs or hospital, im not sure i would take any tbh and if i had to i would choose a day when my son went to his grandmas and i only had 2 little ones.
i think i'll be ok fab, we've done quite well up to now and most of the older ones have been coming a long time and are well established. i have looked after this many children before, and Ive had 2 toddlers and my 2 year old together and managed, we'll see how it is day in and day out! what do you do to chill out after, i need an alternative stress buster to wine!

I cycle alone a lot in the summer evenings, a quick blast along the forest tracks with tongue hanging out , no more than 20 mins whilst partner puts the boys to bed

I agree you must must must do stuff for YOU

You are your best resource and you need to take care of it

awnw. i only do daily diaries for the babies, i fill them in with the basic stuff as i go along...meals, nappies, AM PM activities etc. At 5 my hubby gets home so I usually sit down and put a bit more detail in then as I have an extra pair of eyes/hands there.
I dont do so much in the 5 year olds folders, one of the girls I only have for an hour 1 day and for 2 the next...this is usually the most convenient day to do planned obs on them because they are all together, there is more dynamic going on.

5uperduper assistant = DH LOL

I filled up so quick when I first started, got fed up of trying to find the right person and in the end roped him in.

Have an old house, so rooms are a decent size, only 1 dc, so have plenty of space, sleep room and five other rooms that the mindees use. They do all seem to prefer our lounge though, so really I dunno why I bother with playrooms good house for hide n seek

boy are like dogs. Im trying to go walk for 45 minutes in the evening. When I dont do it becuae Ive convinced myself I havent got time its counterproductive because I just end up getting bogged down and resentful.

yy that's it exactly

ah, i see. i think my hub is down as assistant actually but very much doubt hed give up his job so we could take more kids on!

Superdouper, I did it with the same sort of mixture for about 2 years, and yes it was knackering! But it was doable.

You do have to be super organised, all children MUST hang coats up, put shoes away, have set place for bags etc. Nothing worse than trying to find lost stuff, when you are trying to get out the door.

I had a couple of sets of plastic drawers in the hallway, each child had one for their stuff. It was their responsibility to put their things in it.

If they left things around i.e drawings, a toy from home (which they are not suppose to bring, buy one will always try to) and the babies got it and tore/broke it because hadn't been put away, then it was their own fault.

It was actually great fun, the noise levels could be a bit much at times tho

And 5 of them were 8/9 year old girls so the female politics could be a bit fraught!

Fair enough - I do think Ofsted's rules are slightly weird though . It's more than I'd fancy taking on!
Loads of luck. If I were you I'd need to have a plan for the day, every day. Hope none of them stay too late, so you get some breathing time .

Sorry, thread moved on a lot there while i did dishes!