posted on September 10, 2005 11:02:25 AM
advise needed.
hours are long,like 8 to 6 pm,5 days a week
-sig file -------
Eat grass,kick ass,never go belly up!
posted on September 10, 2005 11:34:32 AM
Eleven months old. Probably already walking or getting ready to soon. Active toddler....are you up to chasing a little person around all day?
Would the parent(s) allow you to take their child with you to do errands?
Would your homeowners insurance policy cover in the event of an accident?
And different children have different temperments too. Is this child a quiet one or a screamer?
Also, you might want to work something out where you do it on a 'trial' basis....a couple of weeks to see how it goes. Before making a final, full-time commitment.
posted on September 10, 2005 11:54:41 AM
I have told them it would be a 2 weeks trial,it will be monday,tuesday,thursday and friday,no saturday,They have 2 older kids in school,they will drop by after school,so if i need to get out of the house,i either take them all with me or have the older ones keep an eye on the baby.
This is a quiet baby,but yes,he is starting to crawl .
my homeowner policy does have liability coverage for visitors.
-sig file -------
Eat grass,kick ass,never go belly up!
posted on September 10, 2005 12:00:44 PM
I have a hard time with my 7 month old granddaughter. She is now crawling, and she has to be watched every second. I turn away for a minute, and she's across the room going round a corner!
Do you have children that are small, that can be both good and bad, good because the baby would have playmates, bad because you may want to spend more time with your own. I babysat when mine were very small, and couldn't do it for long, felt my own weren't getting the attention from me they needed.
Off topic sort of Does anyone know if they still make the old playpens? I remember having a wood one, the slats were small enough that a childs head would not get stuck. Right now, I have the 'Pak n Play' and that is the only one I can find, and I think its way too small. I don't put her in it much, because it is small.
posted on September 10, 2005 12:00:51 PM
stop - Just a word of caution....visitors are not consider the same as when one is earning an income by babysitting. I'd check that out with my insurance agent, if I were you.
And on the older children watching the baby or the younger ones....I don't know what state you live in, so don't know your laws, but in CA no one under the age of 14 could be left alone. So be careful please.
posted on September 10, 2005 12:06:49 PM
NearTheSea - Playpens....the best invention since sugar.
Why in the world this generation of mothers didn't use them is beyond me. I would never have been able to do anything without the one I used....36 years ago.
But to answer your quesion about now-a-day.....you're going to laugh - I know I did when I first saw it....but my son and DIL bought what I'd call a baby 'cage'. A small, plastic version of an enclosure that keeps them penned in a circle. You can adjust them to different sizes as you want them to have more space. When I first saw my son's....I couldn't stop laughing. It took up almost the whole living room....and I asked, "What's the point?" LOL
posted on September 10, 2005 12:07:15 PM
yes,I think I will check my insurance policy.
The oldest kid is 13 years old,I dont think I will leave them alone in my house.
Why are parents so anxious to leave their kid to stranger?
-sig file -------
Eat grass,kick ass,never go belly up!
posted on September 10, 2005 12:10:08 PM
OK, you're not babysitting an 11 month old...you're babysitting THREE children and one is thirteen!
Charge three times as much.
Or better yet, turn them down.
These parents are stupid for entrusting their children to a stranger and this is no reflection on you.
posted on September 10, 2005 12:15:23 PM
yeah,my friend is advising me to try it for one day and then say this is it-one day is enough.
Words are out -since you are home all day,so??????????
-sig file -------
Eat grass,kick ass,never go belly up!
[ edited by stopwhining on Sep 10, 2005 12:16 PM ]
posted on September 10, 2005 12:32:27 PM
stop, yep, I don't think I would leave a 13 yr old in charge when your out
A trial is perfect. And I know what you mean when people think your at home all day doing nothing! Drives me nuts. I won't babysit anyone but my grandkid now
Linda, I think I know what your talking about, the white plastic fence like thing that locks together? Yea they are at Babys r us and not cheap. (but I may reconsider buying, they are already planning BABY 2!!! )
I know, I would get nothing done at all, if not for a playpen when mine were that little!
I am guessing that the old type playpen is now unsafe or something. The Pak n Play is collapsable, its just not big enough, but I do use it when I have to!
posted on September 10, 2005 12:52:40 PM
NearTheSea - Yes, that sounds like the same thing. They don't have a 'bottom' to them, like the old playpens did. But the way they enterlock with one another they stand pretty sturdy when locked together. The carpet would be the 'flooring'. I'm not sure where they purchased theirs....may have been Babies R Us or Toys R Us...but it was when they were living in Hawaii....so that's been about 2-3 years ago. But it worked....and she had plenty of room to move about in.
posted on September 10, 2005 01:11:32 PM
Maybe that's the problem with conservatives. They were raised in playpens which confined their territory and horizons to one little penned in spot.
posted on September 10, 2005 02:16:20 PM
"Playpen to Penitentiary Syndrome" Many well documented cases of children who were confined to playpens eventually end up incarcerated, due to the manifestation of this malady.
posted on September 10, 2005 05:08:57 PM
ooooooooook ( "Playpen to Penitentiary Syndrome" My kids never have been in jail, they must be the exception then
I have to say that I never left my children in a playpen for hours on end. Nor did I leave them alone when they were babies, toddlers.
But I did have a playpen. I was never super mom, but things in the home had to go on, cooking, cleaning, laundry and the playpen was great while I had to do those things, but I never left them alone in a playpen, I always had my eyes on them.
Does anyone know if they still make the old playpens? I remember having a wood one, the slats were small enough that a childs head would not get stuck. Right now, I have the 'Pak n Play' and that is the only one I can find, and I think its way too small. I don't put her in it much, because it is small. 
