AP daycare?

[neonalee]

Are there daycare settings that practice AP (whether they use the term or not)? Logistically I can't imagine how an adult taking care of more than 1 infant would be able to do so. What if they all need to be held all the time? I ask because my DS wants to be held all the time and my current DCP has let me know (nicely) that they accommodate this for about a week to get the baby used to being there, then it's business as usual. She's really nice and won't necessarily let him CIO, but she's not going to carry him around all day (which will probably mean he will CIO while there). I'm on the far NW side of Chicago (actually in the city).

[Eyelet]

Originally Posted by neonalee

Logistically I can't imagine how an adult taking care of more than 1 infant would be able to do so.

I think that's just it in a nutshell. If you're able to, your best bet would probably be to hire a nanny on a one to one basis or at least find a small, in-home daycare situation. I could imagine that if they're responsible for more then one infant at a time, there's no logical way to hold just one all day when there's others to hold, as well.

I hope you're able to find something that works for you!

[SallyN]

In-home day care or a private nanny is probably your best bet.

That said. It's totally possible to wear more than one at a time!!
An emotionally responsive in-home care provider probably won't take on multiple (or more than two) infants at a time. Especially if the infant is high(er) needs.
Good luck!!

[swimming-duck]

I run a licensed home daycare and I'm an AP mommy. Here's the deal. I can't possibly babywear many children at once - logistically it'd be difficult and my back would give out. BUT I will only enroll one child under 12 months at a time. This helps to ensure that I can give the infant the higher degree of attention that's necessary for security and attachment. I NEVER lay my infant down to CIO to sleep. He falls asleep in my wrap, sometimes in the bouncer seat while he watches me sit and eat lunch with the big kiddos, sometimes in my arms. Then once he's out I do usually put him in the crib in the next room so he can sleep longer - my toddlers and preschoolers are a noisy and rambunctious bunch! When we go for walks, my preschoolers walk, my toddlers ride in the wagon, and baby gets the best spot in the house - on me in my Ergo.

When there's multiple children with different needs (I have six total) you can't always get to someone who's upset right away. BUT you can get to them as soon as it's humanly possible. And you can talk to them and respectfully acknowledge their feelings while you're trying to get to them. An example that pops into my head is that baby becomes upset when I'm in the middle of a diaper change with a toddler. So I think in ideals it's possible for a childcare provider to be AP, but not every moment is going to look like an ideal AP moment.

I would look at what the provider emphasizes when you meet together. Does the provider mention love, safety, security, and respect for the child as key points or go on and on about endless academic type activities. I'm not saying doing some structured activities is wrong, but I think it's important to note where the providers focus seems to be.

Am I helping or rambling? I wish you luck in finding someone. Is there a local Attachment Parenting International group? That might be a good way to find some AP-friendly providers. I don't think it's impossible at all!

[neonalee]

Thanks for the replies, they are very helpful, especially from the provider's point of view. Where we are right now, she has 4 infants and 4 toddlers, 2 adults. She's very nice, but I don't really feel she is right for us. We are meeting with someone new tomorrow, so we'll see how that goes. While I would love to find a place that only took 1 or 2 infants, infant daycare is hard enough to find in the city so I'm not going to hold my breath We were grateful (and happy - she was recommended by many mainstream parents) to find the place we are currently, but that was when I was a mommy-to-be. Now I actually am a mommy and I'm not so sure about this place.