I was wondering if any of you watch children in your home? I'm considering getting registered to do this in my home because I still need to be here for my own kids on sick, snow and summer days. Please list pros/cons.

I do daycare in my home for the past 4 years. Heres some pros and cons that I feel are important for you to know if you want to start a in home daycare. Pros: you get to spend more time with your children, housework gets done everyday, you don't miss out on your chilrens milestones, You don't have to dress up or spend money on clothes for a job, you are in your own home, you are your own boss, you can make time for things like dr.apts and snowdays with your kids because its easier to take off from daycare than a job. Cons: your kids get sick more being around germy kids, your kids may not get much attention due to how many kids you watch or the ages you watch, its Highly stressful and takes Alot of paitence, your home never stays completely clean and even when you have time for cleaning it gets messed up right away, your home becomes your buisness so alot of privacy is lost, its hard sometimes to get parents to pay or take you seriously when you tell them their child needs to work on their behavior or you can't watch them anymore.
I could keep going on but I just wanted to list some Pros and Cons for you so you can see the good and bad of it. Overall I think its worth it if you want to spend more time at home with your own children. Its really rewarding!

kryslanae touched on much that i was going to say. If you do get licensed make sure you have a contract. That way parents will know all your rules and etc....they sign it and then they need to follow them or you let them go.

I have been doing this for many years and i enjoy it.

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Jodie....Wife to Andrew (1995)
Mommy to Riley (2000) and Wyatt (2003)

I started my day care about 18 mos. ago to stay home with my newborn DD. I have 2 older daughters, 7 & 9 as well.
I love not having to pay someone to take care of my kids and no worrying about getting everyone to and from school and work on time.
More time for housework, but more housework!
One of my daycare kids is my nephew and I really love providing for my SIL that way.
My daughters get to play with kids besides each other but tensions do arise between them all sometimes.
My house is too small to confine the daycare to just one space like the basement, so we all have less privacy/personal space.
Love cooking for the kids.
Crafting is so fun with them and watching them learn is very rewarding.
Your discipline may not always mesh with what the kids' parents do at home.
LONG hours...for the full time kids they are with me much more than their own parents. 730a-530p is typical. I always wait to eat dinner until the daycare kids are gone because its too weird to explain why they can't eat with us.
Parents do not always pay on time/in full.
Some parents never call to let you know about a schedule change, they just assume you will be there so why call?
Field trips are a blast.
More time to help older DDs with homework.
The little DD learns ALOT by watching the older daycare kids all day.
Well, I could go on but those are the basics! HTH!

I have done day care in my home for several years and it all depends on the kids that you take on and how many! It also depends on the parents. I have watched some kids that made it a joy and others that made it horrible!!! If I were you, make sure you have some kind of agreement that you both sign from the beginning stating the $$ and the hours and the rules of your home. When it is in your home, people think they can take advantage of you because you can be more flexible, but don't let them! That is the one thing that got to me the most! Overall, though, it's a great way to make money and still be with your children, it helped my daughters learn how to share their toys and be more socialized. It also is a great tax write off!

Well this is not exactly the same situation you may be looking for....but I keep one child one day a week. Its the perfect solution for us, however we aren't in need of a lot more income. I keep a little girl who is 18 months old and have since she was only 4 weeks. She's the perfect age now for my DS to play with her (1 year difference) and he gets so excited on the days she comes. Her parents are both dentist (make their own hours) and send her to a "Mother's Day Out" program on Tues & Thurs. They only needed someone for Monday & I didn't want to be strapped down at home all day every day. They pay very genously ($45/day)---they set the amount not me. The days she is here is actually easier for me because she entertains DS all day and I don't have to so I get a lot done on those days....

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Formerly Mommy2Ryan

Be professional, have a formal contract that spells out everything up front. Have a trial period, that way if the child is a terror you can let them go quickly. I actually made much more money doing only part-time care, I did not do full time. That way I didn't get burned out, had days off for appointments, etc. Full time is really draining and stressful.

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A woman is like a teabag. You never know how strong she is until she gets into hot water.-Eleanor Roosevelt

I've only been doing childcare for 3 months so I can stay home with my now 4 month old daughter. Some days I love it and others I can't stand it (but I'm also not getting all the sleep I need and the hubby is working overtime). So, I often question if it's the job for me. I watch two girls that are both part time in the afternoons and are 1 and 2 years old. Here are my pro/cons:

Pros:
-Get to be with my daughter and watch her grow
-Easier for me to continue breastfeeding.
-Don't have to get her ready in the morning (better for me bc I am always running late, but with being home I'm never late to start work).
-Limited car time (less chance for us to be in an accident and use less gas)
-I'm my own boss.
-I have off 3 days a week and every morning.
-It forces me to have my house tidy.
-We save money on going out to eat because it's not convenient.
-My dogs don't have to be in cages all day.
-One set of the parents is GREAT! Their child is great too!
-The hubby has off on Thursdays so he helps me.
-I get my toys for cheap on Craigslist.

Cons:
-I work until 7:30pm Tues-Fri which eats up our nights. However, the child comes at 2 and the parents pay me $30 each day.
-We get sick more.
-You get pooped, boogered, peed, and spit up on on a daily basis.
-Since the girls come part time, it's hard to get them on a schedule, especially for naps.
-It's hard to take off because you or your children is/are sick. You don't get sick days and most parents don't have a backup sitter.
-One of the parents have a difficult time picking up and paying me on time. On top of that, their child is terrible most days. (I'm looking into maybe replacing her).
-I don't feel like I get a break from kids. Limited grown up time

I hope this helps. I think the biggest piece of advice is to be picky on who you watch and to make sure you can be yourself around the parents. If you don't look forward to seeing the parent(s) or child(ren), that is just stressful and makes for a long day. I found both families through Craigslist.

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Colleen!