With day care costs on the rise, many mothers are choosing to stay home with their babies. However, having a baby can make your expenses go up, and not working just isn't an option for most families. One option for working from home is to start a home day care.

It does take an incredibly patient and organized person to run an in-home day care. Many mothers are overwhelmed by the amount of responsibility that can quickly erupt at any time during the day care day. The stress of being a new mother, taking the risk of starting your own business, and being patient 100% of the time can be a lot to handle. Being organized can help you avoid becoming overstressed.

First, you need to check with your state to find out what the training and licensing requirements are. This often involves paying a yearly fee, attending training courses covering many different areas throughout the year, and home inspections, announced and unannounced.

Join a local home day care providers association if you can find one. These groups of providers are invaluable resources for everything from good tax consultants, to handling difficult parents. Networking with other providers can help you get ideas about how you want to make your day care unique. They will fill you in on problems that they have run into that you may not have foreseen. Starting up a home day care that is already set up to avoid pit falls that others have experienced will definitely help you to run things more smoothly.

It's good advice to create a parent contract and go over it in detail before you accept a child. You can ask other providers for their contracts and create your own based on theirs. Let the parents know that you are a licensed provider and that you must adhere strictly to certain rules. Let them know that you will be following the day care guidelines very closely and that you would appreciate it if they didn't ask you to bend the rules.

Once the business side of the day care is in order, you can get down to the fun part! Decorating the day care is so much fun. Daycare toys have come a long way and are available to the general public at reasonable prices.

Make sure that you choose toys that help foster learning. You will need toys that are designed for the age group that you choose. Soft play climbers are great for infants and toddlers to safely explore their gross motor skills. There are lots of learning toys and preschool toys to choose from. An activity table is great for fine motor skills. It encourages children to play together, you don't have to worry about choking hazards, and you don't have to pick it up and put it away at the end of the day. A few core preschool toys will be enough to start. Children's rugs, a mini play cube, a table and chairs, blocks and a few other basics will get you started.

Good luck with your home day care!