sbmccue
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- Adult Baby
- Diaper Lover
I'm neither warmly supportive of the idea, nor trying to throw cold water on your dream. In 2019, the pediatric nurse practitioner who was babysitting me asked me to invest in a similar venture, and I was wildly enthusiastic at first. After my due diligence, however, I concluded that - however well-intentioned - her enterprise likely would not succeed. The idea has been tried at least twice, with different dynamics each time and with similar results.
In the late 1980s, Diaper Pail Fraternity promoted a daycare that would provide all-day care for six ABs one day each weekend. A venture capitalist paid for six steel cribs, three large highchairs, etc., and leased a venue that was close by a major airport. Then she decided to consult an attorney who, after some research, told her that the venture would run afoul of the state's group home licensing regulations. Since the licensing fee was in the several thousand dollar range, the investor declined to go further. But the larger problem was that even at a low price point, somewhere around $200, the AB running the show could not secure enough reservations to fill even a single week. Four CNAs had been hired to provide the care, but the entire venture died on the vine.
The AB who had started this little enterprise had brochures printed, a dedicated phone line installed, and, despite being promoted nationwide by DPF, never got enough interest to make the idea a reality. The investor lost about $10,000. Of course, this was in the late 1980s.
In the early 2000s, four young women who were each babysitting AB clients part-time found an investor and decided to form a babysitting consortium. This enterprise catered to ABs who were well-heeled enough to afford an entire weekend of solo care. They put together a single adult nursery in a private venue, and structured their schedule so that two of the sitters were with the AB at any given time during a 48-hour stay. Again, the nursery was situated quite close to a major airport, and the investor even bought a brightly-colored minivan in which the sitters could transport their charge. For a weekend as a baby, an AB would pay around $3000.
The business lasted seven or eight months. One of the babysitters had an auto accident with a diapered client in the van. The lead sitter had a falling out with the investor, then the four sitters fell out with each other. The lead sitter decided to go back to school, and her companions went their various ways. Team dynamics were apparently given short shrift by the investor, even though young women in healthcare and associated fields are often somewhat flighty. The business was shut down. The investor sold what he could and lost about $20,000.
If we study these previous attempts, we can learn a great deal: First, that a group approach relies on access to a large number of ABs and DLs who, as a group, tend to be somewhat parsimonious or don't have a lot of money for things like plane tickets and care experiences. Second, that an 'intensive' one-on-one enterprise that is 'safe' for the caregivers requires a staff who can get along with each other over the long term. My guess is that there's an intermediate or in-between option as well, but neither my nurse friend nor I could imagine what that would be. In her case, she had two friends who worked with her in the same hospital and were interested in providing care for ABs on some weekends. All were unwilling to commit every weekend - or even three weekends a month - to the enterprise and the business would not cashflow with the sort of half-hearted commitment they were willing to provide.
I ought to mention that this whole discussion took place some months before the pandemic hit. Had I invested the $50,000 these ladies were asking me for, I'd have lost it all because the ensuing COVID months would have left the business without clients or caregivers.
If you do decide to move forward with some sort of nursery, I'd be sure you have enough interested ABs - paying some sort of deposit qualifies them as 'interested,' rather than 'Sign me up!' or 'I'll be there!' - to pay back your startup costs before you spend much money on equipment or a venue. Secondly, have an attorney research your state laws and determine what sort of license - if any - is applicable and how much it costs. Finally, if you don't have $40,000 or $50,000 of your own to spend, you'll need to find an investor who will back the idea.
Best wishes!
In the late 1980s, Diaper Pail Fraternity promoted a daycare that would provide all-day care for six ABs one day each weekend. A venture capitalist paid for six steel cribs, three large highchairs, etc., and leased a venue that was close by a major airport. Then she decided to consult an attorney who, after some research, told her that the venture would run afoul of the state's group home licensing regulations. Since the licensing fee was in the several thousand dollar range, the investor declined to go further. But the larger problem was that even at a low price point, somewhere around $200, the AB running the show could not secure enough reservations to fill even a single week. Four CNAs had been hired to provide the care, but the entire venture died on the vine.
The AB who had started this little enterprise had brochures printed, a dedicated phone line installed, and, despite being promoted nationwide by DPF, never got enough interest to make the idea a reality. The investor lost about $10,000. Of course, this was in the late 1980s.
In the early 2000s, four young women who were each babysitting AB clients part-time found an investor and decided to form a babysitting consortium. This enterprise catered to ABs who were well-heeled enough to afford an entire weekend of solo care. They put together a single adult nursery in a private venue, and structured their schedule so that two of the sitters were with the AB at any given time during a 48-hour stay. Again, the nursery was situated quite close to a major airport, and the investor even bought a brightly-colored minivan in which the sitters could transport their charge. For a weekend as a baby, an AB would pay around $3000.
The business lasted seven or eight months. One of the babysitters had an auto accident with a diapered client in the van. The lead sitter had a falling out with the investor, then the four sitters fell out with each other. The lead sitter decided to go back to school, and her companions went their various ways. Team dynamics were apparently given short shrift by the investor, even though young women in healthcare and associated fields are often somewhat flighty. The business was shut down. The investor sold what he could and lost about $20,000.
If we study these previous attempts, we can learn a great deal: First, that a group approach relies on access to a large number of ABs and DLs who, as a group, tend to be somewhat parsimonious or don't have a lot of money for things like plane tickets and care experiences. Second, that an 'intensive' one-on-one enterprise that is 'safe' for the caregivers requires a staff who can get along with each other over the long term. My guess is that there's an intermediate or in-between option as well, but neither my nurse friend nor I could imagine what that would be. In her case, she had two friends who worked with her in the same hospital and were interested in providing care for ABs on some weekends. All were unwilling to commit every weekend - or even three weekends a month - to the enterprise and the business would not cashflow with the sort of half-hearted commitment they were willing to provide.
I ought to mention that this whole discussion took place some months before the pandemic hit. Had I invested the $50,000 these ladies were asking me for, I'd have lost it all because the ensuing COVID months would have left the business without clients or caregivers.
If you do decide to move forward with some sort of nursery, I'd be sure you have enough interested ABs - paying some sort of deposit qualifies them as 'interested,' rather than 'Sign me up!' or 'I'll be there!' - to pay back your startup costs before you spend much money on equipment or a venue. Secondly, have an attorney research your state laws and determine what sort of license - if any - is applicable and how much it costs. Finally, if you don't have $40,000 or $50,000 of your own to spend, you'll need to find an investor who will back the idea.
Best wishes!
Also manyyyy different types of toys for varrying age ranges. I also highly recommend a parachute (like the kind that gym teachers use).