MSE Parent Club - Part 2

SeptemberBaby_2

redmel1621 wrote: »

Forgot to ask

I have the health visitor coming for the first time tomorrow, what does she do? Is it mainly baby focused ie. weighing etc or does she do anything to me?

Mel x

Mostly focused on baby with a few sneaky questions to make sure Mum is well .

Mine went through lots of leaflets and details about the jabs, feeding, sleeping, etc. And she checked Jamie's cord for me as it seemed to take ages to fall off.

She also recommended 'Colief' for Jamie's colic which I could kiss her for! .

xx

ladybirdintheuk

Morning all. Now we're onto childcare, how far in advance should i start looking for some. My paid bit of mat leave runs out beginning of September, and I'm going to take 2 weeks of holiday after that, and go back later in the month... I'm going to ask to go back p/t 3 days a week, but I don't know when I will find out which 3 days I will be working.

And I'm going to also look for a job nearer home (I'm starting to think I may have to look for f/t, and move plans for moving house, and no2 coming along before I go p/t then.... I don't want to go back f/t if I can possibly avoid it, but if we want no2 then I'm going to have to eventually, so it might be better to get it over and done with!)) so if I manage that I might end up working different hours entirely. It's all so complicated.

My mum is going to do 1 day a week, and I'm going to look for a childminder for the rest of the time. Mainly because if I use a nursery we would have to drop off by car, so it would always have to be me who did it, but if I can find a childminbder within walking distance, DH can drop off and pick on some days, depending on where I am working and how it all works out.

Becles

I'm lucky with my Mam and Dad. They both work afternoons, so they have Charlotte some mornings while I work, then I get her back lunchtime. My work hours vary as I'm self employed.

Mam takes her to a group in my old school on a Monday morning. Some of my old school friends Mam's are there with their grandchildren, so my Mam enjoys socialising with them too. Then there is a group on in the local school here on Fridays. Sometimes I get to that one and sometimes my Mam takes her. I like that group as she's making friends with children who will be in her nursery and school class, so it'll not be as scary when Charlotte has to go and be left there.

Sometimes they take her other places. Dad took her to the post office on Tuesday and they were gone for ages as he took her in the park next to it. Dad loves it as he worked full time when me and my brother and my boys were little, so he's never really seen a little one develop. He loves watching all the little things happen and gets really excited when she does something new.

Sometimes I have to turn a blind eye to them filling her up with biscuits or giving her food I don't agree with like tinned spaghetti hoops, but the positives weigh more, so I just bite my tongue

keelykat

I'd love for my parents to be able to look after elliot once i do go back to working, just a shame my moms health isnt very good and my dad is still working full time himself for a few years so i can't turn to them in the week.

Although i have had my sister offer to help on days when she isnt busy, as shes starting a course in september part time. Im not sure i will take her up on it though-i always feel guilty as shes got three of her own to look after!

keely.

nadnad

well i've had a night to mull it over and i'm now starting to think about becoming a registered childminder so i can stay at home mind Oz and look after a couple of other littlies as well. Am going to look into the process, I love interacting with little ones so maybe this could be a way to go. I just don't know. Also OH said last night he would prefer that i was at home with Oz, I think it slipped out before he realised what he was saying, he tried to backtrack but now I know what he wants and thats hard to ignore as well.

ladybirdintheuk

With my parents filling her up with naughties won't be a problem - we were never allowed sweets/crisps when we were little, so I shouldn't imagine my Mum suddenly changing her tune on that one. The in-laws are not so well behaved, but not too bad in the grand scheme of things. I don't think it matters too much to have one set of grandparents who spoil you a bit, so long as it's not every day. (And so long as they also take her out to play football or something, rather than filling her with sugar and giving her back to me at bedtime )

Krystaltips

ladybird, we were never bought chocolate and crisps, fizzy pop or anything like that when we were children... But you should see the junk my Mum pours down Aimee's neck when she has her! Honestly, she sugar crashes that bad it lasts for 24hrs!

ladybirdintheuk

Heh ... My Mum is allergic to sugar (she can't even have baked beans or most bought bread or anything that has even a trace of it) and my dad is permanently on a diet, so they tend not to have chocolate etc in the house... although my Mum does like making cakes for people, so if they do spoil her it will be with chocolate cake! Mind you, I have less of a problem with home made cake than with processed stuff - at least you know it is only sugar and nothing untoward!

redmel1621

Thanks for the replies re. the health visitor. You would think I should know these things, with this being my 3rd, but it seems all so long ago, I have forgotten the procedures!!!!

nadnad, I think if you love being with littlies then childminding is a great option. I have a friend who qualified to be a nurse, but due to the inflexibility of the pct she was working under, with regards to hours, she left and is now a registered childminder, she has been doing it for 2yrs now and says it is the best job she has ever had.

Mel x

Sami_Bee

ladybirdintheuk wrote: »

Morning all. Now we're onto childcare, how far in advance should i start looking for some. My paid bit of mat leave runs out beginning of September, and I'm going to take 2 weeks of holiday after that, and go back later in the month... I'm going to ask to go back p/t 3 days a week, but I don't know when I will find out which 3 days I will be working.

And I'm going to also look for a job nearer home (I'm starting to think I may have to look for f/t, and move plans for moving house, and no2 coming along before I go p/t then.... I don't want to go back f/t if I can possibly avoid it, but if we want no2 then I'm going to have to eventually, so it might be better to get it over and done with!)) so if I manage that I might end up working different hours entirely. It's all so complicated.

My mum is going to do 1 day a week, and I'm going to look for a childminder for the rest of the time. Mainly because if I use a nursery we would have to drop off by car, so it would always have to be me who did it, but if I can find a childminbder within walking distance, DH can drop off and pick on some days, depending on where I am working and how it all works out.

If you are going for a childminder not nursery then I would say wait until you have more final plans in place, I'd start looking beginning of august.
Its actually ideal timing on your part if you return to work in september because most childminders want new LOs in sept as inevitably some of there current children will be leaving them to start school