What to look for in a childminder?

laurad85

Good morning, I had my beautiful princess two weeks ago and plan on going back to work in September. We are looking into child care options at the moment and have yet to decide on a nursery or a childminder. My oh works shifts so we are only going to need child are for 8 days a month, the nursery is £42 a day and we are going to book a visit soon but are also happy to consider a child minder. What are the advantages over having a childminder? Disadvantages too? What questions should we ask? Is anybody a childminder who can tell me how many children you're legally allowed to have at anyone time?
Any help would be appreciated, thank you.

go_cat

Advantages :

Home like environment
More one to one direct care
Family unit based
More flexible than nurseries with days

Disadvantages :

School runs - do they do them and do you want your baby dragged there am and pm in all weathers?
Sickness - when they or their children are poorly you cannot use them and need alternative arrangements
Holidays - as above

Whatever you choose go with your instinct when you visit them you will know if your child will be happy on how they interact with you child when you go and the environment etc

Oh and the best nurseries and child minders tend to have waiting lists so you are wise to do this early

Good luck

DaisyFlower

You may struggle to find a childminder for only 8 days a month, many will charge for the rest of the weeks space they cant fill and if you do find one that wont charge for unused days you may find they give notice when a more paying mindee enquires about a place.

It depends on what you are looking for in a childcare provider as to what the advantages / disadvantages are. For me personally, I feel a nursery is better but its each to their own. I dont like the thought of just one unknown adult looking after my child with nobody else around to moniotor, childminders still appear do shopping and jobs at home whilst caring, pop out with friends, have various aged children and so the school run so babies have to be out in all weathers.

If we had to use childcare in the future, we'd always go with the nursery option as plenty of adults, i'd always know where my child was, children similar ages, plenty of resources and cover in the event of holidays and sickness.

FatVonD

I agree with Daisy Flower, while there may be some very good child minders I've known a couple who did it just because it was the only thing they could fit in with their own childcare and it wasn't the best care though I'm sure they all presented like the next Mary Poppins when the parents weren't around.

laurad85

Thank you for your replies so far, we must admit we would prefer to put her in a nursery, we have heard great things about the one are looking at and like the idea of her mixing with other children her age and being in the same place. However, we are still considering all the options do appreciate all your views.

euronorris

Re childminders: They are allowed to care for up to six children under the age of 8, including their own but only three can be under the age of 5, and one under the age of 1 year old. (Exceptions can be made for twins under the age of one year old, provided Ofsted agree).

There are some very good childminders around, but also some not so good. You need to be careful and aware, and it would be wise to get testimonials from parents in both cases (nursery and childminder) as they will be best placed to tell you and be more honest.

Hezzawithkids

I can give you my experience based on having 2 children, going back to work when they were each 6 months old and having tried every combination of childcare imaginable over the last 16 years!

OH & I both worked full time so our situation was slightly different, but both my babies went to nursery until they were old enough for school. It meant that by the time they arrived there they were used to being around other children all day long, were outgoing and sociable as a result, and used to having a structured day.

I did also consider child minders but wasn't confident that they would provide the range of development activities that a nursery would.

I believe that all childminders are Ofsted inspected these days and unless they are already a qualified teacher or other child care professional they need to go through some rigorous assessments and training and can often wait years before being certified, so the days when they did it for pin money are over. However, it does mean that they should be providing an excellent standard of care as a result, and not just passing the time while their own kids are at home.

My children were looked after child minders once they went to school but with mixed results. That's a topic best left for another day! :cool:

esmy

I chose childminders for pre school care for my DDs.I didn't want 'institutional' care for them and preferred the family environment. I had one near my work who had them pre school and another more local to home for when they were in nursery/school. They were both brilliant and my kids loved them.
My CMs were very flexible as to hours which I needed as I had unpredictable overtime. On one occasion eldest stayed overnight! The local nursery at the time closed bang on 5.30 which would have been no good to me. As for going on the school run etc this is no different to what a parent would have to do with more than one child.
When I was choosing I took DDs with me - couldn't believe how many didn't even acknowledge there was a child present!

FBaby

FatVonD wrote: »

I agree with Daisy Flower, while there may be some very good child minders I've known a couple who did it just because it was the only thing they could fit in with their own childcare and it wasn't the best care though I'm sure they all presented like the next Mary Poppins when the parents weren't around.

I have to say that this was in the back of my mind when I looked for a childminder and therefore systematically disregarded childminders who also had young children. I know it is unfair because I'm sure a number of such childminder to a brilliant job too, but I didn't want to take the chance.

I chose mine because she was in her 60s, lived in a very nice home with a husband who worked full-time and earned a good salary. It gave me the confidence that she was doing this job because she really enjoyed it. She was very concious of health and safety, and also came across as very maternal, very much like a lovely grand-ma. She did turn out to be wonderful, the only downfall was that she did get tired quite a lot, and actually after my baby started nursery, she gave up looking after pre-school children.

Plans_all_plans

I've never used any sort of childcare provider, but I'd advise you to go to every baby/toddler group going to see if there are any CMs there. You can see how they interact with the kids they look after and see what sort of activities they go to.

I'm a mum who goes to every group under the sun and there is only one childminder I know that I'd be happy to leave my children with. However, I work next to "the best nursery in the area" and from the few things I've seen when the kids are outside playing, I wouldn't put a child of mine in there either!

If you go and see what the CMs are like at the different groups, you'll get an idea of who has a similar "parenting" style to you. Also, you'll find other mums there who will tell you their own experiences and opinions of local CMs.

GobbledyGook

I think that childcare is as much about instinct as it is anything else. It also massively depends on your child. My elder child adored her childminder when she was younger, but her younger sister thrived in a nursery as she was a much more outgoing child. I prefer younger children and babies with a CM because I prefer one-to-one care at that age then older children in nursery, but that is just personal preference.

When I met my current childminder I wasn't even looking for a CM, I wanted a Nanny, but couldn't find one so needed to find a stop-gap to cover until I found one. About a minute after I met her I knew that she was the CM for us. She just fitted us and we fitted her.

Don't just look at reports and inspections either. My ex lined up an interview with someone who was rated as outstanding by inspectors assuming she'd be the best and I didn't gel with her, but went with it because she was so highly rated. I couldn't relax at all and it made going back to work so much more stressful. Eventually I met a CM who was only rated as good, but she and I gelled instantly and she cared for my two daughters for 2 years until she moved abroad. Same with other people's opinion - one Mum locally slated my current CM, but she was expecting and wanting totally different care to me. She wanted evidence of her young children being taught to write and count whereas I was delighted to see photos of them going to the park and playing in the mud. How you feel about them and how you get on with them is more important than their grading. It's a very personal thing.