Worried about Childminder taking on too much and impact on DS

[iwanttohavealiedown]

DS (18 months) has been going to a childminder 1 morning a week with the plan that I can up his hours when / if I find work.

CM is lovely and really happy with her although when DS started with her she didn't tell me she was pregnant and then later said she thought she had told me.
She has taken only 3 weeks off (starting 1 week before her due date) and says regardless of when baby arrives she will be starting back after the 3 weeks are up.

Am I a total wimp? There is no way I could go back to work so soon after having a baby and then of course I'm worried about DS - surely he and her other mindees won't get her full attention when she is also caring for her own newborn and recovering from the birth. She has another child who has just started school.

She will be helped by her sister and her DH works at home - both apparently police checked and sister has childcare experience.
CM said she would introduce me to her sister before she started helping to care for DS only for me to then find out that sister had started without us being introduced.

Am I being over anxious?

[TheProvincialLady]

She doesn't even know that she would be well enough to work after 3 weeks - if she had a c section she might struggle with her own baby, let alone another child in the house. Have you met the sister? What kind of childcare experience does she have? I don't think I would be happy with this arrangement.

[BoysAreLikeZombies]

Hmmm I would be thinking that 3 weeks is too early to be thinking about returning to work.

The Husband will have been crb checked in order for her to have been registered; however her Certificate of registration from OFSTED shoud show that she is working officially with an assistant, and you can ask to see it - she should display the cert anyway.

[iwanttohavealiedown]

yes it occurred to me that she might not be well enough. No haven't met the sister or seen her credentials - this also concerns me

[iwanttohavealiedown]

the baby might not even be 3 weeks. She said she would start back on a certain date regardless of date baby is born

[OFSTEDoutstanding]

Hi I am a childminder and I have just had a baby 5 weeks ago. I have DS aged 3 and a full time mindee aged 2. The plan was to take only 2 weeks off work I was keeping mindee right up until I went into labour and then taking 2 weeks off after birth, however things did not go to plan and I ended up having emergency c section so have had to take 6 weeks off. In hind sight I know even if I had delivered naturally I would have really struggled after 2 weeks I think it will be hard after 6!! Mind you I was going to be alone with no other help. Be warned I was 2 weeks overdue and if I had said the same as your childminder I would have been returning to work the day I gave birth!!