DS @ CM,noticed incorrect car seat

Oh glad you are sorted! Do ring ofsted about her if you get a minute. It's awful thinking of other children in her care :(

I would defo dump her! She should have a seat suitable for a 2 yr old NOT a booster, they are for 4-11 yr old depending on their weight.

The nappy issue was disgusting, how on earth would she feel if she had a nappy on all day and was sore?

In the circumstances that you locked yourself out (whoops!) she could have rustled up something for him to eat, most have something in the fridge/freezer/cupboard - is he allergic to anything like gluten, milk etc?

Pity you are so far away, I would have had him like a shot!

Glad you have it sorted, childcare is a total juggling act !

Glad found a new cm - long may she last and be good [hsmile]

@Funky2sarah, I wish I were next door to help out. :( What a bummer that you look after others but can't find someone to look after yours!! Hope you find a solution soon. This reminds me of the main reason for working freelance from home. Good luck.

I really think you should look into childminding, Funky2sarah.

I was very reluctant to switch from being a nanny to a cm but as soon as the decision was made I knew it was the best option. My ds was just 3 when it all went through and had just started nursery - which is when it gets very complicated being a nanny unless you live and work in the same area. I had a constant supply of children and a couple of great nanny friends who attended the same groups/activities with children of a similar age.

I'm still kicking myself for giving that up and moving closer to my family who I see less now that I live within a 10 mile radius of them all than I did when I was 150 miles away!!

Now that my ds is 8 I have been thinking about looking for a nanny job again but there are very few where I live now and I could earn much more (if I had any children ) by being a cm than being a nanny. The main advantage to being a nanny, for me, is that you only have to deal with one set of parents but if you can get a couple of families who you get along well with then it's not a problem.

I'd gladly talk for hours on the topic of switching from nanny to cm so if you want anymore info send me a message and I'll waffle on for hours!!

OP Please do ring Ofsted and when you get your money back give her a piece of your mind about car seat.

God that CM sounded awful and I would phone Ofsted about the carseat, that is totally not on, I wouldn't dream of putting a 2y/o in anything but a 5-point harness and I dread to think about how unsafe it would be

Have Doodles II in Keston Road got any spaces, they are fantastic?

Well done :)

Little Acorns is brilliant :) And if you're in that area, I may have a few cm suggestions for you - but all around £5/hour, though I think (is that the rate you were thinking about?).

I hope she's cooperative about giving you your money back!

Hello, we use a childminder in Guildford who we like a lot. She is quite a mature lady (late 60s I would say) but she has been a childminder for a long time, she charges £4 an hour. She just does school drop offs (on a Tues and Thurs) and a Wednesday pick up for me, but I know she has other children during the day, not many normally, maybe one or two. I think she sort of likes a quiet life during the day, but she could well have space just one day (she doesn't work Fridays and is quite busy after school on a Wednesday I think), you could try her. She doesn't advertise on childcare links I don't think or anywhere, just word of mouth. If you'd like her number then drop me an email on helencw (at) fsmail (dot) net and I will give it to you. I can't guarantee she could help, but maybe worth a try ?

She lives in the Wood Street area (Stoughton etc) but traffic from there into Guildford town centre in the morning is not dire and it's reasonably accessible to the A3 if you come off at the Uni turn and go through Park Barn.

Otherwise, my youngest daughter goes to a fab nursery in Cobham which is easy to get to from the A3. It is about £48 a day (maybe slightly less, that's a 10hr day so not a bad hourly type rate) so a bit less than for the Guildford nurseries and is amazing, they might be full though (it's Little Acorns if you want to google it but are happy for children to do 1 day a week). I would've thought from New Haw it might be OK, it depends where you join the A3, if it's at Painshill it would be very easy (about 5 mins from there).

Good luck,

Helen xxx

Can you ask for some unpaid leave from your nanny job to give time to sort something out? I think all parents of children under 5 are allowed up to 3 months unpaid leave, provided you have a contract I would have thought you would be entitiled to request this?

Could you look for a cm near to where you work?

Re. the car seat - I bought a high backed booster years ago that was suitable from 9 months. However, there is no way I'd put a child that age in it. My large, just turned 3, mindee goes in a 5 point harness. I think this problem would be worth mentioning to Ofsted.

I used to be a nanny before I had ds and did a couple of part time jobs after he was born. After struggling for ages to find a decent nanny job I registered as a cm. When I first registered, I lived in a one bedroom, 1st floor flat. Space was very tight but even having one child 3 days a week paid more than the nanny jobs I was applying for.

Re the paperwork. I know it gets talked about a lot on here but really, once you get the hang of it, it's not that bad. The hardest part is at the beginning when you don't really know what you're doing with it (but MN is always here to help!!).

I am the most disorganised person I know and I got a 'good' from my last Ofsted inspection (before I moved and had to re-register ) so there is hope for everyone!

Also, my house is quite small but with clever storage you can fit all the essentials in.

As you're paying for childcare for your own child and are working part-time hours then you'd probably only need to look for one child to cm to earn a similar amount as your nanny job (wild guess) and therefore wouldn't need much in the way of toys, equipment etc as presumably you have some things already for your ds.

poor you saz :( its hard to find a job where you can take your own dc

you CAN NOT leave your ds there, not chnaging nappys is neglect and putting in a wrong car seat for his age is dangerous [hangry]

if i did that i would be fired!!

i dont know what to suggest, i know it took you a long time to find this job, but you have to think about your ds as well

If it were a Friday I could help until you got sorted - sorry that's not more useful! My friend runs an agency that covers your are and they often get NWOC positions! If you're interested pm me and I'll give you the details. Not sure I'm allowed to post it on here! Good luck.

Sorry, I didn't read the whole thread before adding my comment.

I hope it works out for you and your ds, there are some brilliant childminders out there.

This is another link - its from link on Rospa webpage

car seat restraints and the law

Good luck, sorry she's been so awful but better off out of it I think.

If you do email her again, send her this