how much of their own lives do childminders get on with?

even if you employ a nanny, they might still pop to the shop - i work 7-7 and therefore if i need to go to the bank/get some bread/milk etc then i will take my charges - but as others have said, you make it educational and fun

I wouldn't take little ones on a major shopping expedition, but a quick visit in passing to the local shop or market to pick up fresh fruit and veg, milk or bread would seem quite reasonable to me, or popping in to ELC to get a few bits and bobs for a craft activity. I also take mine into cafes sometimes for lunch or a drink and a snack - it's all part of learning about the community and how to behave in public.

i'm a cm and i dont do any jobs while working (well sometimes i do throw a wash load in once a week)
i am lucky enough to have a cleaner and i do food shopping online

I tend to devote the morning completely to the mindees. We go to the park, playgroup, soft play, etc. or stay home and do crafts or cooking activities. In the afternoons I am a bit more relaxed and do get on with a few of my own chores. This might be a bit of light tidying up, emptying the dishwasher or perhaps a quick trip to the local shop. At the moment I have 3 children all aged under 2 so and have to use a triple buggy so I avoid going to the shops if at all possible!

stella1w - i agree with the others that normal, daily life is wonderful for young children. I work in early childcare and the children are taken to the supermarket, post office, library etc and all sorts of everyday places as part of their education. It is very important for them to be able to make connections with the wider world and to understand how it ticks.

But every cm will be different, the key is trust and that involves getting to know them a little. A good cm will be completely open about all this.

hester - that is dreadful. She might seem nice but she doesn't sound professional at all. I really hope you look for someone more professional.

There's shopping and there's shopping...

Going to a greengrocer or small shop and CM talking to your child while picking up a few everyday goods - yes.

Strapped into the buggy in a hot changing room while your CM tries on clothes or waiting in TESCO while your CM does a full weekly shop - No.

I looked long and hard for a childminder in my local area, but in the end was either unhappy with the quality of the experiences being offered or was let down at short notice. I visited six childminders, arranged to start with two childminders and on both of those occasions I was let down at short notice.

One childminder I saw was a woman working with her sister as an assistant. She seemed quite professional in the way she was speaking about her services, but I also got the impression that my child would be in the buggy going here and there quite a bit. I didn't sign-up with her as I felt that her rooms were quite small for the larger number of children she was able to take on, plus there was no outside space. Also, I got a faint whiff of 'two sisters enjoying working together' and wondered whether their minds would be entirely on the job.

About a year later I was in a local gift/toy shop and saw them in there. They each had a double buggy, but had parked the double buggies facing the wall (children awake) and were totally engrossed in choosing a gift. Their interactions were all with each other rather than the children. They didn't recognise me, but I felt reassured that I had made the right decision.

The most important thing is to get a sense of whether or not the day to day experiences are what you want for your child.

we call in to our local shop to pick up a couple of items but never a main shop.

I try to keep my working life apart from my private life if possible so my DH takes our own children to Drs and Dentists etc. I finish work at 5.30 though so that means that I can take my children to activities or do grocery shopping after finishing work.

Before becoming a CM, i used to meet up with friends for coffee once a week, I dropped that because I couldn't see any benefits in that for the children in my care which is a shame since I loved my coffee mornings

The alternative would be to choose a nanny

Both my dd are cm working together and make it clear to prospective parents it is a home environment not a nursery. They take trips to the shops (short trips not main shop) if they have had messy play obviously it has to be cleaned and children are encouraged to help. I recently arrived home to find three children under 3 "washing" the kitchen walls, they had been helping to wipe the table after painting and decided to carry on and clean the kitchen. Both myself and all the parents thought it hilarious.

All the parents said they didn't mind the children being taken to town Christmas shopping dd's decided against doing this.

They take the children on lots of trips farms, soft play, zoo etc all at their own expense.

Look around at many cm, good ones will welcome visits and take a list of questions it's a bit like going to the drs. once there it's easy to forget what you wanted to ask.

Oh dear, I suspected it was not good. Anyway, I'm changing my work patterns and think that's going to have to mean new childcare arrangements. What a shame, she's such a nice lady, just a little tooooo laid back, I feel...

The reason for choosing a CM for my kids was it was a home from home they would do all the things i would do with them. So fit into daily life, go on errands, school run etc.
I f i wanted my child cooped up in a nursery all day being stimulated educationally i would have chosen a nursery.

oh my gawd, unless you have given permission she shouldn't be using a creche or other forms of childcare for your child, and even then I think it's Not On, hester

Hester, that's shocking!

My dd is her CM's only mindee, and basically joins in her CM's daily life. Mostly it seems a fair balance between the CM's priorities and my dd's - a typical day seems to be morning in the playground or at a playgroup, then lunch with one of CM's friends. It all seems very relaxed and I think that's what you get with a CM - if I wanted a day of structured child-centred activities I'd be using a nursery.

The only moment I have had was when I recently found out that dd accompanies her CM to the gym, and goes to the creche there. I was not consulted on this. I'm still working out how I should feel about this,and respond to it, especially as dd is adopted and CM is her first experience of childcare.

DS's CM has 3 under 18 months, so I doubt she gets much opportunity to enjoy a trip to the shops with them! I'm sure she does a bit of washing or cleaning while they play at home though, and I know she takes them to her allotment sometimes too.

Oh and I love my CM too. She looks after DS2 all day and DS1 after school and is just fab. Very much one of the family

I would much rather my DC, who both went to CM, did whatever their CM would usually do in a day, then it would mirror what we would usually do at home. So shopping on a Wednesday, Playgroup on a Tuesday etc. Just normal stuff I would do if I were at home. I wouldn't expect her to do a lot of cleaning while looking after DC, as I wouldn't if at home. And agree that to that extent a nursery an seem a bit unlike RL

I think that it's great if children experience real life! Also by experiencing shops your child will become used to them, not see them as a novelty and hopefully be happy when you take him / her too! My own children went to Nursery but I often felt as if it was a false environment in this sense.

Agree with others, I love the fact my DS goes shopping, it's like he's in another little family, that's the main reason for choosing a CM over a nursery.....so he gets to do the day to day stuff and not couped up in one or two rooms.....

i am like mousey also.

I work 5 days a week 7am - 7pm so sometimes i cannot avoid having to do something personal but i always check it with parents first. I did have one of my younger mindee's parents say to me just before xmas if i need to go into town she has no problem to avoid me spending hours on a saturday (she is lovely though)

however - i did post before about a parent who said i was not aloud to go to the shop not even for milk or bread that did not last long thechild is no longer with me

My fab CM used to sometimes take ds to do the shopping, but the whole reason I had a CM over a nursery was that I wanted ds to be doing the kind of things with her that he'd have been doing with me (except she did them a lot better!) On days when she only had ds, she'd often take him to visit her gran, which I used to love as my own mum had alzheimer's so he was able to build up quite a nice wee relationship with "a" grandmother, even though she wasn't his gran...she was also known to take him out for the occasional bar lunch when it was just her and him!
We LOVED our childminder!

Oh, and they will visit my friends, all of whom I have met at tots groups, and have kids of similar age, so its as social for them as it is for me. Think Id go a little nuts if didnt see them at least every other day so it needs to be done!