Male childminders

Go for it. My son went to a husband and wife team until we moved house. I still take him once a month so he can still stay in touch. He loves the pair of them to bits.

Think its' great there are male child minders, I would if I had small kids certainly use one.

apotomak - I admire your tolerance! I know what my wife would have said if she had been approached by a parent that was reticent for their child to be co-minded!

I had one woman ring me about childcare and I had to explain I work with my husband. She said she'd ring me back. She rang all the other childminders and they said ' Try Anna and X. They're lovely. They do school runs to this school' the woman replied 'I'm not keen on a man having access to my little boy' [confued] No idea what she meant really. Anyway to cut the long story short she had no other choice but to use us ... she still tried to say she only wants me to look after him etc. and refused to sign some of the permissions. I explained that this is not how we work and either she accepts we co-mind and everything is equal and I will not have my co-minder discriminated in any way or she has to go elsewhere. She is happy now and even said she really likes her son having a male role model as she is a single mum. Some people ... hey?

ManAboutTheHouse - I think you are very brave to come into what is usually a female dominated career. If we had more male cms near me I would be out getting a full-time job like a shot so I could leave my 10year old! He loves being outside playing football or any other sports or cycling on his bike and hates the arty crafty that is usually offered.

I think men can make fantastic cms - I think those neighbours and friends should admire you in such a job as this. It can be very lonely if you don't go to tots groups/network groups and yes some women cms leave alot to be desired!

Good luck!!

I've been working alongside my wife for 18 months now, & don't regret leaving 'the business world' at all!

All of the parents of the children we care for loved the fact that we are a partnership, & the balance that brings. In a couple of instances, the parents are single parents & so, they stressed that my involvement would be of great help to them.

There are a few people in my neighbourhood who think I'm crazy, purely because it's an industry usually associated with women, & so find it very hard to make even eye-contact with me. Unfortunately, a few friends fell by the way-side too (their choice, not mine), because they felt I'd "given up" my old career in some way (I too, was made redundant). Others just feel very reluctant to even ask me how things are, after they've spent 45 minutes telling me how their lives / jobs are!

If any of these people saw how hard we work, they would realise! Ignore anyone who thinks a man cannot be a CM - they are not the sort of people you'd want to be dealing with anyway. If your husband is as good as you think he would be, then the chances are he will be.

Good luck!

My DH works alongside me as a childminder. At first I wasn't sure he was going to get on with it as his experience with children has been limited. But at times he is better that me!

The children love him and some even prefer him and ask for him over me. Sometimes I feel redundant lol. We have told them though when he can't work with them because he does the cooking and that I'm looking after them.

The first mindee a boy was very much a man's man and didn't get on with me at first. It took a while for him to get used to me.

There was once at a children's centre that a boy would only go to my DH the others had tried and he cried and cried. My DH got him to sleep!

My DH was made reduntant from his old job of 9 years.

I think sometimes there are people that are wary of male childminders but it's women too that abuse. People shouldn't be stereotypical.

my husband is a a childminder and the children love him!

DD used to have a male childminder and liked him.

I'd use a male CM. wouldnt bother me. Out of the 200 CMs' profiles I looked at, none were male - if there had been, I probably would have gone and seen him.

I know of a male childminder who is also a sahd and I would use him. If you go in www.childmindingforum.co.uk there are a few male childminders he may be able to chat to.

I have known 2 male cms at dds school one I would not even consider using, the other i would, however I also know 3 female childminders at dds school 1 i do use and the other 2 I would not. so not sure what that says about probabilities.

I think you will find some parents would not feel comfertable, but hopefully on the whole most would.