Any childminders want to chat?

Hello fellow childminders!
I'm just completing my registration in Edinburgh and am keen to join this thread. How do you get on to advertise yourself in the mumsnet bit? I am a bit rubbish with computers but yesterday I fond a part on mumsnet which took me to netmums and I saw local childminders so I wanted to add myself but now it's only showing conversations. Any ideas? Also where did most of you find your customers from when you started? I realise a lot is from word of mouth but at the start there isn't much of that. I'm going to lots of different play groups, chatting to parents etc but any ideas would be great. Cheers, Sylvia x

Aww lovely message. Nice to hear xx

Hello All

can I just say that I had a childminding team for my DD (now 18) and DS (now 13) both from age 3 months, they were a husband and wife team and were absolutely marvellous. I could not have asked for better childcare, they were both a great help and support, I often used to ask them about rashes / weening etc as they had 2 older children. My kids missed them terribly once they started secondary school, although we do keep in touch, I think childminding takes a special sort of person, and you all sound lovely thank you!

Thanks for advice badgerhead and apologies for not replying, got side-tracked!!
Nothing has changed unfortunately - I think the problem is that Mum exclusively wants to breastfeed which of course is natural and isn’t actively trying that much with the bottle (she has admitted this). Her solution is to do night feeds so that it won’t matter that baby isn’t having milk during the day (!?). Also, baby has no routine and Mum cant tell me when she usually sleeps and for how long. I have had 7 settling in sessions with her now and she sleeps for about 20 minutes after lengthy crying sessions and wakes up crying and very difficult to soothe. I’m sure it is because she desperately wants a feed but can’t have one. Mum has brought round various different teats, cups, beakers, tried breast milk and formula, comfort blanket with her smell etc. But no luck. Mum says she will definitely not take a dummy either.

I can understand you being worried about caring for this baby. Taking on one who has been breast fed exclusively can be hard.
Please try to work with mum over the next few settling in periods, explaining to her any ideas you might have to help her settle & feed with you.
I would suggest that you ask mum for a muslin or something similar that you can 'wear' when feeding the baby as if you smell more like mum that will help her settle, she needs to have worn the muslin herself a fair bit for her smell to soak into it.
When she is being offered her milk is it breast milk that has been expressed, or is it formula? As they taste different & smell different to each other. Perhaps it is worth trying a different style of bottle, I realise it can be expensive to keep buying new bottles to try but sometimes babies will only feed from what they feel most comfortable with.
Lastly have you considered her feeding position as that can affect her wanting to feed, us she too upright when having a bottle, it might be that you need to lay her down closer to her natural feeding position & does mum use a breast feeding cover over her when feeding her as she might prefer that?
I agree with her being warned that will help to get nutrients into her, also it might be that she will take cool boiled water from a cup or beaker rather than a bottle, that way keeping her hydrated in addition to the moisture in her food.
Good luck

Hi - would appreciate any thoughts on this...I have a 7 month old starting in September who is breast-fed on demand and Mum has no intention of changing this. Obviously when baby is here, she will use a bottle - only she doesn’t and isn’t showing any signs of being able to use one at home or in my settling-in sessions. She becomes extremely frustrated and will cry and cry. I have suggested a dummy for comfort but Mum is adamant she will not take one. Basically, she will not be getting the substanance or comfort that she needs when she is here (although weaned by then all being well). I am feeling increasingly anxious about September as I will have her for 9 hour days. If anyone can give advice on this it would greatly appreciated! X

MissTeaca..........You will get to know other cm's. Its important not to come over that your unregistered and taking business but not paying insurance and costs they do or you will upset them for the future. With many schools and nurseries opening holiday clubs that don't have to follow ratios and have cheap rent its a bit cut throat in many areas with cm's unable to compete. Packing in 13 kids to one adult on free premises throwing a ball or two into the playground and putting out paint paper and consoles is cheap childcare often for £13 -£20 a day and for many parents that's all they want.

Most cms want and do offer quality childcare with good qualifications most with level 3 and many with degrees so quality childcare isn't a USP look at anything missing in the market. Many parents don't understand what we do and how we do things equally as well as nurseries and school early years and imagine us as babysitters and stop gaps....until Pacey step up and really push that things wont change and everyone who hasn't done child-minding tends to think we are low quality etc.

Hi,
I am new quite new here.
As a brief introduction about myself, I have worked in a primary school as a TA and a pre-school teacher, I love my job but the salary was too small as I was doing my Early Years Educator course, that I finally finished :) So I decided to get my qualification to become a childminder- I have done the course with Pacey.
I love working with children and I really want to offer high quality care. I am starting to built up a small childminding business this summer. I have submitted my Ofsted application , but it takes quite some time.
I am planing during the summer to offer summer holiday club for 8 years old and over, as mentioned on gov. website you don't need to register if you care for 8 and over 8. This is just a temporary thing for me until I get my registration.

I am trying to advertise my summer holiday club, but is quite hard.
The struggle is real! I feel a bit lonely as I don't know any childminders I can chat with.

Hi Sally. I had one child in the first couple of months then gained another. It took 6 months for business to be booming. Unless there is a shortage of childminders in your area it can take a few months to get going properly. Word of mouth and social media (local Facebook group) have been the most productive marketing tools for me.

thanks so much.
I am a gold member on childcare.co.uk and on PACEY. I have been to local schools and handed out my cards. so will see if I get anything from there.

Word of mouth is good for getting new business, notices on your Facebook local community pages, where I live there is a childminder & nanny specific page open to parents where we can advertise. Your own website and getting out into local toddler groups and introducing yourself to parents, showing good practice so they will recommend you to their friends etc. A comprehensive entry on the well known Childcare website can also be useful, worth paying for membership, try & get a good deal on that though as can be expensive. I have been a member since the early days and pay a much reduced amount compared to new members as I have never cancelled my membership. By paying it enables parents to message you. Are you a member of PACEY, as there is a vacancy website you can put your details on via them free of charge, plus an entry on the Netmums childcare listings for your LA is worth doing, I have had a few enquiries that way.

Hi there, i am new to childminding.
I am starting up my business slowly. there is a lot to do !! and it is stressful.
so this chat is very helpful !!

I am struggling to find parents, I only have 1 signed up for September so far, so starting to really stress. any advice would be great !!

If they came 9.45 to 3.45 I would charge 6 hours at my slightly higher part time rate if it was 8.45 to 5.45 my full time rate of 9 hours. if they wanted part of an hour I would charge and additional half hour.

Right - should have got a proper system in place by now for this but... do you work on a ‘on the 1/2 hour’ pricing system? So instead of charging a parent 7 hours for 9.45am - 4.45pm, would you charge from 9.30am - 5pm??

To clarify- I wouldn’t be refunding!

I'm open and have 3 school children here today.

I charge as I am open.

Our school is open, but no I wouldn’t. Only if it was my decision to cancel.

Is any childminders charging fees if school closed because of weather, or refunding?

jannier it is because the money will be returned not kept. It was the borough’s idea.

Your registration shouldn't be compromised by a 30 hour funding error. Your funding might be compromised, so check and double check with your LA what they expect you to do.

If you have other hours as well as funded hours, then you can use all your usual terms and conditions for those.

Hi FrostyThirties0 and jannier - I have got stressed out by the whole system to be honest - I am on a low income and yet setting up funding for a family that earn x10 what I do. They would have been quite happy paying me as usual but now they know this funding is available I have had to do it. Do your councils fund you for your going rate? Mine doesn’t so will have to make up ‘extra costs’. My biggest concern is that I will do something inadvertently wrong and my registration could be compromised.

We wouldn't be allowed to ask for a deposit for a child only doing the 30 hours as it has to be free on the point of delivery by asking a deposit it isn't and makes it only available to those with spare money. we can ask deposits for extra hours if needed.

I haven’t had any issues in particular though we have a good borough by all accounts (RBWM). They advise us to get a deposit and as long as it’s refundable when they leave and kept to all the Ts and C.S., then we should be protected enough.

Hi All Childminders
Would really appreciate some advice on 30 hour funding - apart from it being a complete nightmare to set up I have now been confronted with my councils Provider Agreement which has to be completed before registering funded children. Before i go on, has anyone had problems with it/found it confusing?
Many thanks