Experience with childminder

If your son is happy at the CM then I would choose that.

I've used a CM part-time since my DD was just under 10 months old. She will be 3 in autumn.

I prefer children under 3 to be with one main experienced carer, so while I actually live right next to a nursery and a 10 minutes walk from another I chose to use a CM who is a much longer walk away.

Unfortunately it is common to come across people, including child healthcare professionals, who think CM are just baby sitters. When I was looking for childcare I was approached by people who called themselves CM but where not OFSTED registered so this could be the reason why.

While my DD hasn't had issues with her language skills - she started speaking early and has verbal diarrhoea - she is with children who have English as an additional language. The couple in her age group are now speaking confidentially including one who wouldn't speak to anyone. With my DD the CM has managed to indulge her love of books and reading.

Also unlike the 2 nurseries the CM takes the mindees out most days plus they interact and play with all the children there regardless of age. This means they copy each other dressing themselves, potty training, trying to walk long distances, etc.

My DD will be going to a mixture of CM and nursery from September, which a lot of parents choose to do for their 3 and 4 year olds. The nursery is actually close to my DP's work and has a low staff turnover unlike the 2 nurseries I'm near.

[quote jannier]@Blondeshavemorefun
Thats a real shame. The point of 2 year funding is becouse itscrecognised early intervention is so important. If you know children with issues its worth looking at the I can charity website, and Gina Davies ...Attention autism FB page....attention skills through bucket time are great for all children with speech issues and the first step to communication.[/quote]
Know. A few 2yrs who get noted on their check that speech is delayed /limited but they wait till 3

Tbh most by then are talking but you always get some that slip through the net

I loved our childminder, honestly it was the perfect combination of a smaller group of little ones, and doing coordinated activities with others in the area. Nothing against nurseries at all, all settings are great it just depends on circumstances, but they also are registered with ofsted and have to follow certain standards- so it's not like they just babysit.

@Blondeshavemorefun
Thats a real shame. The point of 2 year funding is becouse itscrecognised early intervention is so important. If you know children with issues its worth looking at the I can charity website, and Gina Davies ...Attention autism FB page....attention skills through bucket time are great for all children with speech issues and the first step to communication.

Your DS was happy there so that would be a good indication for me.
We actively chose childminder over nursery for my DC when they were little until they got to nursery age. I was so much more comfortable giving my baby to one consistent trusted adult than a succession of young girls in a nursery.
I wanted a more natural homely environment and the chance for him to go out and about on trips.
She was able to work around his routine much more than a nursery
She was also much more flexible than a nursery would have been with my shift work and even had my older daughter for a week or so in the school holidays
My DS adored his child minder and worshipped her older boys and he still went over to play years after he had left.
I personally would always recommend a good childminder over a nursery for under 3s.

100% go with the childminder, my daughter was behind at nursery and I never felt like she got the attention she needed. We found a childminder who would have around 10 in a day with helpers and it was perfect, there's enough people to help focus on the needs of each individual child and there's still enough children for your child to learn social skills. She came on leaps and bounds in the environment.

[quote jannier]@Blondeshavemorefun
Current research shows that early intervention at 2 has marked impact on educational achievement aged 16 so any possibility that there is delay its best to push for assessment. But childrens centres can start this process.[/quote]
Our area/council won’t do anything till 3

Helping with his speech will come down to the individual and not the type of setting. There will be no difference in speech gains/socialisation between a good nursery, a good nanny and a good childminder. It's ready down to you picking the best option based on the individuals available to you.

Both the childminder and the nanny sound like good options.

Children do need to be 'ready' for school, but this doesn't mean sending them to a school environment to learn numbers/letters etc. The skills actually needed for school will be taught by any responsive caregiver.

@Blondeshavemorefun
Current research shows that early intervention at 2 has marked impact on educational achievement aged 16 so any possibility that there is delay its best to push for assessment. But childrens centres can start this process.

If you are happy with your nanny why chnage
She can take him out to mix /play dates /classes etx

Also if needs speech therapy / usually suggest if not talking by 3

@HeyDuggeesFavouriteSquirrel
As you cant go back and try alternatives nobody can say their child came on leaps and bounds becouse of nursery. This is thr age they come on leaps and bounds anyway.
I have children removed from nursery (school nursery and private) becouse they were discouraged from doing things for themselves suddenly unable to put a coat on, attempt to write their name but had been doing so before, some settings hold children back to the average level for ease. A childminder is inspected to the same standards and works on school readiness just the same but unlike doing up to 15 children a childminder even with qualified teacher status will only be supporting a few

That's fine then if you don't mind having to re settle him elsewhere. It's such a personal choice, you have to do what feels right for you and your little one.

Love love love my childminder. And the local primary school say the children that come from her are far more ‘school ready’ than those that come from the attached pre-school. So if it works out you might not need that pre-school place.

The problem is that no one has a controlled condition to compare with. You might send your boy to nursery and then his speech comes on leaps and bounds… does that mean it was because he went to nursery? Or would it have happened anyway regardless of where you sent him? We tend to attribute changes to specific things but the chances are that his speech will improve with time anyway.

In the absence of any SEN I think children adapt to whatever kind of setting they go to and will thrive. providing that the setting is giving them a loving and enriching environment.

I've only ever use childminders for childcare and I much prefer them to nurseries. I liked the home away from home environment. Like everything, a good childminder is amazing but there are plenty of crap and lazy ones (unfortunately I did experience one for the grand total of six weeks who couldn't deal with my eldest) who give the excellent ones a bad name.

My eldest started at the childminder when he was three having only ever been at home with me. He was a late talker and also stuttered. He really came on in confidence and socially after going to the childminder, because it was with a smaller group of kids. Ours did lots of activities out of the house and educational activities at home. We've just finished with them as we don't need them anymore but we were all gutted because they have been so good for our family.

The nanny socialising will be helping with speech and language. A childminder is able to help with speech and language and school preparation. I have 5 children about to head off to school and they are all well prepared. I never understand people who are worried about how their child will cope with school at 4, so they put them in a school environment when they are 2 or 3. Surely they are less able to cope when they are younger 🤷‍♀️.

@jannier this is so true and absolutely my experience too. When I had my 1 year review with my daughter’s HV the health visitor suggested she starts nursery soon to socialise. I’m a childminder who’s been back at work since she was 2 weeks old and work with two other childminders so have up to 9 children a day… what more socialisation could she possibly need?

I really don’t understand comments about needing to move a child to a nursery to prepare them for school. I honestly cannot think of a single thing that a nursery setting would offer than a childminder would not that would help them get ready for school.

I’ve been childminding for 7 years and have received AMAZING comments about how well my children transition to school. I’m able to give them real life experiences that a nursery just couldn’t do on a regular basis- we have weekly trips to the zoo with other childminders where they make new friends, learn to use a map, collect and document information on the different animals in groups with their new friends. Afternoon trips to the library, local museum, local grocery to buy our vegetables for the week with a shopping list they can check their items off on. Perhaps most importantly they come on the school run with me each afternoon where they will see the school they will be attending, become familiar with the teachers, form close bonds with children in higher years who will then watch out for them as they progress through school.

One of my school leavers last year had a terrible headache in her first week with school. She was terribly upset and mum works 45 minutes away so it took her a while to get there. Her mum says her heart was warmed when she got there to see her daughter was being comforted and cheered up by two older children from my setting who she has known for years and grown up with.

How can a nursery possibly replicate those experiences? I am passionate about this, largely because I feel like the only reason anyone would suggest a child needs to move from a childminding setting to a nursery is because they aren’t very well informed about what a childminder actually does.

@HeyDuggeesFavouriteSquirrel
Unfortunately most people who give advice like HV and individuals don't understand what a childminder is have never visited one and look at media portrayals. I've been inviting other settings in for years nobody takes it up. I have to fight with social workers to get onto professional meetings where the views of HVs who see a child for 5 minutes months ago and schools who never talk to parents properly to understand the home situation are more valued than me. I'm now in the situation where sen children come out of nursery becouse they are going backwards and return to me....and many non sen as they are grouped and supported at the level of most children not on individual need

As he's 2 I'd probably stick with the nursery.
If he was 1 or under I'd say childminder. He'll change a lot in the next year and then you'll be wanting to move him to a nursery and he'll have to resettle again.

I always think a childminder home from home setting is best 0-2.5 and then on to a nursery where things are a bit more structured and there's more children.

Just my opinion as an ex nanny, nursery nurse and NHS HV.