CM house, first impressions. Should it matter?

I wouldn't really care about decor, but, like atworknotworking, I am very "hyper" about cleaning my own home (ds is exposed to germs, he's not in too clean of an environment..etc before anyone jumps on me for that).

So when I interviewed CMs, those with dirty houses immediately put me off. I was not at all comfortable leaving my baby/toddler in a dirty environment. Dirty carpets really put me off.

Some parents don't mind - that's their choice. I wouldn't feel comfortable about it.

Outside dirt crawling in the garden is much different.

My cm has a very clean house. Yes there's the odd bit of dishes at collection time from baking or whatever they've done, but it's generally tidy and the carpets, floors, walls, furniture, toys are always clean.

shabby isnt dirty.. totally different..

we all have different decor ideas, maybe yours arnt hers.. she might hate your idea of decor.. how knows and it doesnt matter.. iyswim...

Missing fence panels could be important as a safety issue but matching sofas.. get a grip love... You arnt buying the property!!!childminding doesnt make you a millionaire and if it was pristine THEN I would worry..

you seem to be focusing on all the surface issues... look at CORALS post... then choose a cm.. good luck...

my house is v shabby and we try redecorate bit by bit

the dirty dishes in the sink would be a right turn off for me

keep looking, and good luck

What was your view on the childminders? They could have been the best person one could entrust their child to.

When I first started childminding my house was not brilliant. I tired to keep it tidy. Since then I have had an extension which is lovely. The parents who used my services saw beyound what my house was like and saw me.

You may however find a home which is greatly decorated but the person may not be the right one for you. You will know when the enter the right house whether you want your child to settle there.

All the best. Have an open mind.

I wouldnt care about decor or whether things matched. As long as the house was reasonably clean and definitely safe, all i would care about is what the CM was like as a person.

I decorated my playroom this Easter, and within 2 weeks the walls are already badly marked. I am holding off buying a new sofa, which I know we desperately need, but the amount of crap food/wee/drinks that get on it, I know I wouldn't be able to relax. We recently bought new dining room chairs and were going to get them recovered, but have again decided against it, as they are already covered in playdough, food and drink.

As for mowing the lawn, I may do it when I can't find the children anymore .

A really clean childminders house would ring alarm bells, as the others have said, get a feel of how she is with children and the activities/toys she provides.

I always insist that prospective parents come and visit me when I am in the throws of a working day - this way you get a true feeling of the atmosphere in the house. Maybe if, when you next visit, you go when the childminder is working your attention will be taken away from the actual "look" of the place to the more important "feel" of the place, ie how the childminder and children interact with each other and what sort of activities are on offer to the children etc. Ask to see her Ofsted report, registration and insurance certificates. Does she have any photos to show you of the sort of activities she gets up to with the children? What is their daily routine - how will she be able to accomodate your child into that routine? How does she go about planning activities for the individual children? Where will your child eat and sleep? Does she complete a daily diary letting you know what your child got up to during the day? Does she have any references to show you or are you able to talk to parents of the children she currently minds? Hope this helps. Coral

Did you come to my house? I've been cm full time for over 11 years, only have 4 weeks off per year when I really need to put my feet up and have a rest - I never have time to paint anything as the children are always there - my carpet is probably from the 80's but regularly cleaned and hoovered each morning but quite honestly when you have hoards of children through your house you cannot be precious about anything!!! I also do not have enough time in the day to mow my grass every week as I work 10 hours plus per day! Anyway, I deliberately let it grow long on occassions as it is far more interesting to the children to find daisies and dandelions and lots of different insects and to use the longer grass to make nests or mix it with water to "make soup" than a totally boring highly cultivated lawn! If I had new carpets, matching sofas and pritsine painted walls then quite honestly I would have to give up childminding! Style and interior decorating, I can assure you, is the furthest thing from a childminders mind!

Assuming the place is generally clean, you need to look beyond the decor - are the children happy, are they interacting well together and enjoying chatting or playing with the childminder? Are there lots and lots of toys both inside and outside - a big must in my book - I am overrun with them! Are there lots if interesting activities for them to explore? I do make great efforts to make my business look as nice and as exciting as I can but this, to be honest, is with the emphasis of making it look fun and exciting for the children - I always reckon that you can tell if they really enjoyed an activity by the amount of mess they make. Right, I'm off the deal with my patio which is totally covered in flour, rice krispies and oats - we've been doing lots of pretend cooking today and have had a ball mixing it all up in big bowls with water - you should see the white footprints all over my 80's carpet!!

Shabby and a bit lived in is different from dirty, I'm a bit hyper re cleaning, so for me if their were dirty dishes etc I would run a mile, particualy if this CM knew you were coming to visit the very least I would expect would be a clean sink.

The second may have just moved in and hasn't got around to sorting out yet, but if the house was clean, then a bit of shabby chic wouldn't bother me.

It sounds like you didn't hit it off with either so I would have another go with some more.

I waited years and years for sofas that matched. I finally got them, when I gave up childminding.....

well it obviously matters to you so it matters

you have to happily hand your LO over there every day so keep looking till you find one that you are more comfortable

each to their own - CMs who's houses are TOO clean and tidy get scratched off my list instantly