Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To not want my childminder to collect her child from a school...

249 replies

persimmon · 06/08/2013 22:18

.. about 5 miles away after she's collected my DS and her other mindees from their school? I can't figure out if I'm being mean. Basically, her child will start senior school in September. She applied to one outside the catchment and got in. CM doesn't want her child getting the bus, so is planning on driving to her child's school every day with all her mindees. The senior school is in a different place entirely and will involve a significant drive on busy main roads during school run time.

I just feel like we pay her to look after DS and don't want him stuck in a car for what could be almost an hour after school. Or is this normal for a CM to do?

OP posts:
Pigsmummy · 07/08/2013 09:59

I really liked a child minder but she couldn't drive which meant that she would be walking all her mindees to two different schools and back in the morning, then a nursery at lunch time then school pick ups followed by nursery pick up, about three hours in total. I decided that I didn't want my DD to be "cared" for in that way, it would be quite miserable in the winter so chose an alternative CM.

MaryPoppinsBag · 07/08/2013 10:00

My problem is you are almost accusing her of not having insurance or not having already thought about it. Hmm

Most CM are very professional and insurance is one of the first things we sort out. It features on the 6 week course.

Covering my ass is the first thing I think about whilst being a CM.

MaryPoppinsBag · 07/08/2013 10:01

*Sorry the correct insurance

MaryPoppinsBag · 07/08/2013 10:02

We are also advised to have permission forms signed to say children can travel in our cars.

curlew · 07/08/2013 10:03

I thought the whole thing about childminders was that it was as close as possible to "family life". So jumping ninth car which the other mindees to pick somebody up from school would be normal, wouldn't it?

MaryPoppinsBag · 07/08/2013 10:06

Curlew I think people expect so much more from their CM's these days.

frogwatcher42 · 07/08/2013 10:09

MaryPoppins - no accusation made. Simply pointing out that she may not have thought about it. Most do. Some don't. Its another thing to check amongst the many things to consider.

Most CM are very very good I am sure. But some won't be as careful as you, or as thorough as you.

thegreylady · 07/08/2013 10:11

My dgc go to school 8 miles away from my house. It takes me exactly 20 minutes each way on windy country roads with about 2 miles of dual carriageway. When I take the 4 yr old to pick up his brother he gets very fed up. It isn't just driving there and back there is also the wait for the child to appear after school. The whole thing can easily take 50 minutes. It isn't ideal, but you have a choice. You can't ask the cm to change her arrangements.

StatisticallyChallenged · 07/08/2013 10:11

for those who think this is unacceptable, what about the more common situation where a childminder has 2 or 3 under 5s, and then some after schoolers who need to be picked up. Our nearest school is about a 25-30 minute walk away factoring in buggy/small people. when weather is bad you'd drive it but because parking is hellish and it is straight through the city centre, it's probably pretty much the same. so the younger ones will be doing about an hours trip to do the school run-possibly twice a day. Just curious as to whether the parents of our littlies are going to think this is unreasonable too.

As for the poster who questioned the car insurance. ..ffs...why would you assume that she is uninsured?

OhDearNigel · 07/08/2013 10:12

Remove your child from the childminder and put them into nursery. Then you can pay through the nose for the knowledge that your precious offspring doesnt have to sit in the car for an hour

Childminders are cheaper for a reason

LEMisdisappointed · 07/08/2013 10:14

Neither of you are BU actually. I would simply change minders as I would not be happy for someone else to drive my child around, i'd worry too much. I don't think she is taking the piss though, its just the circumstances she is faced with.

MrsCampbellBlack · 07/08/2013 10:14

Popping in the car is of course fine. But an hour a day when the CM is only offering after-school care, well for me that wouldn't be acceptable.

recall · 07/08/2013 10:18

but i bet paying her £4 an hour would be?.

MrsCampbellBlack · 07/08/2013 10:20

Umm no. And pretty big assumption there Hmm

The OP asked AIBU, I don't think she is. Some people think she is. Up to her what she decides to do.

frogwatcher42 · 07/08/2013 10:23

Statistically challenged - I questioned the car insurance and your FFS is totally unnecessary really. I only questioned it because according to my dfriend who minds children she has never bothered to insure her car to cover her mindees as in her own words 'she only pops to the shops on the odd trip'.

Also our old school didn't get appropriate insurance to cover children in parents cars and got caught out, so it does happen that people don't do the obvious sometimes. Until it came up at school I never knew that I wouldn't be covered insurance wise, carrying school children on a school trip during the school day in my car and I had been doing it regularly. I go cold wondering what would have happened had I had an accident with other peoples kids in my car on the school trips. My insurance company told me when I asked (once the school had realised the problem) that I wouldn't have been covered.

I am pretty daft and obviously thick as anything to not know this (also forgot to insure my own car for work) but think if I can do it, some others can too. Maybe not many people, but surely I am not the only one and therefore it is worth a question?

TheDoctrineOfAllan · 07/08/2013 10:33

Frogwatcher, it is a very standard thing for CMs though as most use their car for work several times a week. Your friend is acting very badly. I can see where you are coming from regarding the informal school requests but it was questioning professionalism on a thread with lots of CMs.

frogwatcher42 · 07/08/2013 10:38

TheDoctrine - no questioning of professionalism here I can assure you. I truly believe that every profession has some who don't do it as well as others. What I am saying is ask the question re insurance.

But I have just spoken to my friend just now as I was worried I had unfairly slated her - and she tells me that she doesn't know one CM that has their car insured specifically to cover their mindees as she says it is covered on standard car insurance. So therefore I admit I am wrong to question it as it appears no special insurance is needed anyway.

Apologies all.

neunundneunzigluftballons · 07/08/2013 10:44

for those who think this is unacceptable, what about the more common situation where a childminder has 2 or 3 under 5s, and then some after schoolers who need to be picked up. Our nearest school is about a 25-30 minute walk away factoring in buggy/small people

Doing the school run walking is good healthy exercise and fresh air and does not compare for me with sitting in a car for an hour a day. I have that situation with ds and he loves being out and about in his buggy. He gets crabby on rainy days if she has to take the car but unless it is chucking it down she walks which is fab.

StatisticallyChallenged · 07/08/2013 10:44

sorry if I offended you but as thedoctrineofallan says this is such a basic thing for childminders that it's almost on a par with asking if she is registered! it was one of the first things we did

StatisticallyChallenged · 07/08/2013 10:46

it needs to be insured for business use I believe-ours isn't a special childminder policy but it did cost extra

mrsjay · 07/08/2013 10:47

Curlew I think people expect so much more from their CM's these days

I think that is quite sad tbh of course cm need to be professional but I just thought it was a bit of home life a person caring for a child as if they were (for a few hours) their own .

MrsPercyPig · 07/08/2013 10:50

CM's are not cheaper than nursery here, I shirt listed one CM and one nursery and they were exactly the same price £29 per day!

Went with the CM in the end!

MrsPercyPig · 07/08/2013 10:51

*shortlisted!

frogwatcher42 · 07/08/2013 10:52

Statistically - my friend says hers is covered on standard policy. It may be that some policies automatically cover business use?.

It appears that I am in the exception of 'forgetting' to check that I was covered on car insurance for work - even though in hind sight it is obvious, and thinking back 5 or so years I did have to show a policy document to work proving that I was covered! I had just forgotten all about it.

And our old school was in the exception of also messing this up as you all seem convinced that all CM's would have this covered (not having a dig - just realising that I am obviously stupider than I thought and it is not as common as I thought!).

frogwatcher42 · 07/08/2013 10:53

And CM's are not cheaper her either - they charge around £30 per day per child here. Nursery ranges from £30 - £40 so I suppose a little cheaper but not much.

Swipe left for the next trending thread