to think that DC not eating enough at CM?

[Fiveleaves]

Toddler with CM for first 3 days of week as I work pt. have noticed that often when she gets back she heads straight to kitchen and points at the cupboard where her snacks are kept and gets quite frustrated, clearly hungry. She has all meals with CM. on Tuesday I got to CM early to pick toddler up as finished meeting early and the kids were having tea. It was just plain pasta with broccoli and chopped carrot (cubed so assume from frozen). No protein, no fat. In her food diary it said cheese, ham, veg pasta bake with yoghurt and fruit for dessert but they didn't have the dessert and there was no ham or cheese and it wasn't a 'bake' which sounds a lot more wholesome.

She also has things listed in food diary that I know she has gone off such as banana so wonder if she is actually eating this.

AIBU to think toddler isn't eating enough with CM and WWYD?

Blimey, Super, if you served " wholemeal pasta, courgette, broccoli, spinach, in a tomato and stock sauce with ham and cheese " for lunch what would you do for tea?! Beans on toast would def be sufficient AFAIK!

Superscrimper, why would you be unhappy with that?

I think OP you've got your plan of action, which I think is a good idea. £75 a day is an awful lot though to be having these kind of doubts. You could have a nanny in your own home for that!

I cm, and depending on what children I have on what days for which meal can depend on how elaborate the meal is. One of my mindee's this week tucked into beef and venison stew with dumplings, sweet potato mash and steamed veg.

I had no mindees for tea as it happens, but supers post made me feel bad, so I did my DS a hard boiled egg to go with it

I'd be unhappy that I'd be paying a large amount of money for a meal that contains a fair amount of sugar and salt and probably cost about 20p.

I just don't think that's a good meal. I think it's ok for an adult but I would expect more for a child when I'm paying for the food.

TBH you just need to say that your dd is coming home very hungry and please would you make sure that your dd is given plenty of protein etc during the day. I would certainly try and raise the issue as non confrontational as possible the first time especially as your dd is so happy to go there.

I can't believe how shocked everyone is by the CM price . This is for the full day ,no popping out for lunch and coffee breaks . This has to cover all the overheads of the business-the toys,heating,arts and crafts etc. I think CM get paid a pittance for what they do and for the massive level of responsibility the have .
I get fed up of hearing how expensive child care is . It should be a higher paid job ,and command greater respect. Just dealing with us mums would tip me over the edge !
Anyway,as regards the post - was it really just plain pasta and veg ? That's it ? If so then it's a disgrace . I would have raised the issue there and then . If the explanation was unsatisfactory I would have followed it up with whoever regulates child minders . Children could be in her care for all their meals and that could be a regular occurance .

Yes I'm with Walton on the price. Nursery around here (not posh part of SE London) is £70 for the popular ones. I think my cm is a bargain at £50. No way you'd get a nanny for that!

I live in the sticks, I wish I could charge that much!

im a childminder and 'honesty is always the best policy'

no matter what.

if she isnt being honest with you, she has to go.

You need to ask her to say if food is different to the menu. Whether the others had pudding before or after you arrived is unclear.

I had a mindee go home and drink masses of water every day and his parents were convinced I was not offering water. They spoke to me and I agreed to log his water consumption on his daily notes and they could see he was drinking plenty.

First step - talk to your CM.

Second step - make a decision based on the above conversation.

I paid £3.50 an hour for my child minder. With ds2 she gave him lunch and two snacks for this. With ds3 I provided a packed lunch and she gave him his snacks. I picked them up before tea time. She is a fantastic childminder and does loads with them.

The emergency child minder in the holidays was £4 an hour and gave ds3 lunch and snacks. She also took them out a lot.

Our school nursery is £3 an hour (from 3 years). You get the 2.5 hours free and pay for a school dinner. So cheaper than a childminder and also offers really good care.

We are in the Highlands of Scotland but I still think £70 is a huge amount to pay. All of my wages would have gone on childcare I had to pay this.

So why should a child minder earn less than you ?
I don't get that as an excuse for low payment of a difficult job .

And I also don't understand the funding .
Why should kids get funded for childcare before school age ?
I am ready for the angry faces !

I wouldn't go in all guns blazing, but just casually ask her for her recipe for her ham, cheese and veg pasta bake as you were thinking of making it at home for DD.
Her definition of a pasta bake might be quite different to yours. She may have just embellished her menu a little bit, to make it sound better, much lile they do for school dinners.

I would personally leave the cm. it is fairly obvious that she is cutting corners. That is an extortionate amount to pay for a meal worth tuppence. What else is she scrimping on?

"So why should a childminder earn less than you?"

Waltonswatcher I think you're forgetting that a CM will have more than one child there. You're not paying for exclusive care - that would be a nanny. The CM could have three children there all day and be earning £70 for each of them! Which is a generous income. Also, people in different jobs do earn different amounts. Childminding is a difficult and responsible job when done properly but it doesn't require a degree and years of training. Why should the CM necessarily earn as much as her client?

Chatted to lots of struggling mums over the years and it is a common statement - after child care I take home very little or in some cases nowt . I just find it ludicrous that there is an expectation. That childcare should cost the bare minimum so that people can work themselves .
I do appreciate that minders have more than one child ,so what ? They are still personally responsible for each individual . That's what you are paying for .
I also read on here loads of criticism of minders , read this thread back !
Anyway , it is not an issue that affects me so I can happily butt out . I still think though that to feed any child the pasta veg delight is shameful . Whatever the excuse .

And can I add , I am aware all jobs pay differently ! Compare the payment to other roles commanding comparable ,do those jobs come with the same level if responsibility ?

I wouldn't necessarily be concerned about her being hungry. Frequently my ds2 is hungry when he's been at the cm's (he's 3).

I KNOW there is lots of food on offer though because my 6 year old has hollow legs and tells me exactly what he's eaten - he's only there for 3 hours after school and will have a dinner, yoghurt, fruit, some salami (his favourite), then a biscuit etc.
The 'problem' with ds2 is that he LOVES the cm's. He's made a new best friend there and all he wants to do is play. I've popped in at dinner time and seen him sitting at the kitchen table, fidgeting and itching to be allowed down to go back and play because he knows he's only there for a limited time. He's not like this at home, so I never witness him being hungry iyswim?

I would not be happy with that meal though. At all. Pasta and veg, fine. But seriously, it's not difficult to even cook a few fish fingers or open a tin of tuna to have with it.

I wouldn't be expecting absolute 'top nosh' from any cm though. Quick, simple healthy meals is fine by me...in fact i'd rather than that think the cm is spending hours in the kitchen cooking a gourmet meal every afternoon.

£70 isn't 'huge' in London at all. Bare in mind that say if the childminder has x3 full one mindees that's £210 a day. From that she has to pay at Least 20% tax. She has to rent/ mortgage a large enough property in London for those children ( not cheap). She has to pay insurance, food, resources, petrol, extra heating/ water/ electric all day etc

And people think she must be rolling in money? Really?

In regards to the op, I do think that's not a balanced meal so would be having a word to confirm what is/ isn't happening

Thanks Artandco
You said it far better than I !
That's just what I meant .

I can't believe how shocked everyone is by the CM price

That's because it is shocking. £60 a day here would get you the posh nursery with a chef, French lessons and forest school.

It might be reasonable to charge that in London, with the overheads there, but that doesn't mean that London isn't shockingly expensive.

I don't understand how anyone with a normal job can afford to live there.

"I do appreciate that minders have more than one child ,so what ? "

It's hardly irrelevant. I don't expect my corner shop to survive with just me as a customer - they'd have to charge me £500 for a box of cornflakes. By your argument I couldn't complain about that as the shopkeeper has to live too and has overheads to pay!

I earned an above average salary before DCs (SAHM now) and couldn't have afforded to pay that daily rate. Lots of people have said it's much higher than CMs in their area (and I live in an expensive city). It is just the London factor. As noblegiraffe says, it may be normal for London but that shows how shockingly expensive London is.

Ok, worst case scenario is she's lying extensively about the quality and quantity of good being served to her mindees. And, let's be honest here, that's exactly what seems to be going on.

cheese, ham, veg pasta bake with yoghurt and fruit for dessert

And all you saw was plain boiled pasta with some boiled veg? Jeez...

*food, not good!