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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

to consider changing child minder?

58 replies

solidarityplease · 03/09/2015 14:44

Should have perhaps name changed for this. Hmm

DC has been with CM for just over a year now. Happy there on the whole, made lots of lovely friends and OH and I were so pleased we found someone we were happy with after a shaky start.

A few incidents have cropped up lately which have started to affect my confidence in her.

Just before the summer break (term time only) on several occasions I picked up DC and noticed very visible marks on face which definitely weren't there at drop off. Nothing horrendous or anything, just scratches or red marks, but nevertheless definitely noticeable.
Just to clarify: I completely understand he will get bumps and grazes, I'm not fussed by this in the slightest, it's the fact that every time this happened and I pointed them out, CM seems surprised by these marks and apparently hadn't noticed them at all, so obviously no idea how they happened either. These marks were noticeable, I can't understand her surprise at them, it's as if she's not looked at his face all day!

Now I'm a primary teacher and as such am totally used to minor bumps and grazes. However, I know if a child is leaving my care with a visible mark they did not arrive in the morning with. This is with a ratio of 1:30! And also pretty basic safeguarding.

Next point, he seems to come back in a change of clothes (spare trousers etc I put in his bag) a LOT. Some weeks it's every day. She is claiming his nappy leaks. His nappy has not leaked (whilst at home with me) since he was a tiny baby. It just NEVER happens. His stools are fairly consistently firm. I just can't make sense of this. The clothes are always in a real mess. Some I've had to chuck.

This is the main issue I have:
Collected yesterday, noticed he's in spare clothes again. Get home, get clothes out of bag, the seat of trousers are soaked, smells absolutely vile. Looks like they've been rinsed out or something. This sounds strange but it absolutely did not smell like my child's poo. I might be alone on this, but I know what my child's poo smells like.

In addition, his body suit was untouched.
If his nappy had leaked, how did it manage to cover the seat of his trousers yet leave his body suit completely untouched?

Must have sat in something I thought, (was guessing dog poo, as it smelt so vile and CM does have a very old dog that stays outside) so I asked her the next day.
She told me she doesn't know why it happened. WTF?
"Oo, I don't know, maybe he sat in some dinner, I can't remember." She was quite evasive and weird about it.

What do I do? I cannot make sense of this. I really dont mind what has gone on, if he's sat in something, it doesn't matter at all, just be straight with me! Same with the cuts etc, I completely expect accidents to happen but I just have a gut feeling she's not being straight with me.

I just don't feel right about taking DC back there now. AIBU?

Sorry this is so long and possibly very poorly explained, this is down to typing on my phone and trying to get it written within a nap time! Grin

OP posts:
solidarityplease · 05/09/2015 20:26

Oh, I almost forgot.....

Whilst chatting with possible new CM about the problems we were having, it turns out that she is currently minding an ex charge of our now ex CM.

"Sounds familiar" she said. Oh dear.

OP posts:
MrsAukerman · 05/09/2015 20:27

Well done. I presume you feel validated in your doubts. Good luck with your new childcare.

solidarityplease · 05/09/2015 20:34

Yes, it certainly helped!

Thank you all for your support Flowers

OP posts:
ppeatfruit · 05/09/2015 20:54

Yes it sounds like you've done exactly the right thing! THe child is who matters!

MiscellaneousAssortment · 05/09/2015 21:55

I've had that before with child care, that feeling of a massive crevice in expectations which cannot be bridged. So disconcerting and you can't sort it out as you cant seem to get any mutual understanding going.

I bet she thinks you've got upset about your child getting dirty, rather than the evasiveness, lack of prompt action and blankness where there should have been observation and being present... Which means she won't learn from it and will carry on behaving exactly the same for the next child. Hideous groundhog day thing going on, and definitely time to move on I think!

shoopshoopsong · 05/09/2015 22:03

Brilliant, sounds like you've found a good replacement. Try not to feel bad because the fact that after talking to her about it she still didn't get it she's just not on the same level as you and that's fine, it's a really personal thing.

LUKYMUM · 05/09/2015 22:26

What a weight off your mind. Feeling iffy about childcare is so emotionally exhausting. Hearing that she has an ex-charge must also be very validating, just reassuring you that you're doing the right thing.

Scarydinosaurs · 05/09/2015 22:38

I'm so glad you've moved him and you had it out with her.

Her evasiveness is the biggest red flag. How can you trust someone who doesn't even know why they changed a child's clothes?

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