Should I compensate childminder for accident?

[Samwelly]

My 2 year old DS knocked over a plant pot and broke it at childminder's house yesterday. I apologised obviously. Should I have offered to pay for her to get another one?

[PlaymobilPirate]

No chance - what next? Your DS broke the IPad / hoover / dog... it's her job to supervise when he's there!

[BMW6]

Blimey - pot really shouldn't have been there, and why was your child unsupervised?

Childminder should count herself very very lucky.........

[cees]

No I would not offer any money. If she brings it up again smile and say how lucky little ds wasn't hurt and by the way how did he manage to it while you were watching?

I think she has some neck if shes after payment.

[Blondeshavemorefun]

so the pot managed to fall off a cupboard and break - luckily not on ds head !!!!!

seems weird to have something so unstable that gets knocked and something falls off it

[kawliga]

In all the years my dd went to CMs (she had a fair number, long story) I never got reports on the damage she caused to the CM's house - 'look at this spot on the carpet where she spilled her juice', 'look at this stain where she spilled her paints' - nothing like that. So I think it's strange that the CM reported this to you in hope of payment.

Think of all the damage caused by children who accidentally wee on carpets or sofas - parents would have to buy new furniture for the CM.

[Gruntfuttock]

ItsAllGoingToBeFine there's usually an excess to pay on an insurance claim, so it wouldn't be worth claiming unless the item was of a high value, e.g. an expensive TV.

[ItsAllGoingToBeFine]

If its an expensive item, surely the childminders has insurance?

[mummy92]

I wouldn't offer to pay Just say sorry.

[AnotherTimeMaybe]

Oh dear that's worse that I thought initially!
OP I'm amazed you're not upset by this!

[HSMMaCM]

I have to say it doesn't sound like the best place for a breakable heavy object in a play room.

[BackforGood]

If anything, you could be questioning her over why a 2 yr old was unsupervised long enough to have done that amount of climbing, and why a heavy object like that was somewhere where it could potentially have landed on his head

I think the CM should be just grateful it ^didn't come down on his head. I imagine there'd be a lot of different replies about it then.

[stopfuckingshoutingatme]

how much are we talking here? it its around £10 for the goodwill its worth it

[Lweji]

As I thought, lack of supervision and things in accessible places (that she probably didn't think were accessible, but that's the risk she takes).

Don't pay.

If she mentions it again, ask her how your DS managed to do all that without her stopping him.

[Samwelly]

Gosh, I have only just got back to my thread and read all the additional replies.

It was an medium size earthenware pot which was in the Childminder's conservatory on the top of a built-in cupboard. There is a settee in front of the cupboard, so my DS must have climbed on the settee and tipped over the pot.

I don't suppose that there was a massive danger of him being badly hurt in the accident. He wasn't by the way.

I think that she must have wanted me to pay as she told me what had happened and also mentioned the incident to my husband when he dropped off my son. She didn't directly ask for payment, but had a sense that she was hoping that I would offer.

We haven't actually offered to pay as I was worried that we might be asked to pay every time something gets damaged. It's a difficult position to be in to agree to underwrite all accidents but not have any control over preventing them happen. I certainly wouldn't grudge giving the CM the undoubtedly small amount it would be, but didn't want to establish the principle that we cover all breakages.

[PestoSkiissimos]

Yes, get her another one.

[Gruntfuttock]

I think you should offer.

[Cindy34]

Drawing and

[ItsAllGoingToBeFine]

I think that you should offer, and she should refuse

[StillDrSethHazlittMD]

Another "many kiddies" - we don't know that either. Lots of assumptions being made on the thread from almost no facts. As I pointed out, the pot may have been by the front door from all we actually know, which would be a totally different thing to a 12-inch wide, three feet high ceramic pot, on top of a 6ft tall bookcase that the toddler was climbing while the childminder was having a piss.

The point is that children do occasionally hurt themselves just by falling down. They get hurt in their own home, even when parents think everything is child proofed. Parents take children to friends' houses but they don't expect their friends' to take everything out of the lounge just in case. Things happen, even with the closest of attention. Such is life. I just think it's the decent thing to replace something that your child breaks, no matter where they are.

[AnotherTimeMaybe]

But by your logic, you are clearly suggesting that you can't leave ANYTHING on a floor because ANYTHING has the potential to be dangerous. You'd have to insist on all childminders only allowing children into a room with padded walls, deep shag pile carpet (although they could still get a friction burn on that), bean bags but no chairs... Really???

Where did I say you can't leave anything on the floor? What's the reason for this exaggeration ?
If something is breakable yes it shouldn't be on the floor of a childminder with many kiddies under her care! It could have fallen on his foot! Another toddler could have picked it up and dropped it on his head ....
I don't see many pots in the nursery floors,do you?

[pilates]

Op, yes I would replace it.

[BumpTheElephant]

I wouldn't buy a new one as he's two and was in her care. I would apologise and leave it at that.

[StillDrSethHazlittMD]

Another Sigh. A 6-inch high terracotta pot (and we also don't know size or type of pot) on the floor will always always come off worse than a toddler that accidentally kicked it.

But by your logic, you are clearly suggesting that you can't leave ANYTHING on a floor because ANYTHING has the potential to be dangerous. You'd have to insist on all childminders only allowing children into a room with padded walls, deep shag pile carpet (although they could still get a friction burn on that), bean bags but no chairs... Really???

[AnotherTimeMaybe]

We don't even know WHERE the pot was, FFS. For all we know, it could have been on the ground and the child accidentally kicked it! Or do we expect childminders not to have anything on any floor even these days?

So there is no danger because it was on the floor?

[StillDrSethHazlittMD]

"What if it fell on his head?"

We don't even know WHERE the pot was, FFS. For all we know, it could have been on the ground and the child accidentally kicked it! Or do we expect childminders not to have anything on any floor even these days?