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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

If your child ruins your childminders things..?

110 replies

NotForSale · 20/06/2017 10:31

My DS had diarrhoea and vomiting all over the childminders wool rug. Completely ruined it.
Part of the job?
Buy her a new rug?

OP posts:
countingdown · 20/06/2017 13:36

I think the right thing to do is replace it or have it professionally cleaned.

thethoughtfox · 20/06/2017 13:38

They have insurance for exactly this situation

TwoBobs · 20/06/2017 13:44

Tricky one. Most childminders earn about £3.50-£5.00 per hour (per child). From that, they usually supply food and even outings for the kids.
They also gave to pay for insurance, OFSTED fees, PLI insurance, Business car insurance, ICO registration plus a few other fees.
They don't get alot of change out of that.
If it was someone looking after my child, I'd at least offer to go halves!
Put your hand up if you'd work for £3.50/hour?

clearwaters · 20/06/2017 13:51

But they don't Two as they have more than one child at a time.

Snap8TheCat · 20/06/2017 14:05

Not always, they can but doesn't mean they do have clear.

I genuinely wonder why CMs get such a hard time? Can anyone explain? Most are mums too and yet you'd think they the devil reincarnated the way some of you talk about them.

The people who have massive distain towards CMs, have you ever used one?

clearwaters · 20/06/2017 14:15

Snap what the childminder earns isn't the point.

WellThatSucks · 20/06/2017 14:21

Snap8 The people who have massive disdain towards CMs

Now who's being dramatic? Why take it so personally? No one has displayed 'massive disdain' toward CMs, posters are simply pointing out that damage and breakage incurred accidentally (i.e the child didn't deliberately soil the rug) in the course of running a business is a business expense. It's no one else's fault that CMs don't earn much, lots of self-employed people operate on a shoestring but they factor in unexpected expenses in their budget and don't expect customers to cover their incidental business losses.

Donttouchthethings · 20/06/2017 14:33

I think the normal thing would be to have washable rugs.

I wouldn't expect you to reimburse me but I'm sure flowers would be appreciated.

I'm also assuming that you didn't know in advance that DC was ill.

user1495451339 · 20/06/2017 14:33

I would have thought it was part of the job as it would be at a nursery. If I was a childminder I would not have rugs or carpet in the kids areas unless they were very easy to clean or inexpensive. Vomit, diarrhea and all other kinds of mess are part of the job with that age of child so if it wasn't yours ruining it it would have been someone else's eventually.

However, if you feel your child was ill before taking him/her I would probably pay for a new rug as I would feel bad about taking them in that case.

nokidshere · 20/06/2017 14:35

I'm a childminder and I wouldn't want you to buy a new rug, I'd have it cleaned or get a new one via insurance or expenses.

I would think how lovely you were if you at least made an offer though (that would be refused)

Donttouchthethings · 20/06/2017 14:35

Jta, I mean, if I was a cm, which I'm not.

ChicRock · 20/06/2017 14:39

I would absolutely offer to buy her a new rug, or at least offer to pay for cleaning.

I doubt any childminder minds an accidental drink spillage or a bit of food or play dough trod in, etc.

But to have your rug spectacularly shat and vomited on is not par for the course.

frogsgoladidahdidah · 20/06/2017 14:42

I would at least offer to have it cleaned, as a good will gesture.

And to all those saying why was child alone, she could have been cuddling said child all day, but the moment she put child down to do anything (toilet, see to other kids etc), child has had the accident. It only takes a second and is no reflection on the level of care. Hmm

NotForSale · 20/06/2017 14:56

I didn't know my child was ill otherwise I wouldn't have taken them. Dropped child off at 9am, got a call from cm about 9 30, collected by 10 after reorganised work shifts (I'm on nights)
(Have to add- child has been fine all day since but spent the day cuddling and watching tv!! )
Will get cm some flowers and yes cm probably shouldn't have had a nice fancy rug but she did

OP posts:
Snap8TheCat · 20/06/2017 15:56

I wasn't the one who brought up cm earnings! clear you were the one who was pointing out that they look after more children therefore earning more. I simply said that's not necessarily true for everyone.

And wellthatsucks not purely referring to this thread but every cm thread goes the same way. I don't generally see it with other professions.

nokidshere · 20/06/2017 15:57

But to have your rug spectacularly shat and vomited on is not par for the course

It's not as rare as you think 😷

Wooden floors and no rugs is the way to go

clearwaters · 20/06/2017 15:58

Yes but you wouldn't say 'oh the childminder only looks after mine so only earns £3.50 an hour so I should replace her rug!'

Snap8TheCat · 20/06/2017 15:59

And also, most (all?) the CMs on here have said they wouldn't expect a parent to replace so I agree with you on that. You're posting as if the cm is making the op pay or the CMs advising have said she should pay. They haven't Confused

Lweji · 20/06/2017 16:00

So, if the CM decided to have an ancient Persian rug and the child ruined it, would the OP be expected to offer to pay for it too?

Urubu · 20/06/2017 16:20

£3.50 is per child... Quite rare to see a CM only looking after one child isn't it? Also as someone pointed out, CM are usually mums so they also look after their own DC, so no childcare costs, which can be quite a saving.
Nothing against CM, the ones I know are great with the children and hardworking. But why the need to paint them as poor underpaid workers?

JacquesHammer · 20/06/2017 16:23

So, if the CM decided to have an ancient Persian rug and the child ruined it, would the OP be expected to offer to pay for it too

Grin

A Ming vase could be a useful vomit catching receptacle

MarcelineTheVampire · 20/06/2017 16:25

WellThatSucks you come across as really aggressive. I'm not misty eyed and emotive but seriously, a CM does nurture your child and good/affordable/trustworthy childcare is so hard to find these days.

I do think it's part of the job and yes you do pay for the service but if you think highly of your CM, I would personally offer to replace/clean. It would be a goodwill gesture more than likely turned down.

Skittykitty · 20/06/2017 16:50

I'm a CM. My policies (which parents must sign agreement to) are that I don't charge for accidental damage or wear and tear as they're par for the course but I do reserve the right to charge for deliberate damage. The situation described would be an accident and I wouldn't charge.

Unless it was simultaneous diarrhoea and vomiting, she can't have been watching him very closely....

Wow! We didn't even get off page one before the insinuations that childminders are neglectful witches started! When you're working with children, shit happens, quite often literally. My own DD exploded from both ends last time the D&V bug was going around, no warning, no build up, she was fine one second and the next she needed a shower, new pyjamas, new bedding, and her bedroom floor scrubbed. It was absolutely bloody everywhere, you wouldn't think a child could hold so much. I was reading her bedtime story at the time so she was being supervised. The supervision made no difference to the amount of mess.

No one has displayed 'massive disdain' toward CMs

Aside from the posters implying supervision may have been lacking, the poster wondering how long the child was sat on the rug "all alone", and one poster who said the OP should suggest to the CM that she doesn't have rugs in that room even though it's her house and she can rugs wherever the heck she likes, and the poster who wondered why the CM even mentioned the rug. I'd mention the rug to a parent as in "poor little Johnny is poorly, he's been sick and pooped all over the rug" - what exactly is out of line about that?

1bighappyfamily · 20/06/2017 17:02

Can i just ask....£3.50 per hour per child?! In what nirvana do you all live? It's £6 round my way!

(she deserves every penny - I've met DD2 - but that isn't the point)

Lweji · 20/06/2017 17:14

A Ming vase could be a useful vomit catching receptacle

Yes, that would save the rug.