How to vet a childminder. Any suggestions?

[paprikamole]

I'm going to meet a childminder next week. What sort of things should I look out for? What should ring alarm bells? All advice welcome. Thank you :)

I would look out for the positives rather than the negatives...

-Does her house seem warm and welcoming?

• how is she interacting with the other children in her care?
• does she have a good range of toys out? Are the clean and un broken?
• does she show you her certificates/ refs/ policies?
• does the kitchen seem clean, does she tell you about the foods she prepares?
• Does she tell you about the groups she attends and want to show you pictures and artwork?
• Is she enthusiastic and interested in you and LO?
• Do you like her?

Forget about alarm bells and vetting your cm...don't assume that we are all monsters out to eat up little children. Most of us have chosen this profession as a career, we love it, adore children and are passionate about it and want to share it with everyone.

Ofsted have also vetted us all VERY well in order that we got as far as being registered.

Sorry jendot - didn't mean it to sound that negative. I suppose I'm just nervous because DD will only be 6 months when I might have to go back to work.

Should I ask those questions do you think or is she likely to volunteer that info?

Probably a bit of both :)

She will hopefully offer lots of information and you can ask lots of qs too.

You will hopefully get a good feeling about a childminder and be reassured that your dd will be happy and well cared for there.

Jen

You will get a gut feeling just from your visit. Trust that feeling, but do realize that you're going to feel quite uneasy about it at every place because it will be your first time leaving your baby and returning to work.

I felt physically sick at the thought of leaving my precious ds with someone I did not know/had not already known for years. So take that into account if that happens. It doesn't mean the cm is necessarily not right for you :) But, I can't explain it, but I visited 5 (maybe more, but I remember 5 of them) before seeing my cm. When I met my cm, I knew immediately that I could leave my son with her and in her home. I still had that sick feeling about leaving my baby with someone I didn't know extremely well, but I had an instinct that she was "the one"

I'm rambling... I'm probably making no sense at all... I don't even have time to go back and re read and edit my post ignore me if it's all rubbish!

Sorry forgot to say within that - I also KNEW straight away that I definitely would never send my ds to some of the cms I visited. Not in a million years. If you get that feeling, trust it.

That makes me feel better - thank you :)