What should I ask childminder?

[gourd]

I'm visiting two childminders next week. My child will be 10 months old when I go back to work full time in July and I need to sort out some childcare soon. What questions should I ask the childminder? I've got a few ideas of course about general stuff, accidents, outings, sick child policy, what will happen if CM, I or my child is sick and I'll be able to view the premises and resources, but does anyone have some kind of checklist I can use when I visit so I know I've covered everything?

Check registration certificate
Check First Aid certificate
Fees?
Holidays?
Other children she has at same time as yours?
Where LO will sleep
Who provides food? Is that extra?Menu sample?
Bank holidays?
Back up CM?
Things they do?
Places they go?
School runs your LO may go to?
Playgroups she collects from (for your child in the future if you don't want to move to a new childcarer)

Will think of more.....

Hi make sure they are registered wither with OFSTED (England) or CSSIW (Wales) ask to see their certificates for 1st aid too and maybe references for parents. Also their last inspection report and go and see them whilst they have children their and talk to the children too.
The above would be my main suggestions on top of what you already listed.
Good luck :)

Thanks, have already shortlisted form Ofsted reports and have looked at questions to ask on NCMA site but just wondered if there was anything else or if there was anything others wished they'd asked!! I will ask about car seats/pushchairs too - do CMs usually have their own?

Yes they should have their own pushchairs car seats and highchairs etc and as someone else said do ask whats included in the price and anything you don't understand DO ask!!! Also see more than one if possible - in general I'd say go with your instincts :) :)
Feel free to ask any other Q's - Even though I am CSSIW regulated and not OFSTED we have very similar standards.
Let us know how it goes or if you have any queries after meeting childminders too

Well i saw one CM who was fine but the appointment with the other one had to be cancelled due to chicken pox outbreak amongst the children she minds - she rang me and postponed for 14 days. I'e told the 1st CM about the situation and said I'll ring her once I've seen the other one. The 1st CM was fine, but I didn't immediately think "This is great and my child would love it". Should I? Perhaps I'm expecting too much.

I had concerns over the food. There was plenty of fresh fruit as snacks but few cooked vegetables with meals, which tended to be a bit bangers and mash, bacon and eggs with toast or fish n chips for my liking. There were things on it we occasionally eat like sheperd's pie, but it seemed heavy on bread, potatoes and salty processed meat and lacking in any cooked vegetables with meals except for peas with fish and chips, or sweetcorn in a tuna sandwich. I'd have liked to have seen beef stew with vegetables, vegetable and chickpea curry, spag bol with vegetables in it, fish pie or fish cakes with vegetables, beef lasagne with vegetables in it or with a salad, roast chicken with vegetables, pork steak and veg etc, as this is the kind of thing we eat at home and my 5.5 mo has already started trying brocolli, red pepper, sweet potato and butternut squash and seems to enjoy them so I'd like her to eat vegetables with her meals and have less salty (cheap?) meat products such as sausages and bacon. My Mum pointed out that the food offered was probably what other children ate or what other parents had said their children ate and that I could easily ask for certain foods (i.e. vegetables and less processed meat etc) to be offered to my child. I don't mind paying extra if it's down to costs - though the amounts she'll be eating at 10mo won't be huge to start with.

Am I expecting too much or being weird about it? Id just like her to eat what we have at home really. Do other CMs provide more vegetables and actual meat/fish rather than processed stuff, or not?

yes I provide meals more like the ones you mentioned you were expecting. We do have Friday Fun! Which is usually something like home made pizzas (the littlies in the day help make the dough and the older ones top their own pizzas after school), or fish and chips, or burgers and hot dogs but the rest of the week we have 'proper' meals with a good balance of meat/carbs/veg/dairy with puddings like fruit/crumble and custard/yoghurts.

If this was the only gripe I would have a chat with her about it but if you don't think she's the one for you (if the meal thig=ng was resolved) then i'd keep looking.

Thanks - I will see what the other one is like and maybe a few others before deciding.. There was nothing actually wrong with the CM or setting except the food thing - but it just didn't leap out at me as being "The Place/Person".

Definitely do that. You have to be very sure. I am the same and am also very sure when i agree to sign up a new child. Gut instinct is everything.

no ... and no...

gut instinct cant beat sure fire references...

dont get hung up on food...ask the parents were their children, safe, happy and cared for... thats much more important than sheperds pie I think..

i wont accept mindees now who havnt spoken to my present parents first...

but NickNacks list was spot on for everything else..