Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Paid childcare

Discuss everything related to paid childcare here, including childminders, nannies, nurseries and au pairs.

Flip

Original poster

CM-Wording for personal belonings letter Please??

20 replies

Mummyto2xx · 24/02/2011 09:59

Hi just wundering if any of you other childminders out there have a policy or little note they have given out to parents to ask them if there child/children could not bring plastic jewlerrly(sp) small toys etc into the setting to avoid them been lost and also to avoid upset and arguments between your child and the mindees

I.e a mindee of mine brought a plastuic play ring with her today and my 6yr old Daughter was adment it was hers as she has the similiar things and as you can understan its her home and she leaves her toys were she pleases,

i texted the mindees muma and asked if her child had brought it with her and she said that she had brought a small plastic ring with her,

it caused so much upset for my daughter who was adiment it was hers and also took a lot of time to talk about and sort out whaich with a house full of mindees i could totally do with out!

any help on this situation would be great as the mindees seem to bring with with them all the time and its starting to become and issue now

im not very gud with wording things so any help would be gratefully aprectiated asap pleaseee thanks :0)

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

BoysAreLikeDogs · 24/02/2011 10:37

oh gosh, I don't really get this in my setting with small things - my lot bring cwtchys/teddies which are not that easy to lose

let me have a think

Dear parents

I have been reflecting on my childminding practice and have identified an issue that has potential to cause problems for the children, namely the bringing of personal items from home

I would prefer your children not to bring personal items from home, apart from comfort items such as teddies and would like to advise you that if they do then they will be put in the Safe Box til hometime to minimise the chance of losing them

yours

Mummy2xx

Drizzela · 24/02/2011 10:37

If it has only happened once with this one child then it's a bit much to be sending out an official letter. I'm sure the parent in question is more than capable of taking on board a request from you face to face.

As a slight aside, maybe it's an opportunity for your daughter to learn a lesson about possession? If the mindee is with you for a length of time on nay given day it might be comforting for them to have some of their own possessions with them rather than having to always use your children's things.

My DD has been told she's not allowed to take her possessions to CM's because she gets very protective over them and wont share. She has been told that if she can't share then she can't take things with her - a good opportunity for my DD to learn a valuable lesson.

If it is your DD's problem rather than the mindee's then i think you should address this rather than stop the child bringing things to your home.

Maybe a note to advise you can't be held responsible for mislaying possessions would be a better option?

BoysAreLikeDogs · 24/02/2011 10:39

oh yes, add can't be held responsible for loss or breakage

HSMM · 24/02/2011 14:06

I have regular reminders in my newsletter about this. I point out that the items may get lost or damagaed and that the child will probably not see it all day anyway, because it will be put away in their bag. I am fine with comfort items, because they are really needed.

I have this week (half term) had an older child insisting on bringing a camera every day. A CAMERA! Even I'm not allowed to take pictures of all the children and she certainly can't take them on her digital camera, to take home and share with anyone she pleases! She has been very miffed with me putting it away, but still brings it every day.

thebody · 24/02/2011 18:57

I always extract any 'home toys' asap...and put in childs bag... if toy is big and safe for all ages then fine but they have to be prepered to share it with the other children. I also tell the parents that if it breaks it breaks.. tough... that usually stops them from bringing any valuable items..

sometimes I think its easier to say 'no toys in and no toys out'

God HSSM.. havnt the parents got any more sense than to allow her to bring a camera.. blimey!!!

food also can be a pain as one mindees mum always brings her kid with a cake or chocci bar and I always put it straight in her take home bag as I wouldnt let her eat it in front of the others..

some people have no sense at all..

Original poster

Mummyto2xx · 24/02/2011 19:54

hi thanks for ur replies il bear them in mind thanks Drizzella i dont think its my daughters issue as such she lives at our house and has her toys out and about and was playing in the toy area a few days previuos and was dressing up and thought she had left it there obviously it was a mistake on her part shes 6. i do understand that sometimes children like to bring something from home as it makes them feels safe but it also can cause a lot of upset to all if things rmaitaken or lost or damaged.

i will have a think and word my little letter nicely althought most of the time its pointless me sending out any letters as they never actually read or take note of anything i say!

the parent in question of the child involved wudnt give a monkeys if i mentioned it to her and she never takes owt onbord isay it just goes straight over her head,

oh and to top it all off im 6 and a half months pregnant and could do without all this stress:0(

OP posts:

Grabaspoon · 24/02/2011 20:14

TBH I think your DD was a bit over the top

Original poster

Mummyto2xx · 24/02/2011 20:30

TBH no i dont think she was shes 6!! and was mistaken the mindeesd ring for hers thats not the issue here .. i was asking for help with wording how to ask people not to bring the own belongings in to Our home as it always causes conflict..

OP posts:

nannyl · 24/02/2011 21:04

i like boys are like dogs letter

Original poster

Mummyto2xx · 24/02/2011 21:08

yeh me too :0) think il defintly use that as a starting point and add a few little bits :0)

OP posts:

chitchatingagain · 25/02/2011 08:18

The other option is for the parents to make sure you are aware of whatever toy their children bring in - as it seems the issue is you weren't even sure the mindeed had brought the toy in with her. My DS2 will hold onto a toy in the morning and it will frequently be his 'all day' toy and to get it off him causes a huge fuss. I make sure the CM knows the toy he has with him, and if it is one that she already has we can pop it away and do a swap, if not then he plays with it and brings it home at the end of the day.

Drizzela · 25/02/2011 10:30

And how old was the mindee?

pollywollyhadadollycalledmolly · 25/02/2011 12:14

I don't let any one bring any toys into my setting.

Had a mindee moaning whhen i first started as my DD, whos 2, had touched his book and left a fingerprint on it!!! lol hes 11!!! So after that i said nothing to come into my house! Simple!

I do let the babies have their comforter but they are always willing to share!!

Drizzela · 25/02/2011 12:27

I agree when it is the mindee who is unreasonable. As with my DD who took a toy to her CM's house and then complained when anyone else dared touched it. In your case polly the mindee was unreasonable.

But if it is because you're own children are kicking off about it, it should be them who has to learn the lesson, not the mindee.

Original poster

Mummyto2xx · 25/02/2011 13:12

The mindee was also 6yrs, as someone mentioned above if i had of been aware that the child had defintly brought the ring with her then i could have ben sure that it was hers but as it was suych a smallitem and i never saw her with it on and she never came and showed me she had it on,

sometimes they hasve brought bigger things like prams,teddies,barbies etc and with them been bigger i see them coming in the door with them so this hasnt been a issue until now with smaller items that i wasnt aware off,

my daughter has plenty of dressing up things like this and the day before she was playing with them and was simply mikstaken, this could have all been easily avoided if i.e she hadnt brought it in the 1stplace or or also if i had of been made aware she had it with her,

if it was that the midees brought things with them to comfort them and that they love to play with them but they bring things and dump them as soon as they walk in,

thnakyou for everyone elses opinios and replies :0)

OP posts:

Drizzela · 25/02/2011 13:41

Hmm.. it all sounds like a case of precious child over mindee to me but hey ho

Grabaspoon · 25/02/2011 17:47

I agree Driz

missymoo2411 · 25/02/2011 18:29

go onto the bromley childming web sit you can print there policies off but also add your own wording ..

mrsthomsontobe · 25/02/2011 20:24

i perfer children not to bring there own toys as i have plenty of toys to go round. and usually it cause arguements if other children are wanting to play with them. and then if they get lost or broken who's fault is it. children dont take their own toys to nursery or school to play with so why to a childminders. i have had plenty of occasions where i child as claimed something is theirs and i have thought it was mine (ie toys car) as there car has been in my house for as long as i can remember and that i brought it out of my toy cupboard and the child only remembers as they apparently regconise the car. its a no win situation sometimes parents dont no either as they cant remember every small toys there child has

bringinghomethebacon · 01/03/2011 09:31

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Flip