Childminders Club: Quick Question for those who've looked after babies................

[HellyBelly]

Stupid question but do you wash up all bottles, bowls (if provided) etc. for them to take home clean or do you just return dirty?

rinse them through at least.

depends on how busy the day is - sometimes yes....sometimes no

A quick rinse will take 5 mins at the most surely .....i will be rinsing dishes made by my ds and older mindees i dont think adding a couple of bottles and a bowl or 2 will add too much.

Yeh - but DH washes up for 9 under 5's, 3 staff, himself and occasionally DD - sometimes the bottles don't get washed

Katymac i understand you have a slighltly larger than normal childminding household but for the majority of us it would be no more than a few extra bottles

I wash up the bottles so they go home clean - but make it clear that they have not been steralised etc etc!

I would have made myself clearer if I had time earlier but I didn't.

So far I have always washed them and told them they are washed but not sterilised HOWEVER, this baby who started today gets dinner at 4.30pm, followed by milk then mum picks up at 5pm. I was worried that IF I didn't have time to wash them, would it look really bad? Does that make sense?

Anyway, as it turned out, this baby wouldn't have dinner and screamed for 20 mins before I settled him with just a bottle and then mum arrived - stuff everywhere because poor thing had been in such a state and needed cuddles - wasn't going to wash up and leave him crying! Turns out this is because mum didn't make clear about the nap/lunch time routine (strict routine) and he had an hour less nap so was knackered!

Obviously I will try and wash things up as I do for others, it's just the timing of dinner and mum collecting him that might make it difficult at times.

Thanks for your comments though

HellyBelly why do you question yourself and your ability so much. Sorry if i am offending you with this post but you seem like you know what you are doing and are a very good childminder but i see you question your abilities all the time.

If the baby has tea and bottle at 4:30 and is picked up at 5 then if you get it done you get it done and if not then you just tell the parent that there hasnt been time and if they have a problem with it then im sure they will say something. And before anyone jumps down my throat and tells me it will be different when i start I will remind them that i have dealt with parents before for many years. Sorry i thought you meant the bottles etc for the whole day.

Only question myself due to all the problems I've heard about parents not being happy with xyz Guess I just worry about getting a fussy parent

no don't wash .. just rinse through .. it is parents job to wash / sterilise and provide clean

I don't wash or rinse . I just stick bottle back into bag,havn't ever thought of washing or rinsing really.No parent has ever mentioned it so don't think i'll start now

Hellybelly - as you know I took on baby quite recently and I also sought advice about bottles on my fav site, from my fav advisors as is my first minded baby - well after taking the advice offered on here and stating I would rinse out bottles for mum to take home - 2 days later mum asked if I could just keep 3 bottles here and wash at end of day and sterilise - I have actually found that works better for me personally as then I can just do in my own time before I go to bed or in the morning - just pop in ordinary large jug with sterilising fluid but I do agree with everyone else to just rinse only if you have time and give to parents to take home.

Message withdrawn

I wash up any bottles, bowls or utensils provided by parents, and clean out lunch boxes. I don't sterilise anything. If I'm on top form, I send home all the wrong things to the wrong parents too.

I try to wash up as I go but parent usually goes home with most rinsed (not sterilised) and one or more unwashed.

I don't wash up packed lunch boxes & kids take home their own crisp/fruit bar wrappers/anything apple cores etc. I do wash up any spoons and pots/containers that had food from home to be heated.

I haven't sent home the wrong thing to the wrong parent yet but I'm often missing a bottle teat or a box lid at the end of the day (always gets back to parent in a day or two)

that was meant to read anything half eaten/apple cores etc

helly, the last child i had used to come with tubs of food and i used to clean them out and put them in the bag if i had time otherwise they would be washed up and put in the bag the next day. I would occasionally get asked if i had tubs so would sort out and give back and they didnt mind. I think they were just pleased that i done it so they didnt have too.

Message withdrawn

if the dishwasher is going on i put them in there or rinse them through.