Dealing with different age groups

[EminenceIsImminent]

Hi,

I'm wondering how those if you who are CMs deal with the safety aspect of having children of different ages in your setting.

My CM has under threes during the day (at the moment she has a 2 year old, a 1 year old and a 6 month old) and 2 after school children in the afternoon. She also has a 7 year old of her own.

When I arrived to pick up my dc (one of the under 3s) the older children were cracking whole nuts and eating them. I was just a bit surprised as although she is supervising all children, there must surely be moments where a younger child could get hold of a nut without the CM seeing. I'm worried about choking rather than allergies.

Is this appropriate?

My CM has kids of all different ages and my daughter is 15 months. I don't know how she does it, but he manages to keep everyone safe. She has a big playroom with lots of Lego and other small toys around. But she either keepsmy DD separate when it's out, supervises or older children are also all very aware to be careful around the little ones.

The way I look at it is that my own house isn't 100% baby proof. We have a dog, we have pens with sharp ends lying around, my DH leaves change within easy reach (he's been told off plenty of times, as DD has vomited a 5p piece once!). I think a CM setting is a home from home for me. Of course risks need to be minimised, but they can't keep children in a padded room with no possible ways for children to hurt themselves.

I would see this as perfectly fine, so long as there is sufficient supervision.

I agree totally with Lala. A childminder provides a home from home environment. Do you think all households with babies have a nut-ban? Of course not, you just have to watch them. If she wasn't supervising them then it would be a different issue. I'm sure she also has knives and scissors and matches and electrical sockets and all manner of things that could harm a small child, but she supervises them so that they are safe.

Were the children with the nuts at a table/out of reach of the little ones? I would be slightly concerned if they were being allowed to crack the nuts on the floor where the babies were playing.