Childminder or nanny-share... what's your experience?

[incognitotoday]

Got a nanny at the moment but as I might have to change job and hours and also dd starting school in September I am considering other childcare options.

Obvious options are either
childminder - if I find one with 2 vacancies and doing pick-up at that particular school;
nanny-share - ditto...

Any experience in either so you could let me have your wisdom?

Used to use a cm when I only had dd and it was great. With 2 kids it would have worked out too expensive, but now that dd is starting school and won't need looking after all day all year ... out comes the calculator again...

anybody? I'm guessing I've timed my post badly again during lunch eh?

definitely feeling ignored now ;)

Hello!!!
I won't ignore you, but I'd be biased as I'm a C/M!!

Not ignored Incog, but sadly I don't have anything to offer, since I am struggling with a similar dilemma myself.

I do have a distinct preference for nanny share, if it can be arranged, because I want DS to be able to come home after school and relax, rather than go somewhere else. However it's proving really, really hard to find a family to share with, so may have to resign myself to a CM if push comes to shove!

hehehehe you wouldn't happen to be in Ealing? ;)

Hey, Gizmo, we're not that bad!! (Says she who would never entertain the idea of sending darling first born to a minder

Nooooooooo - Cambridge

I've had several offers from people in London, though: they seem a lot more broad minded about it than Cambridge-ites - from the reactions you get round here people think that sharing a nanny will give you warts, or something!

HP my firstborn was unceremoniously 'dumped' at CM and loved it because she had other kids to torture and she was the 'baby' so everybody spoiled her rotten.

Contacted a couple of cm's from the council list but either no vacancies or no pick-up from the school I need... aaaaaaah.

Next step would be advertise in the school and local shop but nanny doesn't know yet that I'm reconsidering... dilemma dilemma dilemma!

Oh no, HP, I'm happy that a good childminder could be an alternative plan. My only reservation (apart from finding one of these wonders!) is that I would like DS to be able to flop around in his own home when he finishes school. Which I guess is another reason why people don't want to nanny share with me: everyone wants nannies to be based in their own homes!

My darling first born went to nursery, but I wish now we'd plumped for a minder.

Gizmo...
a nanny in cambridge

My dd was quite happy to 'flop' at cm who had a lovely big white (?!?) leather sofa

oh and I'd share with you but we're too far away

My after school mindees flop around my house when they've finished school as they're usually too tire to bother with anything else!

When I used to have after schoolers, brother and sister, they could do just that, flop, because I believe children need to flop out, cuddle up on the sofa and just chill out when they come home from school.

I wouldn't make any demands on them, they could decide for themselves what they wanted to do, play quietly, read, and watch a bit of TV, especially as there are some really good programmes on after school. I would sit with them and have a cup of tea, good excuse for me to sit and do nothing too!

I am sure some childminders would let them do this, I know a lot who do masses of activities after school with the mindies and some children just find it too exhausting!

I've minded many of my after-schoolers since they were babies, and they very much treat my home as their own. When I think about it, I reckon that they do probably think of "my" house being theirs as they've been here for so long!

Like alibubbles, they can do as much or as little as they want, and chilling out is definitely the whole point of coming here rather than, perhaps, an afterschool club.

Our nanny-share seems to be dissolving as of today (nanny is 'resigning' from the other family but wants to stay with us) - so if you decide to look for a share I am full of 'advice' on things that need to be thought about ( I really thought I had thought of everything, but I was wrong )
Good luck....one of the reasons I decided to share a nanny was that I simply could not find a childminder who would do the school run and also had a space for 2 yr old dd.