What is the 'perfect' childminder?

[Tw1nkle]

What do you look for when choosing a childminder?
Is there anything you'd like them to do, that they don't currently?
What would your 'ideal' childminder offer?

Thanks (I'm just setting up so doing a bit of market research!)

For me the one I liked the best and my dc as well (they are grown up now) is the one who treated more like part of the family than a business asset iyswim

By part of the family I mean they slotted in with the childminders family and felt it was a home from home when they were there.

They had fun just messing about do kid stuff with the childminders own children (they were all of similiar age so maybe this helped)

They'd help the childminder with household thing like loading the washing machine, doing the dishes etc ..in a fun way. They tell me now they loved this childminder because it was just like being at home.

We still keep in touch with her and her family they have become a lifelong friend to my DC's and I am eternally grateful we founds such a good arrangement.

Their second childminder was VERY business orientated. To be honest I think she went a bit overboard. Everything was structured

There were timetables everyday , all activities were timetabled and will I think her heart was in the right place, timetabling every action made the whole experience very uncomfortable for my dc's. They didn't say anything whilst they were there but now they are 20 and 18 they go on about how much they disliked the time spent there

Hello. Is there such a thing as a perfect childminder? I am a childminder who has been doing this job for over five years.

If I was looking for one (in my role as a mother) i would be looking for someone who was genuine, warm and caring, yet very professional too. A good time keeper with flexibility when needed.

As i dont use a childminder cant really answer the rest.

I offer a service which I would like someone to offer me. I like good communication with my parents.

I sometimes observe other cm and would not really want to use their services if I was looking myself. I like to think that I can reflect what I would like myself.

DD (20mo) is with a fab CM. The things I love most about her are

• she gives DD lots of cuddles
• she does a good job of pretending is very enthusiastic about my PFB's achievements
• she started CMing when her DC we're small and is still going 15ish years later, which to me says that se loves the job and isn't just doing it because it's convenient
• DD comes home covered in paint, glitter etc all the things I can't bear to do at home
• DD goes into her house, takes her coat off and makes herself right at home. She's also started pushing me out the door so she can get on and have fun!

Hth!

My CM (eons ago but thought I'd mention from the view of the one being cared for cared for!) was wonderful. She had me from my DM going back to work four days a week when I was 6m, as people above have said, best thing was I just slotted in to her family and felt at home in her house.
She had older children (youngest was my 8 years older brother's age) who would play with me when they came home from school etc - believe they had much fun launching me around the house in a baby walker. Her husband was a miner and either on strike or laid off (this ages me doesn't it!) so he was at home for ages - I was spoilt for attention! Big advantage over nursery was that I still did the things I'd have done had my mum been at home with me; CM took me to with her to the shops, went to the park, took me out with her to see her parents (who lived on a farm, thought that was fab), let me 'help' cook tea, all sorts of day to day things. To me it was no different to the days my Nan had me, or my Mum's non-working day. Very similar to my Mum in her parenting style and I think that was important - no rigid timetable f activities or anything - no different to being at home. Gave lots of cuddles and affection too.
Had a fabulous relationship with her, still in contact to this day; I was very fond of her and believe she was of me. Lovely, lovely lady.

My dd's cm is amazing. Dd loves it (although she is otherwise v clingy). Cm gives a v good impression of being please to see dd every day and is always pleased when dd does or says something new. Dd does a huge range of really fun sounding things and is learning loads but never feels she is being taught. She makes delicious sounding homemade food. And she treats not only dd but me like part of the family - she picked dd up from me and took me to work when my car broke down. I can't praise or thank her enough for everything she does

My CM is wonderful. My DD is a bit clingy to me, but loves going to her. The reasons why I like her:

• My daughter is happy there
• She gets to have a nap every day, in a travel cot.
• She eats well there
• She gets taken out to do lots of nice things in the mornings
• She has to learn to slot in with every life a bit (school run etc. )
• The CM has two lovely slightly older children of her own who love my DD
• She is flexible with her contract (term time only)
• If I get caught up at work she has no problem hanging onto her, and is usually happy to have her a bit longer if I just mention it the day before. She just puts any significant extra time onto our next invoice.
• Once when I got caught up in traffic and was late, I had to take my DD to work as CM had already left for the school run. She drove out of her way to come and pick her up from my work.
• She will have my DD when she is under the weather, as long as she doesn't have a temperature.
• She occasionally sends my pictures during the day of what my DD and the other children are up to.

She is slightly more expensive than the average childminder, but I think she is absolutely worth every penny. She is brilliant with all the children she looks after, as well as looking after her own DDs, one who has profound SN.

What I like about mine is
Its a home from home
They walk everywhere
Dd helps wity day to day house stuff
The food is amazing
Dd adores it and the cm
All the kids that have come through the CM are lightyears ahead in terms of reading, talking, all other areas of development
She genuinely adores her charges

Ofsted have said her area for development is to do more paperwork - I dont agree. Od rather she get down and play.