Childminding under ones

[Smerlin]

I thought I may as well start a new thread for this rather than complicating my old one!

Can any childminders help me out and let me know what you do for under ones?

How do you avoid the little one just being in the buggy and taken from pillar to post for school run, activities for older toddlers etc? How do the more frequent feeds, nap times etc work? I guess as a new mum I see that entertaining DD takes up all of my time and can't imagine how someone else manages with a few older ones too!

I have a rather demanding little baby and am trying to work out whether a childminder or nanny would be best for her.

Activities can be much the same but modified.

My babies always join in messy play- ok so they might not produce the same results but they def get as much out of if. So this week we planted bulbs for Mother's Day, baby joined in having a play with the compost in the tray.
We feed the ducks, they can crawl on grass at the park or I take a blanket and toys, and toddler groups also have a baby area.

My little ones love the toddlers! She walks straight past me to hug my dd. And visiting preschool and school means by the time it's their turn to start, the whole place is much less intimidating.

Lots of exploratory play.
Before walking and crawling I used highchair/ jumperoo/bumbo to offer different activities. Once crawling I used double layers of trousers and waterproofs and let the baby join in with everything! Tuff spot with cornflakes/cooked pasta/ water and bubbles. Ball pool, balloons and treasure baskets.

The babies I have looked after often will move there nap times when they are in the buggy so they have more wake time at home.

toddler groups do have baby area.

Not sure how old your Little one will be when you return to work but I have had babies from 1 month old..The one month old is all routine of feeding , changing, sleep with cuddle time thrown in, I have 2 under ones at he minute ( different times) and as they start crawling . they start to find what activity they want to do.

It is simply a balancing act that adjusts each time a new child starts no matter what the age.

We have an under 1 at the moment. We don't do school runs. She loves watching the other children. When they played with dolls on Friday, she had her own small doll to hold. She sleeps and eats when she needs to. She has lots of cuddles while we read stories etc with the other children.

I've looked after a number of babies over the years, including DD who was 2 weeks old when we reopened.

I do work with DH so it was much easier. I never felt that either she or the other babies were neglected - quite the opposite! The older children adored them :)

A childminder setting is just like having big brothers and sisters. My DD's social skills are very advanced and I know it's because she's interacted with all ages all her life.

Regarding activities, exploration is the key one: treasure baskets, bags and boxes, materials, sensory play as well as helping with developing physical skills and mobility.